20 school lunches from around the world.

[LWolf]

10. Made off-site and too often JUNK.

When I've asked about the poor quality of the food, here are the answers I've gotten:

1. Kids like junk. If fewer kids buy lunch, the lunch program can't support itself. Kids buy pizza, hamburgers, etc..

2. The lunches have to deliver enough calories; there are more calories in higher-fat junk, which provides required calories with less food....

It's not quite as bad in my current state/district as it was in the previous. Here, there is a bar with fresh fruits and vegetables to add to the junkie entree. Sometimes salads are available.

Edited to add:

I remember a time when our school cafeterias included actual kitchens, cooked fresh food, and served them on real plates with real flatware that got washed and re-used, instead of generating mountains of trash every day. It hasn't always been like this.