The bell echoes throughout the halls, indicating the end of my lunch period. I look down at my paper plate and realize that half of my food has gone uneaten. In fact, most of it was untouched, mostly because my lunch consisted of food I had no interest in eating in the first place, and now I join the line of people forming to throw their plates in the garbage can.

This is a reality many Poway High School students face every day. With schools continuing to open across America, the U.S Department of Agriculture has made the decision to provide free meals to children under 18.

While the decision to make school lunches available for all provides benefits for students with lower income and no access to food at home, there also has to be a set limit to how much food is given out without first questioning the student whether they would like a certain food item.

To those who inquire that if a student has no interest in the food being given out, then why not just avoid getting lunch in the first place? The fact of the matter still stands; many students like the accessibility and the convenience of school lunch, and would like something to eat. However, when one stands in line with the intent of only getting one thing and then receives something in addition they did not want, food will inevitably be thrown away.

Every year, more than 100 billion pounds of food is thrown out in the United States. It is time for Poway High School to break the chain by being more cautious of the food that we request in the lunch line. Urge the people behind you to choose only what they will actually eat, because not only is food a right, it is also something to be held accountable for.