Recently, concerns amongst students regarding the lunches at LTHS have heightened. With the shrinkflation of meals, early lunch line closures and food shortages for 6th hour lunch, and, most shockingly, expired food items, Lockport’s cafeteria system seems to be heading downhill – a major problem that is causing frustration among many who rely on the cafeteria for lunch every day.
Many students across different lunch periods have voiced their dissatisfaction and feelings of being “ripped off” by the smaller portions of food for the same amount of money as previous years.
“The pasta serving was so much bigger last year, and the meal used to come with a breadstick, too,” says one junior student. Smaller portions and unchanged prices have left students feeling the effects of shrinkflation in the cafeteria – getting less food for the same amount of money.
Students who have 6th period lunch have particular concerns about the early closure of the lunch lines and not enough food being left that late in the day. “Having sixth period lunch feels like we get the short end of the stick. By the time we get there, they’re out of half the food, they shut most of the lines 5 minutes after the bell rings, and we never get things like the bundt cakes that the earlier lunches get. It’s like we’re always stuck with what’s left over,” says senior Jessica Smith.
For many, the experience of walking into the cafeteria to find a sparse amount of food or the lines being closed down 5 minutes into the lunch period has become a daily frustration. Popular items like bundt cakes and even pizza slices or french fries are not guaranteed for 6th period lunch, leaving students with fewer choices for what to eat.
Even more concerning are reports of expired food being sold to students. Multiple students have claimed to find expiration dates past due on parfaits and wraps sold in the lunch lines. One senior student reported a chicken ranch wrap being served to her on Sept. 29 that had a “best by” date of Sept. 21 (see picture above). “I didn’t even notice the date at first,” the student said. “I opened it and it didn’t smell right, so I checked the label and saw it was expired. I threw it away immediately.”
Other students have reported similar experiences, finding yogurt parfaits with expiration dates past due. The presence of expired food items raises serious questions about the cafeteria’s food safety protocols. Students should not have to double-check expiration dates on food at school; they should be able to have full confidence in the cafeteria’s food safety standards.
Expired dairy and meat products are known to carry risks of foodborne illness – risks that should never be present in a school cafeteria. While no cases of sickness due to these incidents have been reported, the discovery of outdated food items has left some students in disgust.
At this time, no official actions have been taken to combat concerns raised about Lockport’s cafeteria. Students continue to share their experiences and opinions about their frustrations with the cafeteria, but no immediate changes have been seen or announced. Whether or not these issues will be addressed and dealt with remains to be seen, but many hope that raising awareness of the issues at hand will eventually lead to improvements in the quality and consistency of the lunches at LTHS.
