According to the US government, it will become mandatory that schools throughout the United States restrict the added sugars on the breakfast menu starting in the 2026 – 2027 school year. The hope is to give students a healthier alternative to their everyday meals.
Kelly Gnap, the food service supervisor who has been working at Wadsworth High School for ten years, must follow the rules of restricting added sugar in the breakfast food options and find other alternatives. This is going to cause shifts in the breakfast menu offered every day.
“It’s going to be a challenge to reduce the amount of sugar at breakfast, but two ways are going to be to count on vendors for adding less to their products that we buy; and secondly to add more protein to the breakfast menus,” Gnap said.
Olivia Kneale, a junior at WHS who occasionally enjoys the breakfast that Wadsworth High School offers, is excited about a newer and healthier option for school lunches. Although Kneale never noticed the sugary school breakfasts as a bad thing, she is not opposed to a healthy alternative.
“I think it will feel a lot better to know what I am eating is healthy and nutritious,” Kneale said.
Kneale believes that with a healthy breakfast alternative, more students and parents will encourage their kids and others to have breakfast at school.
Gnap explained that her and her staff try their best to try new recipes and make sure that they are keeping on with food trends. But, there are some certain things that need to be served at breakfast that will make following this new guideline difficult.
“Fruit/Juice is a mandatory ingredient to have at breakfast, so it is going to be difficult to stay within the regulations,” Gnap said.
Kendall Randolph, a junior at WHS, also has her opinions on eliminating added sugar in the school breakfast items. Randolph does not believe that it will bring more students to have breakfast at school because some just want their sugary breakfasts.
“Some students are more likely to eat a sweeter treat than a healthier alternative,” Randolph said.
Gnap said this decision is not something she can change.
“The motivation behind the decrease of sugar in the breakfast menus is the US Government, this is a mandatory regulation,” Gnap said.
