The role of school lunches in the poverty problem in Japan

October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Economic disparity is also increasing in Japan. One in seven people lives in relative poverty according to the comprehensive survey of living conditions by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and it is likely they are unable access nutritional meals.

On the other hand, children need a well-balanced diet because adequate nutrition is essential for their physical and mental development during the growth process. To compensate the gaps in diet, school lunches play a major role in Japan.

School lunches as nutrition education

Most public elementary schools in Japan provide school lunches. The local government operates them, nutritional staff plan the menu based on nutritional standards specified by the government, and cooking staff cook lunches on the school premises or in a facility and deliver them to students.

School lunches have a role as an educational opportunity to educate children on the importance of diet. Recently, children faces several problems, such as unbalanced nutrition, irregular meals, increasing obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, and an excessive focus on slimness.

School lunch programs help address these problems by providing menu items that help children develop a proper understanding of diet, the ability to make sound food decisions, and desirable eating habits, thereby contributing to improving eating habits at home.

In addition, the nutritional standards for school lunches are set in consideration of supplementing calcium, which tends to be lacking in the home diet, and other nutritional elements that are difficult to obtain, thereby playing a role in prompting children’s growth.

The inheritance of traditional food culture

Due to Japan’s current low self-sufficiency rate, reliance on imported foods, and the spread of convenient instant foods and eating out, traditional Japanese food culture is being lost. As a solution to this problem, school lunches offer local cuisine and dishes that match annual events, promoting the inheritance of traditional food culture and regional understanding.

For example, Ogose Elementary School in Saitama Prefecture uses rice harvested in their region and serves menu items that connect the region and its food, such as the cooked rice inspired by plants in the local park. It was awarded Japan’s Best Delicious School Lunch at the National School Lunch Competition.

Challenges facing school lunches in Japan

Income inequality is widening year by year, and child poverty has become a social issue. For children for whom school lunch is the only meal of the day, the lack of school lunch during summer vacation is a problem that puts them at risk of malnutrition.

In addition, the cost of school lunches is also rising because of rising food prices caused by climate change, soaring oil prices, and the weak yen. Although some regions offer free or subsidized school lunches, school lunches are provided at a cost in 70% of regions. As a result, unpaid school lunch fees have become a problem due to deteriorating household finances.

In addition, the content of school lunches varies greatly from one municipality to another. School lunch costs also depend on the cities, with the most expensive and least expensive prefectures having a gap of more than 1,000 yen. In addition, the menu also depends on the competence of the nutrition teacher, and the cooking facilities’ equipment limits the number of dishes that can be prepared. Another problem is that the quality of school lunches varies depending on the local government’s finances, the level of interest in school lunches among parents, and the level of understanding in the community.

Even in the midst of long-term changes in dietary habits and society, school lunches need to continue to be provided in a way that preserves their significance. To this end, it is necessary to understand how school lunches are essential to support children’s growth and to improve the quality of school lunches based on the awareness that the community is working together to nurture children.