BANGOR, Maine — A combination of economic factors and convenience have taken eggs and other protein-rich foods off the breakfast menus of several Maine schools.
Third-grader Leyla Carreira, 9, of Clifton, who led a petition drive to return eggs to the menu at Holden Elementary School this week, drew attention to this issue. The school, part of RSU 63, stopped serving eggs in March as a cost-saving measure.
“I tried to order a cheese omelet and I was told, ‘No omelets,’” Carreira said Wednesday, adding she was saddened by the news.
RSU 63 Superintendent Kenneth Smith said costs are too high to continue to serve eggs or other proteins for breakfast, especially since the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to school children, stopped reimbursing for breakfast proteins two years ago.
The program requires participating schools to offer a grain, dairy and fruit or vegetable for breakfast. A protein is required at lunch, as well as a fruit, vegetable, dairy and grain.
“Protein can be offered as part of the breakfast but in most schools tight budgets limit menus to what is required,” Walter Beesley, director of child nutrition for the Maine Department of Education, said in a recent email.
One uncooked egg contains 6 grams of protein, along with several vitamins and minerals, 5 grams of fat and 210 milligrams of cholesterol, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
There are ways to get around the elimination of protein from the breakfast menu, according to Alisa Roman, Lewiston Public Schools nutrition director.
“You can substitute one ounce of meat [or meat alternative] for one ounce of grain,” Roman
said. “My number one seller is cheese sticks. We used 1,419 cases of cheese sticks between July 1st [2015] until about 2 weeks ago.”
Yogurt is the second most popular breakfast food item choice with protein for the school district, which has about 5,500 students in eight schools, she said, adding that Lewiston qualified this year for the Community Eligibility Provision that is providing free breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack to all her students.
Breakfast numbers alone have increased by 30 percent, Roman said.
“We do know that there is a correlation … if I give them protein — egg wraps, egg patties — [it results in] increased attention spans in the classrooms,” the Lewiston nutrition director said, and staff have noticed.
Logistics also play a role, said Jane McLucas, food service director for the Portland School Department, Maine’s largest school system with 10 elementary schools, three middle schools and four high schools that serve around 7,000 students. Portland doesn’t serve eggs for breakfast to younger students.
“A lot of kids are eating breakfast in the classroom,” McLucas said. “We try and serve them something that is easier to pack, hold and transfer for the students that they like and are going to eat.”
Portland’s younger students like prepackaged yogurts and cheese sticks, and older students, who have access to a typical cafeteria, can get eggs in items such as breakfast pizza or wraps, she said.
Not offering eggs saves time for the Orono School Department, according to Superintendent Joanne Harriman.
“We don’t serve eggs because of the time issue — our breakfast is ‘grab-n-go,’” Harriman said.
Elementary school students make their selections as they arrive off the bus, put them in bags and then head to the classroom, said Kathy Kittridge, Orono food service director.
“They select from milk, juice, fruit, cereal or cereal bars, muffins, bagels and cream cheese or yogurt,” Kittridge said. “Yogurt would be their protein choice. In order to provide a hot breakfast we would have to increase our staffing costs.”
High school and middle schools have the same offerings, but high school students “have a second short breakfast break at 9 a.m. where we add an extra choice which sometimes includes proteins such as yogurt parfait, yogurt smoothies, occasionally quiche or breakfast sandwiches,” the Orono food service director said.
Every once in awhile, Orono will offer breakfast sandwiches or breakfast for lunch.
“This year the price of eggs was high so we didn’t have them as often during the breakfast break” at the high school, Kittridge said. “I believe the price will go down and if so we can add more to the breakfast snack.”
Eggs, however, remain a breakfast option for Bangor students, according to Noelle Scott, Bangor School Department food services director. The school department serves 3,742 students within one high school, two middle schools and seven elementary schools.
“We do serve protein for breakfast,” Scott said. “We have an option of cheese stick, yogurt or hard-boiled egg.”
It’s important for students to have a protein, she said, because “protein is a good choice that gives them energy for a longer time.”
The free and reduced food program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946. In addition to cash reimbursement for each meal served, participating schools get access to surplus U.S. Department of Agriculture foods.
That works for schools if the product is cheese, meats or tomato sauce, but “what are we going to do with a truckload of sauerkraut?” Smith, the Holden superintendent, said about the available federal surplus goods. “Kids don’t like sauerkraut.”
Maine has seen the number of students who qualify for the school-based free or reduced-price food program jump from around 60,100 in 2000-2001 to nearly 79,000 in 2010-2011, an increase from 30 percent to 43 percent of Maine students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Every participating school is reimbursed for each meal served, but rates differ depending on the student, and if they qualify for free or reduced meals. Lunch and breakfast meals for students who pay full price are supplemented by 29 cents, according to the current federal
Reduced-price lunches are reimbursed at $2.67 per meal and schools get $3.07 for every free lunch eaten. Reduced-price breakfast meals are reimbursed at $1.36 and schools get $1.66 per meal for students who qualify for free breakfast.
Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Families with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced‐price meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents.
Besides costs, Roman said, the benefits of offering eggs also has to be weighed against a daily question: “Do the kids have time to eat it?”
Even with higher costs to provide proteins, the Lewiston food service director said the department tries to serve them because of the benefits for students.
“I can see the value,” Roman said.