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30 Photos Of School Lunches From Around The World That Couldn’t Be More Different
Kids can form better eating habits when schools provide them with healthy food, but unfortunately, not all of these establishments are capable of doing so.
There's a notion that students from the US or the UK usually walk to their cafeteria in disdain while their Asian peers are getting served mouth-wateringly fresh meals.
But is this always the case?
To show you that not everything is black and white, we at Bored Panda put together a list of photos that reveal what schools from all over the world put on their plates. Bon appetit! (Or not.)
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Korean School Lunch Of Udon, Egg And Pork Cutlet Deopbap, And Various Banchan
RELATED:
#2
Here's My Awesome Korean School Lunch! Schools Have A Qualified Nutritionist To Plan The Lunch Menu
We managed to get in touch with a few folks from South Korea, a country that dominates the top of this list, to learn more about their menus.
One of them is Reddit user u/darkrealm190. "My school doesn't really serve one thing the most because they do a super big variety!" they told Bored Panda. "It takes about 2 weeks before something repeats. However, there are some constants, like they always have rice, some soup or stew, and banchan (side dishes in Korean) and [some] protein!"
u/darkrealm190 said the overall quality of the food was good. "It's definitely not bland, extremely healthy, and widely varied."
In fact, they couldn't even think of how the catering could be improved. "It's as good of a school lunch as anyone could need or want," u/darkrealm190 said. "I would also like to add that the lunch is free to all the students!"
#3
My Korean School Lunch Of Crab Soup, Braised Chicken And Potatoes, And Various Banchan
#4
This Is What Swedish School Lunch Looks Like
#5
My Free School Lunch Today In Finland
The other Redditor we talked to was u/StiffCrustySock and they gave us a similar description. "There is (almost) always rice, kimchi, and some kind of soup. Then, a Korean-style protein of some kind, most often pork-based ... [but we also sometimes have] 'Western-style' foods like burritos, a slice of pizza, spaghetti and sauce, etc," they told Bored Panda. "There will usually be a fruit of some kind as well."
"Overall, the school's food is excellent, I enjoy about 95% of it. And compared to other schools around the world I've seen, I'm glad to have this quality lunch."
However, u/StiffCrustySock would like a small change. "[They could] probably reduce the salt content and aim for less carbohydrates in each meal. Otherwise [everything's] pretty healthy."
The Redditor also suggested giving Korea's kitchen a go if you find yourself drooling over their pictures. "Everyone should try Korean food if they get the chance. The flavors are excellent."
#6
Today Was Veggie Burger And Sweet Potato Fries For Lunch In The School's Cafeteria In Germany
#7
Typical School Lunch In South Korea
#8
School Lunch From My Country. Where Am I? France
You could make a case that the quality of school food somewhat correlates with kids' health. In the United States, for example, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s and in 2017–2018, an estimated 19.3% of those aged 2 to 19 years were obese.
The CDC said that a comprehensive approach is needed to address this issue in schools, especially for elementary and middle school students. Scientists know less about what school-based obesity prevention approaches are effective for teens.
The term 'comprehensive approach' means directing attention to nutrition and physical activity in schools and involving school nurses, parents, caregivers, and other community members (like pediatricians and after-school program providers) in the process. But we are yet to see any meaningful results.
#9
My Finnish School Lunch (Vegetarian)
#10
School Christmas Lunch In Finland (Free)
#11
School Lunch In Sweden
#12
Public School Lunch In Minnesota
Catie Marie 2 years ago
I live in mn. That is NOT a standard public school lunch. It's not even a standard private school lunch.
Lizz Lor 2 years ago
It's likely a district that has prioritized healthy, fresh food. My son's district offers fresh salad bar as an addition to each hot lunch that would have similar fresh veggies options.
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Mad Dragon 2 years ago
Turkey and gravy over mashed potatoes was my favorite school lunch when I was growing up.
Austin _drawz69 2 years ago
Same but it was the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes for me
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the annoying theatre kid 2 years ago
i live in rhat state and that's not what our lunch looks like
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago
At least they gave them fresh vegetables and fruit. I'm a little disturbed by the cubes of nefarious mystery meat atop the mashed potato mountain and gravy sea.
Corbin Noir 2 years ago
I agree with you. I honestly got so sick of it I packed my own or went hungry if I needed to.
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Kristine Benson 2 years ago
https://www.willmar.k12.mn.us/Page/2850 Local school photos and menus. This isn't unrealistic.
Dorothy Parker 2 years ago (edited)
Looks like it needs more protein, but great vegetables and fruit.
Amy Nicole 2 years ago
My kids go to public schools in rural MN and this is what their lunches look like (they’ve been in school for twelve years combined, so yeeaaahh). Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, although usually they have some sort of seasoning and can have cooked options. They have a la carte too for more options. Some schools do have some gross recipes though. Lol
Gabriella Ennis 2 years ago
As a student in MN I can say I have indeed ate this lunch on numerous accounts, My school has luckily switched to reusable trays. But to explain the amount of health food, We have a self serve station everyday that has at least 4 veggie types and two fruit types we are required to choose at least one, We are also given the option of Chocolate milk, regular milk, and fat free lactose free milk.
Nancy Delgado 2 years ago
I doubt that is what they serve...not that many raw veggies, for sure. I'm just across the boarder from Mn, and our hot lunches have carrots & celery, not so much of everything either. Glad we're not in Moscow!!!
Strawberry Hellcat 2 years ago
I'm actually more concerned that the tray appears to be made of styrofoam. Must load up the landfills, hmm?
Norman Woelk 2 years ago
I call BS on this, it looks like a staged lunch for the press and most of that will wind up in the trash.
Michelle Wilhelm 2 years ago
They need a asterisk; the schools have optional salad bar while the turkey bread and probs broccoli are the 'actual' lunch!!
MimSorensson 2 years ago
This is not meant as disrespect in any way, I’m just clueless - what’s that white, round thing with the sauce on it? Is it chicken?
Georgina Grumplestomp 2 years ago
Not true. American public school gives fried and gross. Pizza, fries, cheap hamburger. The food is more like prison food.
Corbin Noir 2 years ago
It's not As good as it looks trust me.... I know from experience. Seriously it's the same nasty fake potatos and generic chicken gravy they have served for years. I will never forget it. 🤢
Michele Beme 2 years ago
My comment is that the meat and potatoes looks right but everything else except the jello we had jello but the rest is cap. You would have had a piece of toast with it and those nasty green beans with the uncooked ham hahaha
Kaela McKinley 2 years ago
More veggies than when i went to school but accurate fir northern Minnesota.
Brian Bennett 2 years ago
Fruit, Veggies Bread, Meat and Milk -what's not to like. Well, you could give the kids money to go to Mickey Dee's. (Death du jour!)
Ginny can draw 2 years ago
Never before in my life have I seen an american luch that looks, good.
Crispy Toast 2 years ago
Looks like a school with a salad bar. I worked at one years ago. Great food.
Twodogsandapicnictable 2 years ago
Looks like a menu photo. I wonder what you really get. I'd like to see a six year old carry that tray across the room without half that pile of veggies sliding off along the way. And where was the milk while they carried it? Theres no room on the tray for the milk or silverware. All of these pics are complete propaganda. Who brags aboutcafateria food anyway?
Bad Alchemy 2 years ago
Looks better than what I would have expected from a public school in the US.
Susan Murphy 2 years ago
6 pieces of meat chic / pork good balance hope the child likes lot vegetables.
K. Anderson 2 years ago
In US & worst was Chicken a la King. This was in the 80s so I feel like they were still using the lunches from the 60s. Who the hell wants that? Not kids for sure. I would always bring lunch most days any but especially on CalK day. Only thing I liked was hot ham & cheese aka grilled cheese with ham
K. Anderson 2 years ago
I have NEVER seen this many fresh fruits & vegetables in an American school lunch. It’s usually dull green canned green beans & apple mini oranges
Faith Hurst-Bilinski 2 years ago
This looks pretty common for California, too. Keep in mind that the main course, so to speak, is given and the kids hit the salad bar. What happens after that is on them but kiwi is pretty common. I use to get extremely nauseated when they'd cook this (turkey gravy and potatoes) in the build while I was pregnant and I still can't stand having a classroom close to the cafeteria 25 years later because of this damn meal.
Aimee Bishop 2 years ago
Okay those sides did not look like that in the '80s and I was in 3 different schools up there... Maybe the difference between MSP and central MN?
Vincent Van Bro 2 years ago
Seriously my friend had a milk that was straight up frozen.
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Heather Bara 2 years ago
This looks like a Kardashian posed, faux as can be pic that is farther than the moon of a typical lunch for kids in Minnesota schools, um, uh US wide I mean. We Always post our prettiest on the WWW don't we?
Sabastian k 2 years ago
Born in canver, Wakonda Minnesota in 2002 and I graduated high school in 2021 in Colorado, just of the story, way back in elementary school I remember this same. Exact. Lunch, all the way down to the apricots, being served at Excelsior emelentaryschool, I'm happy to see it's still around!!! Don't burn your tongue on them taters!
Sabastian k 2 years ago
Born in 2002 in Minnesota, Bloomington, and last year I graduated high school in colorado, point is, I still remember this same exact lunch being served at Excelsior elementary, all the way down to the appricots, it's awesome to see this lunch is still around!!!
Pearl 2 years ago
Some students may have health issues and can only consume that type. Or, maybe the school just wants kids to be healthy. Stop being an obnoxious twat
Load More Replies... Susan Trevaskis-Owen 2 years ago
The only things I would eat are the roll & the turkey-in-gravy-over-mashed-potatoes. Maybe the cucumber slices and/or celery sticks, except they've been touched by the bell pepper & likely now taste of it so probably not.
Lisa Scammahorn 2 years ago
No, that doesn’t look like the melted plastic looking “grilled cheese sandwich” my daughter FaceTimed me the other day. I’m guessing this is a private school lunch not public school.
Janos Schumacher 2 years ago
That looks about right for Minnesota depending on where you live. When I lived up north, we had baked chicken, fresh rolls, vegetables, fruit. There are other things of course, that's just the one I always remember. Bev made the chicken and rolls. She was a really good cook. She could do wonders with commodities. I really liked her Salisbury steak and potatoes too. When I lived in Minneapolis, it was a whole different thing. Every meal was torture. Nothing, and I mean nothing, tasted even edible. You had to put hot sauce on anything you ate just to choke it down. North Dakota was pretty good, home cooked food. The only thing was an unhealthy obsession with always getting half a stewed tomato on your tray. Never understood that.
Linda Tisue 2 years ago
Disposable trays? Plastic wrap? How much waste does one meal generate? School lunches should be fee free.
Julianne Hannes 2 years ago
This must be from a private school because in public schools, thanks to Regan, ketchup and french fries count as vegitables (look it up, it's 100% true)
Ireland Cook 2 years ago
I'm from MN and the only way that lunch is from here is if they go to Edina! My school lunches did not look like this, no way would we have kiwi or fruit that actually looked good.
Makayla VerMulm 2 years ago
That actually looks really good!! We dont get a variety of fresh veggies like that in South Dakota
Vernice Aure 2 years ago
Things sure have changed since I went to school in Northern Minnesota.
Jo Choto 2 years ago
This is straight up lies! Anyone who has seen American school lunches knows that you never see fresh food like this!!!
Nicole Weymann 2 years ago
Not too bad, but I shudder at fat free dairy milk (yuck - gimme milk or gimme water, but not that stuff) and keep wondering what that spongy thing with sauce and those chopped red and orange chunks in the cup are supposed to be.
Charlotte Sainsbury 2 years ago
The red and orange chunks are watermelon and melon!
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Mine Truly 2 years ago
Fresh vegetables and fruit in an American school lunch???? I can't believe it!
John Baker 2 years ago
More mindless USA bashing? Yeah, I can believe it.
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Scott Johnson 2 years ago
Went to school in Texas and Kentucky. Never had fruits and vegetables offered for lunch. Of course this was back in the 80’s so it may have change a bit. But all of the pics on this page are way more than we ever got growing up.
Alex Bailey 2 years ago
I assume it's meant to be a poultry-stock based gravy. I could be wrong though.
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Big Dog Island 2 years ago
That looks way better than the public school lunches I had in high school in New Jersey in the early 90’s
Molly Block 2 years ago
This does not look anything like the school lunches we had in Alabama. This looks pretty good!
Aria Whitaker 2 years ago
Really? Our lunches at my NC high school looked a lot like this...sometimes a bit better, IMO. I guess it really does depend on your area!!
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tofushoes 2 years ago
Remaking this comment as I forgot to link the photo. I also happen to go to one of the biggest public high schools in Minnesota, and this was my lunch recently. Very different. The rice wasn’t even cooked and the beans were frozen. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tkFG7sdXc4wPrLT68
Beth Griesauer 2 years ago
How creative...not. Rice and beans on a cold tortilla with a side of beans?
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Pilot Chick 2 years ago
This must be a really fancy school district. The lunches we got would have been turkey and gravy, a roll, three carrot sticks, and milk.
M@rlow_the BLINK 2 years ago
I mean its ok!!! It has a lot of vegetables so I'll give it a 4 out of 5!!
Nonya Bidness 2 years ago
This is fake, no school ever gave us fresh veggies and fruits!!! I would have loved it.
Beth Griesauer 2 years ago
What is that stuff in the lower right? And why are they using styrofoam "plates"??? So environmentally UNfriendly.
Marie Andreasen 2 years ago
MN is infamous for our bad school lunches. One of which even made national headlines for how horrible it was. It was viral. This is definitely not a standard school lunch here.
Krishna Dyehouse 2 years ago
What a horrible lunch. When I was in school during the 80s lunch was awesome and yummy as it was the only meal I would recieve that day. Now my kids starve in school. They pack a lunch everyday then eat when they come home. It's all ass backwards!
rodney dheel 2 years ago
I'm calling b.s. on this. NO school lunch here in the U.S. is that good
#13
School Cafeteria Lunches In Finland
#14
Public School Lunch In Sweden
#15
My School Lunch In Beijing, China
#16
My School Lunch. It Was Very Nice. UK
I-Hate-Everyone 2 years ago
Must be a private school because public school dinners in UK don't look like that. I went to public school and we were never served anything like that ever
#17
Breakfast At A Public Charter School, Austin, Texas
#18
Some Pictures Of My School Lunch In Japan. Nutritious And Delicious, Japan Knows How To Feed Their Kids
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
I'm sure it's good if the person says so, but the photo doesn't make it look like it.
#19
The School Lunch From A Elementary School In Colombia
#20
Food In One Of The Moscow Schools. It's Macaroni And Cement I Guess
#21
My Swedish School Lunch (100% Free)
#22
My School Likes To Do Fruit Water In Our Dining Hall. So Today We Got Jalapeño And Pineapple Water
#23
Lunch At A Korean Elementary School
#24
School Lunch In America Since We’re Posting School Lunches
#25
The Vegetarian Option For Bolognese At My School Is Literally Just A Bag Of Ketchup
#26
Are We Still Doing Lunch? This Is The Teacher Lunch At My School. All This Was For $4.50
#27
What A School In UK Calls A Hotdog
#28
My School Serving Almost Raw Pizza
#29
The Cheese They Put On Our School's Hamburgers
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
Seems like eating lunch in Korea is quite awesome, considering how many pictures revolve about the country's dishes.
Chinmayee Kalghatgi 2 years ago
I came here for learning about different food kids eat around the world but midway through i thought that this was supposed to be a school lunch shaming post
Wouter 2 years ago
People complaining about their crappy school restaurant food. Meanwhile, in Holland, they get their 4 slices of wholewheat with sweaty cheese out of the backpacks that was put next to the heater all morning. Wrapped in the saddest and flimsiest of all plastic bags, the 'boterhamzakje'. It even sounds depressing. CZ3q4GVWAA...373ea5.jpg 
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
I'm very happy that you explicitly stated that this is only in Holland. In the rest of the Netherlands students enjoy decent home packed lunches in real lunchboxes. Sucks to to be a Hollander.
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Naesil 2 years ago
Being from Finland most of these photos just make me sad... most of the things I wouldnt even consider as a lunch, some barely even food, and students have to pay for those? For some kids from poor families school lunch might be the only meal they get during the day.
Kat 2 years ago
In the school my kids go to, the food is prepared by parents in the school. We wash and cut up pieces of fruit and raw veggies for snacks during breaks, make fresh soup and a variety of sandwiches. In non-covid times, sitting together and eating as a group is part of the school experience. Once a month on Friday we (used to) fire up the barbecue after school and just all hang out and eat there. Parents, kids, school staff... We Really miss it
M@rlow_the BLINK 2 years ago
THIS is why I brought food from home (I'm not going to lie tho, the Korean food made my mouth water)
Caroline Nagel 2 years ago
The dinner ladies at US schools must feel so ashamed having to serve that crap. Most first world countries manage to serve their puplis/students proper food, how come it's not possible in the USA, the self proclaimed best country in the world?
Solar_Eclipse 2 years ago
The budget for schools went to military and politicians.
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Miguel Payano 2 years ago
Puerto Rican school luch is the best, wholegrain rice with beans, cornbeef, fried sweet plantains, fruit, milk and juice. Everything locally grown and some ingredients grown at school by students. I miss this. It was a shock when i moved to NYC and had to eat cold, dry cheese sandwich for a year😑 and on top of that i had to paid for the damm thing.
Denise .Russell 2 years ago (edited)
What is extremely sad is that there are kids who either go hungry or actually eat most of that because their family doesn't have enough for them to bring or make something from home. I, sadly, was one such kid. I LOATHED grade school lunches save for when I went to school in New Mexico for two years--all lunches were both free and fresh made every day. High school was the worst, and staff should have clued in on that when kids went first to the taco truck that parked outside then the Walgreens that was built across the street.
Paola Martz 2 years ago
In Mexican public schools you either bring lunch from home or starve. They don't offer lunches. Some schools have "cooperativas" that are some people selling food inside the school (third parties, not provided by the school, they have to pay a fee to sell there). It's usually very unhealthy food, and then again, if you don't have money you just starve
Martha Meyer 2 years ago (edited)
Looking at the "lunches" in the lower half of this post, makes me think the school lunches I got as a kid weren't so bad... Those Koreans need to export school lunch nutritionists to the rest of the world though!
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
While they're at it, can they just export some of those lunches to my house please?
Load More Replies... Glirpy 2 years ago
What's really depressing is all the single-use styrofoam and plastic trays and containers.
John 2 years ago
That's what is really depressing to you?! Not the millions of children having to eat the awful food provided to them on that styrofoam? Let's have some decent priorities please.
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hii 2 years ago
Well school lunch here in our country is not bad but the thing is it's not for free. Like we have to pay for everything and it costs much, luckily we have a variety of foods to choose from plus it tastes good so it's not like you get robbed. But I rarely buy some lunch in our school ever since the prices got high so my mom always cooks lunch for me 'cuz it's more money saving considering that I live in a big family lol.
Sasy 2 years ago
This is just horrible, if the food is that bad but parents are paying that amount for it, why the hell are they not just bringing food from home, most Aussie kids in my day brought lunch and added on at the tuck shop - we don't do cafeterias we just have a shop in the school you buy from, all sorts of sandwich options fully robust sandwiches or rolls, we had pies or sausage rolls and fresh milk in cartons and flavoured mineral waters. Those ones with prices were a disgrace someone is cooking more than food, but also the books.
Kori Chamberlain 2 years ago
The reusable dishes where really striking. I'm in the US, and remember when my elementary school transitioned from reusable trays to styrofoam. We used to drop the trays off with the dishwasher before heading off to recess. They were replaced by two trash cans that were always over flowing. That was probably 1999-2000. A big issue here has been privatizing public services. Paying somone else to do something so the local government doesn't have to worry about. Except, the private company has to turn a profit for this to make any sense, so they either raise the prices or cut the costs via quality/labor. Its so obviously less efficient, and we have decades worth of examples from school lunches to prisons. Those before me where dupped into beliving a private company could provide better services, even though logic could not have possibility led to that conclusion.
Annalye Shin 2 years ago
I just think it's funny that the American dream is to get tf out of America and this is a legitimate reason why
Kori Chamberlain 2 years ago
It would be cool if we could just make it better here, but having a minimum of 30% of the population opposed to it for various misguided reasons gets too frustrating for many.
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Cathie Mcdowell 2 years ago
In Canada, kids have to bring their own lunch and there is usually a list as long as you our arm of foods that are banned in schools. Banned foods are all nut butters, eggs, milk, bananas, fish, and in my dds class all berries due to allergies… basically send her with ice cubes now
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Wow! We are not allowed nuts in Australian schools, but any other allergies are solved by kids not allowed to share food!
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Lovin' Life 2 years ago
American schools need to step up their games. The food is not healthy, usually drenched in a ton of margarine, not appetizing at all, slop for pigs look tastier, and are so expensive, around $5+ a day. It's ridiculous! That's why I always packed my kids lunch. ALWAYS!!!
Devin Nassar-Reis 2 years ago
Long story short, in the US, we serve crap, and there needs to be a balance between quality and quantity.
Carol Emory 2 years ago
Then they wonder why school grades are slipping. Hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.
Veronica Sjöberg 2 years ago
I loved school lunch as a kid (swede) and I'm proud of that, but it isn't "free", it's because of higher taxes. And I think it's a great example to prove that higher taxes means that all citizens can have a better standard in life overall. Sure, there are still people (including children) who live in our version of poverty (not the same as starving, not having a roof over your head or afford clothes but can't afford going on vacation or pay for activities). But at least the taxes can provide things like a good school lunch for children, "free" higher education (I say "free" because 1) taxes 2) we don't have any tuition but in most cities the cost of living is higher than what you can borrow money for (student loans) and textbooks are expensive so most students need to work as well) and healthcare for all.
Jordyn 2 years ago
We have pretty high taxes in the US, too, especially in states like New York, California and Connecticut. The problem is we don't allocate that money properly. It all goes towards the military and politicians.
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jam jam 2 years ago
In Romania we don't even get a lunch break. The usual 10 min break between classes. In every school the kids get bread and milk or bread and an apple (frozen in winter). And when you get to highschool you don't get anything anymore and you have classes from 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. till 14:00 or 15:00 p.m. just with those breaks of 10 min. and teachers will get angry if you still eat if they enter the classroom. Then you get at home at 16:00 p.m. and get a lot of homework to do. This is how my highschool years were. I don't have many memories from that time.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
I'm sorry that sounds like a tale..of course I'm not saying it is, it just sounds so awful it's hard to believe it could be true.
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Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Raw chicken, overcooked or undercooked mysteries, plastic masquerading as cheese and pathetic pizza. Do these schools employ real cooks or volunteers? Obviously they need to take lessons from the Koreans.
bxttery_bxby 2 years ago
In some of these I'm seeing actual plates and cups and utensils and stuff. At my school, we use styrofoam and plastic. Someone broke a plastic tray over someone's head one time and another person stabbed someone with a fork/
Lisa Karampasa 2 years ago
No lunches or breakfasts in schools in Greece. Only what you bring from home or at the school kiosk (just ready made unhealthy stuff). I am amazed at what other countries offer.
Annie Bieber 2 years ago
My elementary school in LA had no cafeteria, when I moved to Illinois to live w/my Grandparents for a while my first "dinner" as they called it, was 🐓 and dumplings with the dumpling cut by a cookie cutter in the shape of a Chicken...I thought that was the coolest thing ever & can still memory taste it...it was delicious. 💜💛✌
Atia Janssens 2 years ago
I remember school lunch in Germany. We had meat or vegetarian. I always took vegetarian. Used to be something different each day, like soups or lasagna or pizza or salads. They did well
Lady Purple 2 years ago
lack of showing the lunch in public schools in Brazil. Here they serve feijoada and pasta at 9 am (obviously not both together, but you get the idea)
deathrose 2 years ago
My schools in Louisiana has real food like jambalaya and gumbo, good crusty bread, chicken and dumplings. The schools would hire stay at home moms to work the cafeteria. This was public school. It was also 10+ years ago.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
I remember going to a school back in the 80's that was like this..it was a school out in the country (VA, I believe).
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RandomHumanBean 2 years ago
now im huuuuungry. i literally dont eat sometimes and only eat apples o something (in the us) cuz its SO GROSS. literally, once my friend's corn dog was dark grey and my other frient's chicken nuggets were bright pink and rubbery. eEeEw
FABULOUS1 2 years ago
Pizza day in elementary school was my favorite. However I remember times that we didnt get a lunch at all because my mother couldnt afford it and when she was able to send us to school with lunch I was always embarrassed by it sadly. As I got older I realized the struggle is real, but also that kids still go with out lunches at school because their parents cant afford it.
Eb 2 years ago (edited)
Kids (except S Korea and Scandinavia), in the words of Matilda: that's not right, and if it's not right, you've got to put it right ... Sometimes you've got to be a little bit naughty. And when they teach you about climate change and sustainability, have a word about the appalling amount of plastic packaging.
Pat Bond 2 years ago (edited)
Got to 100. The Scandinavian schools have the best lunches for my taste hotly followed by the French, Korean, Japanese and Chinese lunches. Most of them served up on proper plates with steel knife & fork & spoon for dessert. They all looked superb. I was quite shocked by some of the slops served up in some of the alleged 1st world countries and expected to eat with hands or plastic cuttlery.
T. D. Bostick 2 years ago
Yeesh! Maybe there wouldn't be as many school shootings in the US if the students were fed decently. I'm so glad I brought my lunch from home each day.
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
I know you're just making a joke, but it's not funny. School shootings are a result of a lax gun culture and not taking mental health seriously. Kids being murdered in school just isn't something to laugh about.
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Kim Robinson 2 years ago
I grew up in America with school lunches. I don't remember any of them looking anything like that! Pizza, chicken nuggets. We lived for getting to high school to go off campus to buy lunch at fast food places
Melissa Bryan 2 years ago
We live in Maine, USA & with some of things my sons school makes, I pack his lunch. 30 years ago when I graduated school lunches were pretty good in Maryland where I went to school. They have really taken a nosedive since then. The school doesn't even smell good when I've had to stop by when they are cooking some of the food.
jBeachey 2 years ago
If you posted a pic of your food from the US…you should put the name of your school. They could get shamed for it and things might change if enough people do it!
jBeachey 2 years ago
Create a fake account first that way they can’t find you, lol
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A perfect Nightmare 2 years ago
I don't even get cafeteria food because at my school you need a special card for which you have to pay AND you need to order your food one week earlier. Otherwise you won't get any food from the cafeteria. I live in Germany.
Adrian 2 years ago
Not when I was a kid - a ham and cheese sandwich was enough. I wanted to get out and play with my mates. Eating big meals like most of these, and I'd be having a sleep for most of the afternoon. Seems like they are in societies where the midday meal is the main meal for the day. Ours was in the evening.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
It really depends where you are. In the UK lunch is called dinner and is the main meal of the day. In Australia the main meal is in the evening usually (though in some migrant families maybe not). Most students used to take sandwiches for lunch, but now there is often raw veg, sushi, leftovers kept warm in a thermos, yoghurt, fruit and sandwiches.
Load More Replies... Maureen Laneski 2 years ago
There were some school lunches that I LOVED. When I started subbing, it was so nice to enjoy them again.
Miss Jakson 2 years ago
This brought up some deep buried memories from kindergarten when they would take us to the basement, and feed us stuff like dry spaghetti and stale bread with tea, all served in tin dishes with that metal taste, and we where only allowed spoons....whenever I remember about that I feel like I'm reliving a past life in prison.... For the rest of my school year the only meal we where getting, where a carton of milk and a small bread roll, sometimes apples /wafers or digestive biscuits
Jessica N 2 years ago
My high school didn't have hot lunch, if you didn't have food at home to bring the office ladies would give a peanut butter sandwich that they brought in from home. Middle school however had pretty much what you see on a prison cafeteria line, mystery meat white bread and canned veggies and fruit cocktail. Most of these are so foreign to actual school lunch!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
This is why I took my lunch, meager as it was. Way safer than the Cafeteria Roulette. Thursday was always "Monday Tuesday Wednesday leftovers in "stew"," whereas Friday was fish, so there was that. Yeah, I ate little, but at least I knew what it was.
Cuervo 2 years ago
The worst food are from big democrat run cities like chicago. The only good food item when I was in CPS were the butter cookies.
Cuervo 2 years ago
In chicago we have the biggest alley rats, worst school food, and highest killing rates.
Load More Replies... 
NotMe 2 years ago
Schools in my country don't even offer food at all. I never ate anything that resembled even the gross pics in this post. I spent my entire childhood eating chips and salsa during lunch breaks (as most of my classmates) and I thought it was normal. So depressing.... On the other hand, way to go Korea! :')
Pilot Chick 2 years ago
I was amazed by the amount of food in these lunches u til I found all the us photos in the second half of this list. Those where what I remembered.
David de Fortier 2 years ago
First time i even knew that schools served lunch. My days at school, we had to bring our own food from home.
EveWasTaken 2 years ago
Back when I was in school we didn't even have school lunch. I finished school 12 years ago.
8Pillows 2 years ago
The posts that state "free lunch" are misinformative. Citizen taxes pay for those lunches. Governments don't do things for free.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
Ok, I'd rather pay more in taxes and have my children's school lunches be so good🤷
Load More Replies...
Jace 2 years ago
Are these lunches for elementary school, high school, university or another kind of school? In my highschool almost everyone made sandwiches at home for lunch and brought those with them to school in a lunch box. No complete meals like depicted here. If you wanted you could go buy smt at the bakery close by, or get smt from the vending machine. But not the meals I see in this thread.
Veronica Sjöberg 2 years ago
It's for elementary and high school when it's free (at least the Scandinavian ones, we pay for our own lunch at university and you usually bring your own food because it's cheaper)
Load More Replies... ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
Try not calling people stupid for suffering from malnutrition.
Load More Replies... Zedrapazia 2 years ago
Seems like eating lunch in Korea is quite awesome, considering how many pictures revolve about the country's dishes.
Chinmayee Kalghatgi 2 years ago
I came here for learning about different food kids eat around the world but midway through i thought that this was supposed to be a school lunch shaming post
Wouter 2 years ago
People complaining about their crappy school restaurant food. Meanwhile, in Holland, they get their 4 slices of wholewheat with sweaty cheese out of the backpacks that was put next to the heater all morning. Wrapped in the saddest and flimsiest of all plastic bags, the 'boterhamzakje'. It even sounds depressing. CZ3q4GVWAA...373ea5.jpg
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
I'm very happy that you explicitly stated that this is only in Holland. In the rest of the Netherlands students enjoy decent home packed lunches in real lunchboxes. Sucks to to be a Hollander.
Load More Replies... Naesil 2 years ago
Being from Finland most of these photos just make me sad... most of the things I wouldnt even consider as a lunch, some barely even food, and students have to pay for those? For some kids from poor families school lunch might be the only meal they get during the day.
Kat 2 years ago
In the school my kids go to, the food is prepared by parents in the school. We wash and cut up pieces of fruit and raw veggies for snacks during breaks, make fresh soup and a variety of sandwiches. In non-covid times, sitting together and eating as a group is part of the school experience. Once a month on Friday we (used to) fire up the barbecue after school and just all hang out and eat there. Parents, kids, school staff... We Really miss it
M@rlow_the BLINK 2 years ago
THIS is why I brought food from home (I'm not going to lie tho, the Korean food made my mouth water)
Caroline Nagel 2 years ago
The dinner ladies at US schools must feel so ashamed having to serve that crap. Most first world countries manage to serve their puplis/students proper food, how come it's not possible in the USA, the self proclaimed best country in the world?
Solar_Eclipse 2 years ago
The budget for schools went to military and politicians.
Load More Replies... Miguel Payano 2 years ago
Puerto Rican school luch is the best, wholegrain rice with beans, cornbeef, fried sweet plantains, fruit, milk and juice. Everything locally grown and some ingredients grown at school by students. I miss this. It was a shock when i moved to NYC and had to eat cold, dry cheese sandwich for a year😑 and on top of that i had to paid for the damm thing.
Denise .Russell 2 years ago (edited)
What is extremely sad is that there are kids who either go hungry or actually eat most of that because their family doesn't have enough for them to bring or make something from home. I, sadly, was one such kid. I LOATHED grade school lunches save for when I went to school in New Mexico for two years--all lunches were both free and fresh made every day. High school was the worst, and staff should have clued in on that when kids went first to the taco truck that parked outside then the Walgreens that was built across the street.
Paola Martz 2 years ago
In Mexican public schools you either bring lunch from home or starve. They don't offer lunches. Some schools have "cooperativas" that are some people selling food inside the school (third parties, not provided by the school, they have to pay a fee to sell there). It's usually very unhealthy food, and then again, if you don't have money you just starve
Martha Meyer 2 years ago (edited)
Looking at the "lunches" in the lower half of this post, makes me think the school lunches I got as a kid weren't so bad... Those Koreans need to export school lunch nutritionists to the rest of the world though!
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
While they're at it, can they just export some of those lunches to my house please?
Load More Replies... Glirpy 2 years ago
What's really depressing is all the single-use styrofoam and plastic trays and containers.
John 2 years ago
That's what is really depressing to you?! Not the millions of children having to eat the awful food provided to them on that styrofoam? Let's have some decent priorities please.
Load More Replies... hii 2 years ago
Well school lunch here in our country is not bad but the thing is it's not for free. Like we have to pay for everything and it costs much, luckily we have a variety of foods to choose from plus it tastes good so it's not like you get robbed. But I rarely buy some lunch in our school ever since the prices got high so my mom always cooks lunch for me 'cuz it's more money saving considering that I live in a big family lol.
Sasy 2 years ago
This is just horrible, if the food is that bad but parents are paying that amount for it, why the hell are they not just bringing food from home, most Aussie kids in my day brought lunch and added on at the tuck shop - we don't do cafeterias we just have a shop in the school you buy from, all sorts of sandwich options fully robust sandwiches or rolls, we had pies or sausage rolls and fresh milk in cartons and flavoured mineral waters. Those ones with prices were a disgrace someone is cooking more than food, but also the books.
Kori Chamberlain 2 years ago
The reusable dishes where really striking. I'm in the US, and remember when my elementary school transitioned from reusable trays to styrofoam. We used to drop the trays off with the dishwasher before heading off to recess. They were replaced by two trash cans that were always over flowing. That was probably 1999-2000. A big issue here has been privatizing public services. Paying somone else to do something so the local government doesn't have to worry about. Except, the private company has to turn a profit for this to make any sense, so they either raise the prices or cut the costs via quality/labor. Its so obviously less efficient, and we have decades worth of examples from school lunches to prisons. Those before me where dupped into beliving a private company could provide better services, even though logic could not have possibility led to that conclusion.
Annalye Shin 2 years ago
I just think it's funny that the American dream is to get tf out of America and this is a legitimate reason why
Kori Chamberlain 2 years ago
It would be cool if we could just make it better here, but having a minimum of 30% of the population opposed to it for various misguided reasons gets too frustrating for many.
Load More Replies... Cathie Mcdowell 2 years ago
In Canada, kids have to bring their own lunch and there is usually a list as long as you our arm of foods that are banned in schools. Banned foods are all nut butters, eggs, milk, bananas, fish, and in my dds class all berries due to allergies… basically send her with ice cubes now
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Wow! We are not allowed nuts in Australian schools, but any other allergies are solved by kids not allowed to share food!
Load More Replies... Lovin' Life 2 years ago
American schools need to step up their games. The food is not healthy, usually drenched in a ton of margarine, not appetizing at all, slop for pigs look tastier, and are so expensive, around $5+ a day. It's ridiculous! That's why I always packed my kids lunch. ALWAYS!!!
Devin Nassar-Reis 2 years ago
Long story short, in the US, we serve crap, and there needs to be a balance between quality and quantity.
Carol Emory 2 years ago
Then they wonder why school grades are slipping. Hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.
Veronica Sjöberg 2 years ago
I loved school lunch as a kid (swede) and I'm proud of that, but it isn't "free", it's because of higher taxes. And I think it's a great example to prove that higher taxes means that all citizens can have a better standard in life overall. Sure, there are still people (including children) who live in our version of poverty (not the same as starving, not having a roof over your head or afford clothes but can't afford going on vacation or pay for activities). But at least the taxes can provide things like a good school lunch for children, "free" higher education (I say "free" because 1) taxes 2) we don't have any tuition but in most cities the cost of living is higher than what you can borrow money for (student loans) and textbooks are expensive so most students need to work as well) and healthcare for all.
Jordyn 2 years ago
We have pretty high taxes in the US, too, especially in states like New York, California and Connecticut. The problem is we don't allocate that money properly. It all goes towards the military and politicians.
Load More Replies... jam jam 2 years ago
In Romania we don't even get a lunch break. The usual 10 min break between classes. In every school the kids get bread and milk or bread and an apple (frozen in winter). And when you get to highschool you don't get anything anymore and you have classes from 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. till 14:00 or 15:00 p.m. just with those breaks of 10 min. and teachers will get angry if you still eat if they enter the classroom. Then you get at home at 16:00 p.m. and get a lot of homework to do. This is how my highschool years were. I don't have many memories from that time.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
I'm sorry that sounds like a tale..of course I'm not saying it is, it just sounds so awful it's hard to believe it could be true.
Load More Replies... Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Raw chicken, overcooked or undercooked mysteries, plastic masquerading as cheese and pathetic pizza. Do these schools employ real cooks or volunteers? Obviously they need to take lessons from the Koreans.
bxttery_bxby 2 years ago
In some of these I'm seeing actual plates and cups and utensils and stuff. At my school, we use styrofoam and plastic. Someone broke a plastic tray over someone's head one time and another person stabbed someone with a fork/
Lisa Karampasa 2 years ago
No lunches or breakfasts in schools in Greece. Only what you bring from home or at the school kiosk (just ready made unhealthy stuff). I am amazed at what other countries offer.
Annie Bieber 2 years ago
My elementary school in LA had no cafeteria, when I moved to Illinois to live w/my Grandparents for a while my first "dinner" as they called it, was 🐓 and dumplings with the dumpling cut by a cookie cutter in the shape of a Chicken...I thought that was the coolest thing ever & can still memory taste it...it was delicious. 💜💛✌
Atia Janssens 2 years ago
I remember school lunch in Germany. We had meat or vegetarian. I always took vegetarian. Used to be something different each day, like soups or lasagna or pizza or salads. They did well
Lady Purple 2 years ago
lack of showing the lunch in public schools in Brazil. Here they serve feijoada and pasta at 9 am (obviously not both together, but you get the idea)
deathrose 2 years ago
My schools in Louisiana has real food like jambalaya and gumbo, good crusty bread, chicken and dumplings. The schools would hire stay at home moms to work the cafeteria. This was public school. It was also 10+ years ago.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
I remember going to a school back in the 80's that was like this..it was a school out in the country (VA, I believe).
Load More Replies... RandomHumanBean 2 years ago
now im huuuuungry. i literally dont eat sometimes and only eat apples o something (in the us) cuz its SO GROSS. literally, once my friend's corn dog was dark grey and my other frient's chicken nuggets were bright pink and rubbery. eEeEw
FABULOUS1 2 years ago
Pizza day in elementary school was my favorite. However I remember times that we didnt get a lunch at all because my mother couldnt afford it and when she was able to send us to school with lunch I was always embarrassed by it sadly. As I got older I realized the struggle is real, but also that kids still go with out lunches at school because their parents cant afford it.
Eb 2 years ago (edited)
Kids (except S Korea and Scandinavia), in the words of Matilda: that's not right, and if it's not right, you've got to put it right ... Sometimes you've got to be a little bit naughty. And when they teach you about climate change and sustainability, have a word about the appalling amount of plastic packaging.
Pat Bond 2 years ago (edited)
Got to 100. The Scandinavian schools have the best lunches for my taste hotly followed by the French, Korean, Japanese and Chinese lunches. Most of them served up on proper plates with steel knife & fork & spoon for dessert. They all looked superb. I was quite shocked by some of the slops served up in some of the alleged 1st world countries and expected to eat with hands or plastic cuttlery.
T. D. Bostick 2 years ago
Yeesh! Maybe there wouldn't be as many school shootings in the US if the students were fed decently. I'm so glad I brought my lunch from home each day.
ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
I know you're just making a joke, but it's not funny. School shootings are a result of a lax gun culture and not taking mental health seriously. Kids being murdered in school just isn't something to laugh about.
Load More Replies... Kim Robinson 2 years ago
I grew up in America with school lunches. I don't remember any of them looking anything like that! Pizza, chicken nuggets. We lived for getting to high school to go off campus to buy lunch at fast food places
Melissa Bryan 2 years ago
We live in Maine, USA & with some of things my sons school makes, I pack his lunch. 30 years ago when I graduated school lunches were pretty good in Maryland where I went to school. They have really taken a nosedive since then. The school doesn't even smell good when I've had to stop by when they are cooking some of the food.
jBeachey 2 years ago
If you posted a pic of your food from the US…you should put the name of your school. They could get shamed for it and things might change if enough people do it!
jBeachey 2 years ago
Create a fake account first that way they can’t find you, lol
Load More Replies... A perfect Nightmare 2 years ago
I don't even get cafeteria food because at my school you need a special card for which you have to pay AND you need to order your food one week earlier. Otherwise you won't get any food from the cafeteria. I live in Germany.
Adrian 2 years ago
Not when I was a kid - a ham and cheese sandwich was enough. I wanted to get out and play with my mates. Eating big meals like most of these, and I'd be having a sleep for most of the afternoon. Seems like they are in societies where the midday meal is the main meal for the day. Ours was in the evening.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
It really depends where you are. In the UK lunch is called dinner and is the main meal of the day. In Australia the main meal is in the evening usually (though in some migrant families maybe not). Most students used to take sandwiches for lunch, but now there is often raw veg, sushi, leftovers kept warm in a thermos, yoghurt, fruit and sandwiches.
Load More Replies... Maureen Laneski 2 years ago
There were some school lunches that I LOVED. When I started subbing, it was so nice to enjoy them again.
Miss Jakson 2 years ago
This brought up some deep buried memories from kindergarten when they would take us to the basement, and feed us stuff like dry spaghetti and stale bread with tea, all served in tin dishes with that metal taste, and we where only allowed spoons....whenever I remember about that I feel like I'm reliving a past life in prison.... For the rest of my school year the only meal we where getting, where a carton of milk and a small bread roll, sometimes apples /wafers or digestive biscuits
Jessica N 2 years ago
My high school didn't have hot lunch, if you didn't have food at home to bring the office ladies would give a peanut butter sandwich that they brought in from home. Middle school however had pretty much what you see on a prison cafeteria line, mystery meat white bread and canned veggies and fruit cocktail. Most of these are so foreign to actual school lunch!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
This is why I took my lunch, meager as it was. Way safer than the Cafeteria Roulette. Thursday was always "Monday Tuesday Wednesday leftovers in "stew"," whereas Friday was fish, so there was that. Yeah, I ate little, but at least I knew what it was.
Cuervo 2 years ago
The worst food are from big democrat run cities like chicago. The only good food item when I was in CPS were the butter cookies.
Cuervo 2 years ago
In chicago we have the biggest alley rats, worst school food, and highest killing rates.
Load More Replies... NotMe 2 years ago
Schools in my country don't even offer food at all. I never ate anything that resembled even the gross pics in this post. I spent my entire childhood eating chips and salsa during lunch breaks (as most of my classmates) and I thought it was normal. So depressing.... On the other hand, way to go Korea! :')
Pilot Chick 2 years ago
I was amazed by the amount of food in these lunches u til I found all the us photos in the second half of this list. Those where what I remembered.
David de Fortier 2 years ago
First time i even knew that schools served lunch. My days at school, we had to bring our own food from home.
EveWasTaken 2 years ago
Back when I was in school we didn't even have school lunch. I finished school 12 years ago.
8Pillows 2 years ago
The posts that state "free lunch" are misinformative. Citizen taxes pay for those lunches. Governments don't do things for free.
Winna Libert 2 years ago
Ok, I'd rather pay more in taxes and have my children's school lunches be so good🤷
Load More Replies... Jace 2 years ago
Are these lunches for elementary school, high school, university or another kind of school? In my highschool almost everyone made sandwiches at home for lunch and brought those with them to school in a lunch box. No complete meals like depicted here. If you wanted you could go buy smt at the bakery close by, or get smt from the vending machine. But not the meals I see in this thread.
Veronica Sjöberg 2 years ago
It's for elementary and high school when it's free (at least the Scandinavian ones, we pay for our own lunch at university and you usually bring your own food because it's cheaper)
Load More Replies... ForgotMyPWSendHelp 2 years ago
Try not calling people stupid for suffering from malnutrition.
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