Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services department celebrated National Plastic-Free School Lunch Day on Wednesday at Billy Earl Dade Middle School, as part of a nationwide initiative with the Urban School Food Alliance and Cafeteria Culture.
In addition to Dallas ISD’s existing efforts to reduce the amount of harmful plastic waste in the environment, substantial additional changes were made to menus, trays and cutlery in honor of National Plastic-Free School Lunch day. Improvements included using tin foil to wrap sandwiches and paper trays in place of plastic trays. FCNS also offered biodegradable forks and plates as well as paper cups for water.
National Plastic-Free School Lunch day menu items did not need to be consumed with utensils and were free of plastic wraps, trays and flatware. Examples included:
- Chicken salad sandwiches wrapped in foil
- Fresh bananas
- Steamed corn served on paper portion trays
- Cheese and pepperoni pizzas served on paper trays
Students were not only able to enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal, but they also contributed to reducing plastics in landfills. Although Dallas ISD’s school cafeterias already employ a variety of “green” and eco-friendly procedures, the district’s participation in Plastic-Free School Lunch Day is just one more step in improving the environment.
