Title: School lunch prices on the rise | Education | buffalonews.com
Headings: School lunch prices on the rise
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School lunch prices on the rise
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Content: Last year, the cost of lunch for elementary and high school students went up 50 cents to between $2.50 and $2.75 to make up for increasing costs. Sales dropped by 10 percent. The same thing happened across the nation as school lunch prices increased. A Government Accountability Office study found 1.2 million fewer students across the country bought school lunches between the 2010-11 and 2012-13 school years. Federally required lunch-price increases and new nutrition standards likely fueled the change, the study found. School lunches are still a bargain. Even as prices have gone up and meals have gotten healthier, local schools charge less for student lunches than what they cost to prepare. There are few places you can get a healthy kids meal with an entree, fruits and vegetables, and milk for under $3. “A school lunch is still a good value for the meal that’s provided,” said Anne Rich, food service director in Grand Island. But it’s not as cheap as it once was.