Cereal for lunch? Gwinnett schools say supply chain issues affecting school lunch menus

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Supply issues are hitting some metro Atlanta families in an unexpected place -- the school lunch line.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas was in Duluth, where the school system is having significant food supply shortages.

Parents told Thomas that their kids are coming home from school hungry.

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Julia Padgett said her sixth grader showed her a picture of his lunch Tuesday, and it was just cereal.

“I was completely shocked. I absolutely had to drop everything, go pick them up and go get them some actual food,” Padgett said.

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At anther school, Mariana Mosengova’s son, who is in middle school, texted her a picture of three fish sticks with bread and milk, and asked if she could check him out.

“He called me and said, ‘Mom, bring me something, or I want to grab a pack of chips.’ It’s just really bad,” Mosengova said. “As a mom, I’m mad. I’m really mad.”

Gwinnett school leaders admit that they are having supply chain issues, but don’t believe it’s as bad district-wide as some of these families indicate.

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In a statement, the district wrote that the supply chain is “experiencing extraordinary challenges” and that menu offerings will vary from school to school and “may not reflect the planned menu as we use available resources.”

Mosengova and her son said they can get by, but are most worried about other families who rely on the school lunch program for reliable meals. Mosengova’s son let her pack his lunch, but with the stipulation that she pack some for his friends, too.

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