How hard is it to get fresh food?

Jamie's Food Revolution was a TV show which, a year or so ago, addressed the healthiness of the food served in Los Angeles public school cafeterias, trying to get them to serve healthier food. The school board there took some action, primarily after the show's run, but now it seems that kids aren't impressed with the implementation (although 75% apparently gave positive reviews in the earlier taste tests).

How much of this is really marketing though on behalf of companies distributing processed food? For example:

But Barrett said the debut was a "disaster." Participation plunged by more than 13%, he said. About two-fifths of the loss was tied to 99 schools that temporarily resumed requiring lunch tickets; typically, a drop-off is expected when this occurs. In the last month or so, the overall program has begun to recover; participation is down by about 5% or 6%, Barrett said.

That seems to suggest the presence of a shock, tied in part of schools cracking down on students getting these meals - which might have developed some changes in habits - and which now seems to be recovering.

The article also notes that

Students have embraced about half of the new fare, according to Binkle; the salads and vegetarian tamales in particular have been popular.

Students liking veggies seems like a strong start, and liking half the dishes seems to suggest that, although some tweaking might be required, they've got a decent starting point.

The biggest issue that I can see in the article is staleness of the food

Among other complaints, Vanderbok said salads dated Oct. 7 were served Oct. 17. ... In class recently, students complained about mold on noodles, undercooked meat and hard rice.

That seems to be an implementation problem, not a problem with the menu per say. Give them somewhat more practice - and try to reduce inventory of preprepared foods and it sounds like a lot of problems would clear up.