Did you know that on a typical day, 32 million children in the U.S. eat cafeteria food? Or that most of these students consume over half of their daily calories at school?
Facts like these motivate us to connect kids to real food, and teach them how to make healthy choices through our sweetgreen in schools program. School cafeterias are one of the biggest areas of opportunity that exist in the battle against childhood obesity.
Recently there has been discussion about what constitutes a quality lunch, so we took a look at examples of typical school meals around the world, and how our own country stacks up. These representations are not intended to critique any existing programs, but instead are intended to show the possibilities of well-balanced meals around the world, and how much opportunity exists in our own backyard. To create this series, we looked at photos that real students had taken of their meals and shared online, as well as research done about other school lunch programs.
If you’re interested in even more information, please check out the article and website below:
Surprised at what you see above? You can help us make an impact and change the way future generations eat! Help support our sweetgreen in schools program by donating to FoodCorps to connect kids to real food.
Local fish on a bed of arugula, pasta with tomato sauce, caprese salad, baguette and some grapes
Pea soup, beet salad, carrot salad, bread and pannakkau (dessert pancake) with fresh berries
Steak, carrots, green beans, cheese and fresh fruit
Pork with mixed veggies, black beans and rice, salad, bread and baked plantains
Fish soup, tofu over rice, kimchi and fresh veggies
Baked chicken over orzo, stuffed grape leaves, tomato and cucumber salad, fresh oranges, and greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds
Mashed potatoes with sausage, borscht, cabbage and syrniki (a dessert pancake)
Sautéed shrimp over brown rice and vegetables, gazpacho, fresh peppers, bread and an orange
Fried ‘popcorn’ chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, fruit cup and a chocolate chip cookie
Note: These images are not intended to be exact representations of school lunches, but instead, are meant to portray different types of foods found in cafeterias around the world. To create this series, we evaluated government standards for school lunch programs, regional cuisine and food culture, and photos that real students had taken of their meals and shared online. Have photos of the food you or your kids are eating at school? Share them with us @sweetgreen!
This post was updated on 2/28/15. Photography by sweetgreen.
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