In conducting research for my Food Solutions Essay, A Globalized Western Diet, and the Subtle Brilliance of Japan’s School Lunch Program, I found myself amazed by the uniqueness of the Japanese school lunch program and deeply inspired by its success in affecting diet-related health outcomes. I want to share a brief excerpt from my paper, which outlines the program in detail and explores its far-ranging success for the nation:
Following the end of World War II, the Japanese school lunch system has quietly evolved into a masterpiece with the potential to be translated into a global solution. Japan’s school lunch program consists of meals made from scratch daily by a small staff. Meals are balanced and robust – heavy on vegetables, rice, fish, and soups. Students are served identical meals, from which they can eat what and how much they choose. However, there are no vending machines and food from home is prohibited in most districts (exceptions made for students with dietary restrictions). Most notable in the Japanese system is student involvement. Harlan writes, “Mealtime is a scene of communal duty: In both elementary and middle schools, students don white coats and caps and serve their classmates. Children eat in their classrooms.” Each school has a full-time nutritionist on staff, performing several critical duties. School nutritionists plan meals and write recipes. They are the go-to point of contact for parent questions and requests for information, including daily online publication of meal ingredients and their geographical source locations (primarily to address concerns around potential contamination). Three to four times per year, students come together in the cafeteria for an important, seminar-style lunch, in which the school nutritionist begins the meal with a brief lecture about the food they are served. Nutrition guidelines are set by Japan’s central government, though regulations are basic. Unlike school lunch menus in the United States, meals are not required to adhere to a precise caloric structure. School nutritionists are given latitude in creating recipes without significant bureaucratic intervention. Funding for Japan’s school lunch program is local and sustainable; municipalities pay for labor costs, and parents cover the cost of meals – approximately $3 per meal, billed monthly (with reduced cost and free options for poor families). Masahiro Oji, the government director of school health education proudly describes the nation’s novel approach to creating lifelong healthy eaters, “Japan’s standpoint is that school lunches are a part of education, not a break from it.”
The results of Japan’s school lunch program speak volumes. Japanese children are more interested and involved with what they eat. Harlan writes, “Japan’s system has an envious payoff — its kids are relatively healthy. According to government data, Japan’s child obesity rate, always among the world’s lowest, has declined for each of the past six years, a period during which the country has expanded its dietary education program.” Additionally, the program has been wildly successful in reducing food waste, which currently stands at approximately 5%. Despite its overt success, the Japanese government reports that no other country has even attempted to duplicate their school lunch program.