One in every two school children, or 388 million children from all income levels, receives school meals every day in at least 161 countries. However, school meals are not uniform. It means the contents, timing, and method of offering are different across countries. School feeding has consequences for at least four different sectors. First is social protection as a social safety net to benefit the most vulnerable. Second is education. Sometimes school meals motivate parents to allow their children to attend school, especially in developing countries. Moreover, children who are fed well can concentrate on their studies. Third is agriculture. It promotes sustainable local markets by using the ingredients from the local area in school meals. Finally, school meals contribute toward the health and nutrition of present and prospective children. Nowadays, approximately 80% of countries have a school feeding policy. However, feeding policies differ across countries in respect of the government organization in charge and the order of priority in that country. This symposium provides background information, current situation, and quality improvement of school meals in four Asian countries and the US. We hope that this symposium is useful to learn about the current situation of school meals in various countries and to acquire ideas to improve them in your own country and the world.
Keywords: children; food service; school lunch; school meal.