School meal

In Munich, Thompson founded the Poor People's Institute which employed both adults and children to make uniforms for the German Army.

The Policy set the first nutritional guidelines for school lunches, requiring balanced meals which include the appropriate levels of protein, fat, and calories.

Organizations such as Women's Education and the Starr Center Association began serving hot meals to students for a cost that was affordable for most.

The federal government was not involved until the Great Depression (1920s), when farmers and labors were not doing well financially and the school lunch program was a solution that benefited everyone.

[17] Sweden, Finland, Estonia and India are among the few countries which provide universal school meals to all pupils in compulsory education, regardless of their ability to pay.

For example, the National School Nutrition Program in Egypt serves only Ma'amoul, a baked food item made with dates.

According to the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics July 2013 edition, Osun has the highest primary school enrollment rates in Nigeria – a feat largely attributable to O'Meals.

Addressing child malnutrition has raised students' academic performance, and has increased school enrollment by 24% compared to figures from before April 2012.

In 1937 the WPA reported, "In the past year and a half 80,000,000 hot well-balanced meals have been served at the rate of 500,000 daily in 10,000 schools throughout the country.

Under pressure from parents and anti-obesity advocates, many school districts moved to ban sodas, junk foods, and candy from vending machines and cafeterias.

[41][better source needed] Government data from June 2017 indicated that 48% of schools were unable to fully meet recommended nutrition standards.

[citation needed] In the 1960s, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had intended a non-violent regeneration of Iranian society through economic and social reforms called the White Revolution.

After World War II, which brought near-famine conditions to the country, the Japanese government re-introduced school lunches in urban areas.

[51] The daily lunches are designed by nutritionists to provide a balanced yet tasty meal for schoolchildren, working especially to appeal to picky or unhealthy eaters.

[51] According to Chico Harlan:[51] Though Japan's central government sets basic nutritional guidelines, regulation is surprisingly minimal.

Not every meal has to meet precise caloric guidelines......Central government officials say they have ultimate authority to step in if schools are serving unhealthy food, but they can't think of any examples where that actually happened.

[However,] Japanese cuisine isn't automatically healthy; it includes crispy chicken, rich bowls of salty ramen with pork belly and battered and deep-fried tempura.

To cater to the many races, religions, and cultures in Singapore, canteens often offer a range of cuisines, like Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Western foods.

Free school meals in Finland are viewed as an investment for the future; the aim is to maintain and improve children's health, well-being, and learning.

[63] The school meal is used as a pedagogical tool for teaching table manners, food culture, nutrition, and healthy eating habits, as well as for increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits and berries, wholemeal bread, and skimmed or low-fat milk.

[79] As with school lunches, before- and after-school snacks are used as a pedagogical tool in teaching children about proper nutrition, table manners, and food culture.

[citation needed] A 1999 survey by the Medical Research Council suggested that despite rationing, children in 1950 had healthier diets than their counterparts in the 1990s, with more nutrients and less fat and sugar.

[96][97] Since September 2014, all infant pupils (four to seven years age group) in English schools have been entitled to a free hot meal at lunchtime every day.

One council also said that "special dietary requirements may be difficult to meet" and that fresh food might have to be replaced with frozen and tinned goods, while another mentioned the possibility of a return to rationing.

Marcus Rashford, a popular footballer, led a successful campaign to cause the government to make a U-turn and to continue to provide meals or food vouchers.

[107] The Petition that Rashford started on Free School Meals garnered substantial support, passing the 1 million signature mark on 28 October 2020.

[112] In response to the 2002 Childhood Obesity Summit, former Premier of New South Wales Bob Carr launched the "Fresh Tastes NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy."

[114] In 2012, Hone Harawira MP had a private member's bill to provide free breakfast and lunches for all children in decile 1 and 2 schools in New Zealand was drawn from the ballot.

Schools would receive funding and resources to either prepare their meals internally,iwi/hapu providers and external suppliers including Gilmours, Foodstuffs, Watties and Hellers.

[129] By contrast, Labour's education spokesperson Jan Tinetti criticised the National-led government for prioritising tax cuts over proper nutrition for children.