What's for school lunch? In one Minnesota district, that's partly up to the kids.

The directions for the teenage taste-testers were simple: Be honest. Don't cheat off each other. And be specific with feedback.

"Just telling me 'this sucks' or 'this is disgusting' won't help me," said Noah Atlas, the director of the child nutrition program for Anoka-Hennepin schools. "You all are my guests, and I need to know what you want to eat."

The state's largest school district has 45 kitchens that serve more than 27,000 lunches and about 11,500 breakfasts each day, Atlas said. The most popular items are what one might expect for a crowd of kids: Chicken tenders and mashed potatoes are always a hit at lunchtime. Students typically have a choice among 10 to 12 options at lunch, including a vegan option, salad and peanut butter and jelly. That's a far cry from the "take it or leave it" approach that parents might remember from their school days.

Now, Atlas and his staff are looking to add some new flavors to the rotations. But he needs to make sure students will actually eat the food before he orders thousands of meals.

That's why, on a recent morning, Atlas turned to the Coon Rapids High School culinary class for feedback. He passed out bite-sized portions of several different foods, including kielbasa on a bun, gyro with tzatziki sauce and chicken tikka masala. The students then rated each food on a detailed scorecard.

Among the winners:

• Chicken Wings - 80% approval
• Maple Chicken Sausage Breakfast Sandwich - 78% approval
• Turkey Kielbasa on a bun - 74% approval
• Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing - 88% approval

The top-scoring items will then be tested as a meal choice later this school year. If enough students choose to buy it, it could earn a spot on the menu for next school year. Atlas said the Caesar salad earned a high enough approval rating to be added without further testing.

"What the school eats is really in our hands," senior Andre Matthews said in between bites of a BBQ beef sandwich that received just a 50% approval rating from the class. "I feel special."

The class' teacher, Aimee Halverson, said she loved seeing the students get involved in district decisionmaking while also trying new foods from various cultures.

"I do think kids have a more sophisticated palate these days," Halverson said. "And even if they don't like it, it's good that they're trying new things."

She repeated that message often during the class period, reminding students that they at least needed to take a "no-thank-you bite." The term means that even if you think something looks unappetizing, it's important — and polite — to at least take a nibble.

'Back to the kitchen'

Freshman Ashton Reierson, a self-proclaimed picky eater, took the tiniest no-thank-you bite of a plantain, which was served as part of a vegan Caribbean bowl.

"OK, that was actually really flavorful," Reierson said, surprised.

The Caribbean dish received just 29% approval. In a summary of the taste test results, Atlas wrote, "There were things that the guests really liked about this dish, but they did not care for the plantain. We will take it back to the kitchen to see if we can update this recipe for future testing."

Other foods sent back for more testing include a birria dip sandwich and a red beans and rice dish.

Junior Devin Taylor made sure to cleanse his palate with a swig of water between each sample. When he didn't like a bite, he quietly shook his head and wrote detailed notes on his scorecard.

"I think this is an awesome idea," Taylor said after commenting that the gyro's tzatziki sauce needed a tad more dill. "It works way better to actually ask us our opinions than to just say, 'Oh, they'll probably like this.'"

Atlas agreed.

"I look at the numbers every day, and if I see that you're not eating a certain meal, I want to replace it with something you like," he said to the class. "But I can't guess for you. I'm too old for that. You're young, and you know what you want to eat."