How Brands Like Domino's Profit From School Lunch

Roughly 30 million kids in the U.S. eat school lunch every day, and "Big Food" companies have a pretty big stake in what makes it on kids' trays. It starts with federal money, but before USDA funding makes it to cafeterias, many school districts order from food giants like Tyson and PepsiCo who grab a big slice of the school lunch pie.

We hear a lot about school lunches in America and the food itself doesn't always get the best reputation. From Hollywood depictions to real life memories, the school cafeteria is a quintessential part of American culture.

Who decides what food gets put on the tray? And how come one school serves this on a $1.25 budget, while another serves this? Why are teachers working at McDonald's for a night? And how does a slice of Domino's pizza meet USDA guidelines?

Those are all loaded questions with complicated answers, but if you really boil it down the answer is money. Lots and lots of money.

The billion lunches that get doled out in school cafeterias every year make up a multibillion dollar industry that makes sure millions of kids are fed. It starts with federal money but on its way to cafeterias, school districts have to order the meals and food giants grab a big slice of the school lunch pie.

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How Brands Like Domino's Profit From School Lunch

[TURTLELE]

you cant find a single thing in America that is not a business

[Smoke-etwt]

"Ketchup, French Fries and Pizza sauce are considered a vegetable"

You can't get more American than that.

[pie]

As a current student, I can tell you that all the school lunches they showed in this video look 5x better than what we get at our school.

[KentuckyFriedChildren]

I love how at my school you had to take a fruit cup for "balanced diet" reasons

While we were also given Pizza literally every single day.

[GinHindew]

"Studies have shown that kids perform better when they are fed""
Only in murica you need to use that as an argument

[noa_]

You know there is something deeply wrong with your country when the official government health association labels french fries as vegetables.

[miasmacaron]

I grew up in Canada and never experienced a school lunch. We either brought our own from home or bought food from the cafeteria like a restaurant.

[jasonnarayan]

The US has a very sick public school system. Teachers are underpaid, food quality is as bad as prisons, kids are sent to jail for misbehaving. It’s just gross 🤢

[amandamysong]

Not joking I paid $3.25 for 4 chicken nuggets a milk carton and three strawberries

[jsemuVZP]

How can the richest nation on Earth feed their children something that looks like prison food?

[notYisan]

the simple reason: corporate greed. i think the school should source their lunch items to their own local community. the food would be better, it would create jobs and improve overall neighborhood.

[sebastianfries]

To all the people that serve school lunches, you deserve the uttermost respect and it’s the industry’s fault my hot dog bounced a solid 5 feet in 1st grade

[BlueFlower___]

I'm so glad I live in Finland where school lunches are free, healthy and we can pick the quantity and season the food ourselves 😓

[duckster]

If Gordon Ramsay went to a school kitchen he would just pull the fire alarm and leave

[amirmanibmanampan]

"When you boil it down the answer is money"


why am I not surprised

[Alexis]

“Boiled hamburgers”
That gave me war flashbacks

[LuisHernandez-orws]

Y’all eating dominos pizza? Bruh I’m eating plastic pizza lmao wtf

[Raven]

You'd think if we're paying Dominos for school lunch we'd get at least Dominos quality...

[liamdoinsomething]

“Not everyone sided with the idea to feed kids during the day.”
I’M SORRY BACK THE FRICK UP

[ammaranuar]

*American School Lunch Program.*

Started with good intentions, corrupted by greed and capitalism.