It's school lunch week: hold out your trays

You might wonder why we have a week to celebrate some of the most criticized food around -- school lunches. But even the president has issued a proclamation to mark National School Lunch Week. Which is this week, through Saturday.

The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program that since 1946 has served more than 187 billion lunches. Anyone want to hazard a guess about how much mystery meat that might include? These days there are plenty of regulations about fat, salt and other contents of school meals.

In my own childhood, there were "lunch ladies" who made tuna salad or meatloaf or sloppy Joes. Never did we get anything like "Petunia Pita Pocket" thwapped onto our plastic trays.

But the School Nutrition Assn. is holding an election with her as well as Pete Pizza, Biff Burger, Gloria Grilled Cheese and Larry Lasagna in the running. Pete -- he of the wholegrain crust and lowfat cheese -- is ahead; the winner is to be announced Oct. 24.

The idea is to promote healthy habits. And some school districts and legislatures are stepping in to try to make school food healthier. But that effort often collides with budget restrictions. There are other problems, too, writes Jacqueline Domac, who has been a teacher and school food activist.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo by Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times