School claims lunch looks bad due to poor lighting and presentation

This is poor lighting and presentation? Looks like crappy food and fish bait to me.

The mother of a student at James Hurst Elementary in Portsmouth, Virginia had some serious concerns about a recent lunch her child received at school. The photo featuring a piece of fish topped with a bun, along with some corn has since gone viral.

On the day the photo was taken, the March 14 school menu for the Portsmouth Public Schools was supposed to include choices of spicy Cajun fish with brown rice, cold cut turkey sub, chef salad, steamed carrots and a side salad, fruit, and milk.

Portsmouth Public School’s Food Service Coordinator Jim Gehlhoff defended the food saying claiming the picture is misleading due to poor lighting and presentation.

“We appreciate this parent’s concern about the presentation of this school lunch. Poor lighting and food presentation make this lunch unappealing.

"The meal in this photo and other meals served by Portsmouth Public Schools meet nutritional and USDA requirements.

"The presentation of the meal pictured concerns us and we plan to address presentation of food items in a training session with all cafeteria managers. Our goal is to provide healthy food options that students will want to eat.

"We will take actions to ensure that presentation is addressed," Gehlhoff said.