The cafeteria food at Red Oak Junior High is not the kind of food that should be served to students. The food is either tasteless or disgusting, which is why many students bring their lunches every day instead of buying it at school.

Last year, ROJH served good food, such as CiCi’s pizza and cookies. This year, however, those options are gone. According to cafeteria staff, the school has been trying to bring back the cookies, but the state of Texas is not on board with all the sweets. Sadly, the state’s position leads to food being wasted, as students do not want to eat food of such poor taste and quality. Without appetizing food, many students will continue to refuse to buy lunch from the cafeteria.

The idea behind getting rid of sweets is for students to be healthy. However, most of the food served is not healthy for students. Consider Sloppy Joes, which are not healthy at all. For example, the average Sloppy Joe has 12 grams of fat and nearly 1,300 grams of sodium. Students need strength from their food to finish the day. Without good food, it is not helping students get through the day or have enough energy for the day.

Because of the decision to change the type of food served, money and food is wasted every day. Parents waste their money by giving their children money to eat at lunch. If their children do not eat the food served, then it is a waste for the school, students and parents.

Many parents would say that if students do not like the cafeteria food and want to have a good lunch, then they should pack their own lunch in the morning. However, some students do not have time in the morning to pack their lunch, because they cannot miss their bus to school. Other students do not have the resources to pack their lunch. Schools such as ROJH need to supply good meals for their students in order for the students to be ready for the day.