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A school dinner is a Meal (usually Dinner or Lunch ) provided to Student s at a School . It is usually served at sometime around Noon . Some schools have theme days whereby food is served in a particular style. For example, the school might serve Chinese Cuisine to celebrate the Chinese New Year . SCHOOL DINNER BY COUNTRY United States The National School Lunch Program was created in 1946 when President Truman signed the National School Lunch Act into law. The National School Lunch Program is a federal nutrition assistance program operating in over 101,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions. Regulated at the federal level by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) it provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 30 million U.S. children each school day. In its 60 year history the program has expanded to include the School Breakfast Program, Snack Program, Child and Adult Care Feeding Program and the Summer Food Service Program. The Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA administers the program at the Federal level. At the State level, the National School Lunch Program is usually administered by State education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with school food authorities. Generally, public or nonprofit private schools of high school grade or under and public or nonprofit private residential child care institutions may participate in the school lunch program. School districts and independent schools that choose to take part in the lunch program get cash minimal subsidies and donated commodities from the USDA for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet Federal requirements, and they must offer free or reduced price lunches to eligible children. School food authorities can also be reimbursed for snacks served to children through age 18 in afterschool educational or enrichment programs. School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual's calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories. School lunches must meet Federal nutrition requirements over the course of one week's worth of lunches served, but decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities. The 2001 School Nutrition and Dietary Assessment II (SNDA II) study based on research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the 1998-1999 school year found that students in 91% of secondary schools and 82% of elementary schools had the opportunity to select lunches that were consistent with dietary standards for fat and saturated fat. Increasingly school nutrition programs are using more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein and lowfat dairy in school lunches. Efforts such as the Local School Wellness Policies required by the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act have involved parents, students and the school community in efforts to promote healthy eating environments and increased physical activity throughout the school campus. United Kingdom School dinners became a big topic in the UK in 2004 when Chef Jamie Oliver spearheaded a campaign to improve the quality of the meals. School dinners at state schools are usually made by outside caterers whose incentive is increasing their profits. Since many of the requirements for nutritional content were removed in the 1980s , there is little reason for caterers to sell anything other than the most profitable food, which will be the cheapest that children will eat. After a television documentary was shown on Channel 4 ( Jamie's School Dinners ), the public showed support for the increase of funding for school meals, causing the government to create the School Food Trust . The topic became a factor in the 2005 UK General Election . Japan In Japan, 99% of elementary school students and 82% of junior high school students eat ''kyūshoku'', or school lunch. Investigations about school dinner 学校給食実施状況調査, 文部科学省, 2004 (in Japanese) Parents pay 250 to 300 Yen per student for the cost of the ingredients, labour costs being funded by local authorities. The tradition started in the early 20th century. After the war – which brought near-famine conditions to Japan – the provision of school lunches was re-introduced in urban areas, initially with Skimmed Milk Powder and later Flour donated by an American charity. School lunch was extended to all elementary schools in Japan in 1952 and, with the enaction of the School Lunch Law, to junior high schools in 1954. Menu Usually, all meals provided on a given day are identical for all pupils of a Japanese school. The menu is planned by Dietician s and changes daily. The average menu has gone through a great deal of change since the basic meals of the 1950s as Japan transformed from an impoverished nation into an economic superpower.
Sweden School dinner has been free in Swedish elementary school and secondary school since 1973 . Normally the lunch is prepared like a buffet where pupils serve themselves as much as they want (mainly potatoes/rice, meat/fish and a lot of vegetables). Milk and water are offered as drinks. India Under the Integrated Child Development Services (or ICDS program as is known) government schools and partially aided schools along with {Link without Title} s provide mid-day meals to the students attending such institutions. In fact, the program is known as Mid-day Meal Scheme . The meal served is free of cost and meets the strict guide-lines that has been set by the policy. The history of the program can be traced to the year 1925. It is possibly one of the oldest free food programs for school children. A single afternoon lunch usually contains a cereal which is locally available, made in the way acceptable to the prevailing local customs. Vegetables cooked as curry or soups and a portion of milk is allotted for each child. The menu is varied every now and then, so that children come to enjoy the meals. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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