ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Making nutritional meals enjoyable for students is something the Calhoun County School District is working toward for the next school year.
The district is exploring serving new meals like Tuscan spaghetti squash, Mediterranean kabobs, and oven roasted chickpeas as a few of their new dishes.
“We have to find something that the kids are gonna like, and the parents are gonna be satisfied with too, because if the kids are running home and telling the parents the lunch was ‘eh’, I didn’t like it, that’s not good," said child nutrition program director Whittaker Williams.
The food items are being selected in accordance with USDA guidelines.
According to Williams, many items they are looking to use like beef and steak were unavailable at the beginning of the pandemic. This was due to supply chain issues.
Now they are able to offer more of a variety of food options to meet the needs of students.
Parents are being asked to weigh in on potential meal options for next school year.
“You have to have the parents’ input. It starts at home. Kids come to school, if they’re not eating certain items, how do the parents feel about it," said Williams.
The Calhoun County School District's School Health Advisory and Wellness Council is working with MUSC's Children's Health to receive guidance.
The next meeting is February 6 at 6 pm. at 125 Herlong Avenue in St. Matthews.