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School lunch is an important part of the students’ day. It provides a much-needed break from the classroom and an opportunity to refuel. However, the quality and variety of the menu can vary greatly depending on which part of the globe we look at.

Some schools, for example, have been trying to improve the nutritional value of their lunches by adding more fruits and veggies, reducing the amount of processed foods, and offering options for eaters with dietary restrictions. These efforts can help ensure students get what they need to stay active and focused. On the other hand, some schools still serve meals that are high in fat, sugar, and sodium, which can contribute to obesity and other health problems.

Which Countries Have The Best School Lunches In The World

To see who is on the right track and who is lagging, we at Bored Panda decided to expand on our previous publication on school lunches from around the world and put together a new collection of pictures that vividly illustrate the situation, courtesy of the subreddit r/pics. Enjoy photos of real school lunches around the world, and share a photo of a typical school lunch in your country in the comments below!

#1

Free School Lunch In Stockholm, Sweden

Plate with watermelon, pulled pork and vegetables

Cool_Kalkon Report

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Zephyr343
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are those actual plates? In the US, we are a few years away from them just serving the food on the table directly

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#2

An Example Of A Swedish (Free) School Lunch. Fried Salmon, Fried Potatoes In Herbs, Honey Roasted Vegetables With Chèvre

Plate with fried salmon, fried potatoes in herbs, honey roasted vegetables with chèvre

Svenmpa Report

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Fluffy mommy panda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Damn that a lot compared the last few I've seen. Why can't American treat kids better it such b******t

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#3

Chilbo High School Lunch (Free - South Korea)

Plate with soup, vegetables, rice and meat

inlgyment Report

#4

My Korean School Lunch! Pork Cutlet, Blood Sausage Soup, And Assorted Banchan

Plate with pork cutlet, blood sausage soup and assorted banchan

darkrealm190 Report

#5

Pics From Some Schools In Korea Known For Having Best School Lunches

Plate with soup, vegetables, bread, cookies, meat and fruits

bvmmi1le Report

Sweden

One of the hottest pictures on this list comes from Stockholm, Sweden. Its author, Redditor Cool_Kalkon, told Bored Panda that their school usually serves different types of stews, complementing it with chicken or beef, but there are vegetarian options, too.

“The quality [of our lunch] is really good considering the budget they have,” Cool_Kalkon explained to us. “The food is always healthy and mostly cooked from raw ingredients in school. They even got a vegetarian alternative every day and a salad bar.” 

Cool_Kalkon said they don't know how the lunches could be improved because they’re satisfied with the food. But if they were to come up with something, they would probably “cut down on the number of stews and have a bit more variety in the menu.”

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However, the Redditor pointed out that their picture doesn't represent the whole country of Sweden. “There are schools with much worse food and also schools with much better,” they said. “But, all in all, I think it’s fantastic that we are able to get a healthy meal on our plate every day without having to pay.”

#6

$3 School Lunch: North Georgia

Plate with chicken, rice, vegetables, potatoes and sauce

merc123 Report

#7

My Korean School Lunch!! Free For All Students

Plate with rice, soup, kimchi, meat

darkrealm190 Report

#8

School Lunch In California (Free)

Girl holding plate with vegetables and fruits

bestoblivion Report

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Mani Lacao
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like how NYC and California have very different takes on children nutrition

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Stephanie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work at a school in California I call B.S on this lunch only thing our kids get from this are the weird tasting apple slices.

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Minnie Not Mouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in california, and my lunch does not look like this. It is free, and include a fruit you must take, milk (Often Expired) and some kind of prepackaged, sandwich, quesidilla or rice. Pizza if we are lucky

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Gary
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes I suspect a few of these are very much put on. Though if we break this meal down, for a kid, a fair bit of it is courgette and radish, I bet most will be going 'yuck!'

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Janis Halliwell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmm.. I'm a ' school cook' in California and this is not what we serve. In our dreams . Where is this photo from? We have styrofoam trays single use plastic forks and would never be able to afford the veg on that plate,!!

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Lululoohoo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where? Definitely NOT the Bay Area - Silicon Valley - one of the richest areas of the US - and they give the kids here frozen peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, an apple and a carton of milk

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Aarya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly I live in Los Altos and this is pretty wrong for my school

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Carley Riedel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is completely BS! I have lived in California my whole life and my children have NEVER RECEIVED SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY LUNCH! They eat c**p!

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S
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who has worked in multiple districts, it's only the districts with the children of the rich and famous.

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Omni Unicorn
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in California and this is NOTHING like what we get. There's mac 'n' gloop, "chicken" with "pesto", and a couple of other awful options. We're required to take an underripe fruit and they only offer milk, so lactose-intolerant people just can't drink anything.

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very_knotted_laces
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nahhh we don’t even have trays and it’s just 4 nuggets and a milk and banana

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ShellsBells
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like it. School aged me wouldn't have touched anything on this plate, except maybe the fork to fling the stuff. Adult me may unwrap the foil thing to investigate, but still wouldn't touch it.

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Pam Ives
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw this one somewhere recently. The crazy amount of radishes is because this kid just really, really likes radishes.

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Katie the Koala
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wtf where is this?!?!? And why can’t my California free school lunch be any good??

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Alleman Jennifer
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How much gets thrown away? A pile of zucchini and a pile of radishes?

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M1ra_x (Krewkies XD)
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No way this is California food I live in California this is not what it is

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Heather Hudgend
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not at all. How much is look in Southern California especially in LA County. They are nasty, cheap compressed food that the children don’t want.

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Heather Hudgend
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in California and they do not give lunches like this to the kids the lunches they give a disgusting especially in Los Angeles county

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Mim“the Swede”Sorensson
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m being ignorant again, but what’s the foil thing? I see chopped vegetables, two pieces of grapefruit and a foil thing, so it seems to me as if the foil thing is important here.

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Marnie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's WAY too much food for the size of the child holding the tray. That's too much food for me (an adult woman) for one meal.

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Alya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friend is a vegetarian and they would give her a hamburger bun. Maybe some lettuce to go on it. That's it tho

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K Lane
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That sure isn't a public school free lunch at any school I know of in California

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Eve Land
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My kids hate school lunches in California. I'll admit i had one good lunch per week. I'd be lucky if I got two. California needs to step it up.

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Josh Carpenter
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Buuut ... Is there something substantial in the foil? Or is this just piles of terrible nutritional planning?

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Jessiebean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was a buffet style lunch so the kid only picked what she wanted to eat.

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Kimberly Ferrieri
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wth? Agree... grew up in CA and my kids are here now too... Bay Area. None of their lunches look like this. Plus, while some kids like it, the majority of kids wouldn't touch much less eat that many radishes and a whole avo. Where do they come up with these?!

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Vanessa
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Having grown up in a nice neighborhood in CA my whole life and lived of free school lunches, I've never seen a single lunch like this. Imagine a plate with one big greasy slice of pizza or a questionable looking burger in foil. There were no sides

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Vanessa
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Off* and also now I remember there was a carton of milk and a bag of questionable apple slices. Most people just left them on the counter though when being handed your lunch since nobody wanted them.

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YourLocalLizard
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People eat this at school? In the US? I had mac and cheese in a bag with soggy chicken.

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KindredKiller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in Alabama... we're lunch if our lunches are even close to edible

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S
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The metal fork and reusable tray tell me this is in an affluent district and is the exception here in California, certainly not the norm!

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Dodo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Grapefruit messes with a bunch of medication. I probably wouldn't be serving it at school. (And yes, I know they can just not eat it)

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John Nada
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This looks like pretentious c**p that they want kids to eat to become child models for Hollywood

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John Nada
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

c r a p wow, you guys censor that word so soft! Must love censorship 😂

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BeepBeepBoopBoop
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

only thing I see a problem with is (what I'm pretty sure is) grapefruit. Could cause my meds to stop working, so maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to serve it to younger kids who don't know. Teens would probably know about it tho, like me lol

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#9

School Lunch In South Korea

Plate with rice, soup and seafood

ipresnel Report

Japan

On the other side of the globe, we have another Redditor, Sjbfujcfjm, representing the city of Takatsuki in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Their picture reveals what the country’s younger kids (2-6 years old) are having. A staff member at White Rose Kindergarten, Sjbfujcfjm told Bored Panda that “Daily lunches usually consist of a portion of meat (fish being a popular option), a vegetable, rice, soup and something sweet like an apple or orange slice or fruit jelly.”

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“The quality is quite good,” the Redditor added. “All of the teachers have the option to eat the school lunch, and we do each day. We have a chef and his crew of 4-5 come in daily to prepare the meals. A few times a month, they prepare a special lunch featuring foods from a specific region of Japan.”

However, they would like to see more meals featuring food from other countries. “We sometimes have dishes or sides from China or Korea. But I’d like to see a wider variety,” Sjbfujcfjm said.

#11

Looks Like School Lunches Are Making The Rounds Here Again: United States, Public Middle School

Place with pasta, meat, vegetables and bread

bibliophile222 Report

#12

Typical School Lunch In South Korea

Plate with soup, rice, vegetables

seacobs Report

#13

New York City School Lunch

Plate with rice, vegetables and fruit

BrighterGreen Report

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Random Stuff
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this is the best school lunch from the US I've seen in this list so far

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#14

School Lunch From My Country. Where Am I? What Do Kids Eat Where You Are?

Plate with rice, vegetables, chicken and bread with fruit and desert

Phylanara Report

#16

School Lunch At A Kindergarten In Japan (Bonus Bentos)

Plate with rice, vegetables, meat and tea

sjbfujcfjm Report

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#18

My Korean School Lunch (That Students Get For Free)! Beef Noodle Soup And Various Banchan!

Plate with kimchi, rice, vegetables

darkrealm190 Report

#19

School Lunch In Japan. The Christmas Edition

Plate with soup, vegetables, chicken, milk and desert

Hahnter Report

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Aaron Jimenez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

International school food puts US food to shame by such a large amount its not even funny

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#20

I See Your School Lunch And I Raise You A Dinner On A Us Navy Ship

Plate with porridge and vegetable

koolturkey Report

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Pixie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one looks pitiful! Especially since it's being served to adults who are serving our country!

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What Food Should Best School Lunches Include?

To contextualize these pictures, we can take a look at the 2021 study by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation that looked into the “food basket” — a fundamental element of any school meal program — of 139 countries.

Grains/cereals were the most common food category (served in 87% of programs), followed by oil (78%) and legumes (75%). Fruits and vegetables (63-65%) were less common, and animal-source foods were served least often—though there was a high degree of variation across income groups. Poultry, for example, was served in 69% of programs in high-income settings but just 5% of programs in low-income settings.

The gap was even larger for fruits, which were served in 97% and 22.5% of programs in high and low-income settings, respectively—a difference of 74.5 percentage points.

In high-income settings, children received an average of 8.3 different food categories, while this value dropped to 7.1, 6.5, and 5.2 in upper middle-income, lower middle-income, and low-income settings, respectively. Across regions, this value was the greatest in South Asia/East Asia/Pacific and the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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#22

Free School Lunch UK

Plate with pasta, vegetables and desert

GDTango Report

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Cecilia Bragg
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's been 40 yrs since I had a school lunch but I'm tickled to see the sponge cake and custard hasn't changed 😀

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#24

School Lunch In Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Plate with soup, fish, vegetables, rice and fruit with milk

seacobs Report

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Zephyr343
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They take pride in the plating and appearance. Ours got slapped on the tray with as much precision as a blind archer.

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#25

Australian School Lunch

Plate with fruits and bread with vegetables and meat

mannyrmz123 Report

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John Ewin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is not what Australians do. I am Australian and have never seen a school lunch like that

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#26

My Korean School Lunch! Handmade Duck Steaks, Beef And Radish Soup, And Assorted Banchan

Plate with rice, kimchi, soup and vegetables

darkrealm190 Report

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#27

So This Is What An Average School Lunch Looks Like For High Schoolers In Germany

Plate with pasta, sauce and vegetables

ScoochMagooch Report

#28

What A Week Of (Free) School Lunches Look Like In Thailand [oc]

Plate with vegetables and fruits

UnlikelyFix Report

#29

I See Your Finnish School Lunch And Raise You My South Korean School Lunch

Plate with rice, soup, kimchi and fruits

JingleJohnJacob Report

#30

Typical School Lunch In South Korea

Plate with soup, chicken, rice, sausages, vegetables and milk

reddit.com Report

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Random Stuff
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like South Korea really does have the best school lunches on this list. Good work South Korea!

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What Affects School Lunches Around the World?

Across all regions and income groups, market purchases were the most common method through which school meal programs procured food.

These purchases primarily occurred in domestic markets, though 38% of programs purchased at least some food from foreign countries. In-kind contributions from foreign and domestic settings were much less common at 23% and 21%, respectively, and were primarily reported by programs operating in low-income and lower-middle-income countries.

Because of this, after inflation popped in 2022 to a level unseen in decades, many schools are now forced to spend way more to feed their students. In the US, for example, the price of a meal at elementary and secondary schools spiked by a whopping 305%.

#31

School Lunch In America Since We’re Posting School Lunches

Plate with chicken, vegetables and pasta

saphiresgirl Report

#32

Have Seen A Few Of These Today, Here Is My American School Lunch

Plate with chicken, mash potatoes, vegetables and milk

SURTUPPETS Report

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Edda Kamphues
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a significant lack of colour. Vegetables and fruit provide colour. This is a deep fried mess with some even messier mash and some corn for good measure.

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#34

Elementary School Lunch Japan

Plate with pasta, soup, meat and vegetables

AJEDIWITHNONAME Report

#35

School Lunch: Pork Roll Egg N Cheese, Potataos, Lima Beans, Mozzarella Salad, Zeppoles. All For $3

Plate with chicken, vegetables, bread

eddiedickson Report

#36

Lunch + Breakfast At My School. (Seasia-- Seriously, Wtf Is Going Wrong With American School Lunch)

Plate with tortillas, fries and fruits

voidmusik Report

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Milo Hi
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in the mid north ish part of the country, the lunches are actually really good, we get to pick from 3 meals (public middle school)

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#37

Now, If You Had This For School Lunch, It Was A Peak Lunch Day

Plate with cooked pizzas

barista91 Report

#38

Elementary School Lunch In South Korea

Plate with soup, rice, kimchi and jelly

Seanathon23 Report

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BoredFox
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ARE YOU KIDDING ME YOU GET A WHOLE PACKET OF GUMMIES ALL TO YOUR SELF??? I'M COMING FOR THIS SCHOOL

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#40

This Is A Local School Lunch That A School In The Us Served

Plate with bread, mead, mash potatoes, fruits and milk

Bank_Gothic Report

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created an energy supply shock, contributing to higher transport costs to deliver food from farm to table. That, combined with other factors such as higher labor costs, underpin fast-rising prices throughout the food complex.

The industry is really interdependent, too. For instance, global shocks in major markets for vegetable oil — a key ingredient in margarine — drove margarine prices up by 43.8% in 2022. Prices for commodities such as soybean, palm, sunflower, and rapeseed (also known as canola) oil tend to move together, meaning a supply disruption for one tends to affect the whole group.

Hopefully, everything will get better in the near future, and school lunches around the world will rise to a new standard!

#42

A Single Cauliflower In A Single Use Plastic Wrap From A School Lunch

Person holding Cauliflower in plastic wrap

McNoobens Report

#43

I See Your Korean Private School Lunches And Give You Maryland Public School Lunch

Bread with bacon and cheese

Trhodes009 Report

#45

Saw Someone Post Their School Lunch So I Thought I’d Share Mine… Nc United States

Plate with apple, milk and fried cheese

RaidenFanClub Report

#46

Are We Still Doing School Lunches?

Plates with vegetables and potatoes on the table

ilovemycat2018 Report

#47

School Lunches Today. Middle School & High School-Frisco, Texas

Burger, carrots, milk and juices on the table

reddit.com Report

#48

School Lunch, Free In California (Not Pictured, A Red Apple)

Person holding plate with fried chicken

ballerscholar Report

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Glen Ellyn
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What is that?? Ick! Oh, wait. I see ketchup, so at least a "vegetable" was included. 🙄

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#49

My School Lunch [oc]

Plate with mash potatoes and meat with rice

undertaler64 Report

#50

School Lunch At My Middle School (It Was Bad)

Cooked lasagna in plate

Minimizing_merchant Report

Note: this post originally had 97 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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