Entering into the 2015-2016 school year, returning students were astonished to find that the beloved Chick-fil-A sandwiches sold every Tuesday and Thursday last year, were nowhere to be found. This school year has brought many new changes to the lunchroom, but some changes have altered the cafeteria from behind the counter.

Cafeteria manager Kim Metcalf explained that the changes were to “clean up our menu, make it more nutritious and even affordable.”

The popular Chick-fil-A sandwiches were $3.50, but the new replacement sandwiches are  $3.00. Even with this decrease in price, some students would say both are still expensive.

Patty Narducci, a district registered dietitian and food service supervisor, stated that the reasoning behind the loss of certain food items sold in the cafeteria is that “a federal regulation was enacted recently that [allows] nothing over 350 calories and [an] x-amount of fat is allowed to be served al la carte.”

The district is now required to follow the new federal regulations regarding nutrition in order to continue receiving federal funding.

This idea of regulating the amount of calories in a single item is a part of the new “Clean Label Initiative”. Narducci claims, “[the Clean Label Initiative] is a progressive transformation to eliminate the artificial flavors, dye, additives, so it is really cleaner food.” Throughout the district, this program is being enforced.

The Chick-fil-A sandwiches did not meet those nutritional requirements, with a single chicken sandwich being 440 calories with 18 grams of fat and 1,390 mg of sodium. Junior Loren Woodford, shares her opinion on the removal of the sandwiches. Woodford believes that “the sandwiches are very fattening, [and] they are unhealthy.”

Junior Caitlin Clark argues, “Chick-fil-A does have healthy options, like the grilled chicken, [but] it’s just not what was at school.”  

Rumors have been spread about previous snacks or drinks being removed as well, but this process of making the school menu more healthy has been going on for quite a while now. Last year, the snack and drink restrictions were enforced, which would explain the restrictions of baked and reduced fat being enforced. Metcalf states that “the only big difference this year that we changed on the high school level is our outside vendors.”

According to principal Dan Serrano, outside venders are approved to sell items if they meet the nutrition restrictions, such as Gelato 64. The gelato and other outside vendors are not run through the cafeteria staff, but are still required to meet the specific nutrition restrictions from the district.  Unfortunately for Chick-fil-A, it did not make the cut.

While many people may be disappointed due to the loss of their favorite lunch item, it is safe to say that the government, the Chandler district and Perry High School are concerned for the health and well being of their students, and believe these changes will impact many students lives for the better.