Down to his last crust
Food price crisis leaves U.S. kids without pizzas
Published 16 June, 2008, 18:40
As the food crisis sweeps across the globe and prices soaring, U.S. administrators are trying to find a solution to the greatest challenge. According to the Los Angeles Times, schools, the military and prisons may soon see items which are too pricey disappear from their menus.
Managers of large-scale food programmes across the country are trying to find a solution to the challenging problem of rising food costs.
Schools are reducing workers' hours and replacing lasagne with less expensive spaghetti. Infant feeding programmes are running on emergency funds. And federal officials have begun bartering for basics such as peanut butter to shore up depleted food banks.
Trying to save money in the face of rising food prices, administrators in the Visalia School District in California have decided that kids’ favourites, like chicken taquitos and pizza pockets will be dropped from the menu. The dishes have become too expensive (49 cents for a taquito; 58 cents for a pizza), since it is costing the district $110,000 more this year to serve milk than it did in 2007, the LA Times continues.
The article quotes Lynnelle Grumbles, director of nutritional services for the Central California district.
“Prices started to escalate last year. This year it's hit us especially hard, but I see next year as being more difficult,” she said. Her costs have risen by 7% this year, but her funding is fixed. “School meal programmes are at breaking point,” she said.
Military feeding may also suffer, as some officials are considering switching troops from milkshakes to less expensive soy shakes.
Some U.S. prisoners may even see desserts removed from the menu. The Federal Bureau of Prisons spends $US 2.65 per inmate per day for all three meals, which are set by a standardised national menu. And as food and transportation costs are rising, cuts are necessary.
“We have focused on reducing or eliminating extras such as desserts, sodas, sugar or other empty calories and are focusing on basic nutrition,” spokesman Michael Truman said.
Normally institutional budgets are set once a year, but they have to feed their clients regardless of how much prices rise.
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