New York sprucing up more school cafeterias, offering more halal meals

New York will spend $50 million to spruce up 90 middle and high school cafeterias by the end of the year, with grab-and-go options and new kinds of seating. Along with expanding halal meal options, officials say it’s a way to encourage more students to grab a bite to eat.

At Hillcrest High School in Queens, students have a range of options for lunch every day, which they can quickly grab from a setup that looks more like a food court than an old-school cafeteria.

The city will spend $50 million to spruce up 90 middle and high school cafeterias by the end of the year.

The “enhanced cafeterias” have grab-and-go options and new kinds of seating, and advocates say they make children more likely to eat lunch.

The city is also expanding the availability of halal meals, with 79 kitchens certified to serve them so far.

Students say they hope the availability of halal food expands to every school where a student needs it.