Parsippany students protest federal lunch program

MORRIS PLAINS (WABC) -- Some students who usually buy hot lunches are now brown bagging it instead. They are upset over the schools smaller portions and higher prices.

"We're all for healthy foods..but if the portion is smaller the price should be smaller," Brandon Faris, a senior, said.

The majority of students at Parsippany Hills High School made their feelings clear. Barely a customer bought lunch from the Farm Stand, the Solar Grill and the Pizza Zone in the high school's cafeteria.

"No one was buying food, they had this Chinese food set up, nobody got any," senior Joe Hunt said.

Mark Vidovich says he understands. He is president of Pomptonian, the food company providing the school spread.

"They say it's not personal, and they want to make a statement," Vidovich said.

A statement about the federal healthy hunger free kids act of 2010 to make school lunches more nutritious. Pomptonian, serves more than 80 districts that must abide by new rules.

"They introduced the new max on bread, entrees shrank by 33 percent," Vidovich said.

Like a smaller pizza, more carrots, less pasta, more salad and green beans, and no bread. The government raised lunch prices, Vidovich says, because it costs more to serve more fruits and veggies. But you're talking about high schoolers.

"At the end of the meal, you're not full," one student said.

"For $4.50, I can go to Wendy's and get a full meal," said another.

Vidovich says his company raised the concerns to the government. The kids want to make sure it's heard loud and clear.

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