![\"free_for_all\"](\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/gastronomyblog\/files\/2013\/04\/free_for_all.jpg\")
<\/a>Poppendieck didn\u2019t discuss what was on the lunch tray as much as she talked about the function of the school meal within the school day. The talk outlined the themes from Poppendieck’s most recent book, Free For All<\/a><\/em>, and focused on how we could reorient the policies and programs we currently have to create a different attitude around lunch period in schools.\u00a0 Using a mnemonic device of her creation (\u201cThe Seven Deadly In-s\u201d), Poppendieck outlined the many reasons why the tiered school food payment\/ reimbursement policies are not working. \u00a0For example, the \u201cin-dignity\u201d of having free or reduced lunch, the \u201cin-accuracy\u201d of the current system, and the \u201cin-efficiency\u201d of using staff time to ensure the reams of paperwork are filled out correctly. Perhaps the most important point here is that financial means testing for families is out-of-place in public educational settings and interferes with students ability to learn and develop.<\/p>\nPoppendieck described the school cafeteria and kitchen as an intersection. \u201cA place where concerns about poverty, hunger, and health intersect concerns about education and student development, and concerns about the environment, sustainability of our food system, and the economy.\u201d \u00a0By serving food instead of selling it, universal free lunch program could promote a better diet, food education, and health awareness among kids. Poppendieck gave one example of a Social Studies class that worked with the school kitchen to serve a variety of grains (wheat, rice, teff, quinoa) from different regions of the world as part of their school project. Curriculum like these that integrate foods in the cafeteria with lessons in the classroom could make eating school lunch a more purposeful part of the day and connect food with the broader learning experience.<\/p>\n