If being nitpicky with the slightest gram of fat is jeopardizing lunch food options, students should be able to keep all their food options instead of letting the district and state dictate what is good and bad to eat.

The district and state have been cracking down on club food fundraisers and alternative food options, and it has gotten to a point where students’ rights have been violated; an action that the school should not be taking.

With the removal of the long-disputed Eagle’s Nest Café, non-driving students have now been forced to resort to eat from the cafeteria and the taco truck.

“I think it’s unfair to have cut out the culinary class,” senior Noor Salim said. “Even though I know it’s a whole legal issue, I think it was good to have that option.”

Coupled with this is the tighter regulation on club fundraising:  After Associate Superintendent of Business Services Joe White discovered that homemade food was being sold for a club fundraiser, such fundraisers were then prohibited.

The shutdown of students’ major food sources is alarming. Food sources should not be taken away just because they are competing with the cafeteria. Clubs should have the option to sell food for fundraisers. Not only is it beneficial to the club members, it benefits students by offering more food choices. (Students should have more food choices offered in school because food is a major component of teenagers’ abilities to focus in school.)

“Lunch is really important otherwise,” senior Steven Fong said. “I’d lose too much focus after fourth period since I didn’t eat anything since 7:50 a.m., and some people don’t eat breakfast at all, so they’re hungrier.”

The absence of many food items has caused many to stop buying from the cafeteria.

“I don’t really buy food from the school anymore because of its limited selection,” Junior Joshua Huang said. “It has started retiring food items off their menu slowly such as the curly fries, and at the same time doesn’t let club fundraising really sell all that much.”

Joshua has resorted to bringing his own lunch which consists of either soup or a sandwich.

If the district and state wants students to keep buying food from the cafeteria, they should keep the good food on the menu.

“The school should provide those original foods that they used to provide,” junior Xi Kuang said. “It’s the students’ choice to eat it or not.”

Students are capable of knowing what to eat and how to balance it.

“We’re not in middle or elementary school,” junior Robert Emerich said. “We’re capable of making a decision on what we want or should have to eat.”

The health benefits of shaving one gram of fat or a few calories is next to trivial, as long as food in general is consumed in moderation.

They also stress that there are other means of being healthy.

“I think we exercise the right amount,” Xi said. “Food shouldn’t really be the big problem.”

The district and state should stop limiting students’ choices on food for they downsizing the cafeteria menu restricting clubs from selling homemade food.

It should also restore previous food options because it is not justifiable to take away these food options over an issue that has failed to garner results.

Students should be able to have their options for lunch. They are capable of deciding whether the extra gram of fat is too much or okay.