School hot lunches are a topic of controversy in America this fall, and MLive.com went into cafeterias in the Great Lakes Bay Region to see what the lunches are like.
The national conversation about hot lunch stems from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new nutrition requirements for schools. The guidelines are aimed at making school lunches more healthy to help fight childhood obesity.
The USDA rules require schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free and low-fat milk in school meals; to reduce sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals; and to meet age-specific calorie requirements.
But students say the portions are too small. Many see their peers tossing out fresh, uneaten fruits and vegetables.
MLive.com starting on Tuesday, Oct. 30 published a series about the state of school lunches in Bay and Saginaw counties to see what schools are serving and what students are saying about their hot lunches.
Check out the full "Hunger Games" series from MLive.com: