School Lunch Stats

How much time do you have to eat lunch at school? If you live in the United States, your average lunch break is 20 minutes. But if you live in France or China, it could be two hours. At some schools in Brazil, students go home for lunch—and don’t come back to school until the next day!

Studies show that eating a healthy lunch helps students do better in class. Around the world, many schools seek to offer nutritious meals. In
Italy, a school might serve a plate of fish, pasta, and vegetables. South Korean students eat foods like fish soup, kimchi, tofu, and rice.

Thanks to updated nutrition standards forschool lunches in the U.S., healthier options such as roasted turkey and veggies are becoming more widely available than in the past.

Diane Pratt-Heavner works at the School Nutrition Association. She advocates for longer lunch periods in schools. That’s so students who get school lunch have enough time to wait in line at the cafeteria and enjoy their meal too.

How much time do you have to eat lunch at school? In the United States, lunch breaks are about 20 minutes. In France and China, they are two hours. At some schools in Brazil, students go home for lunch. And they don’t come back to school until the next day!

Eating a healthy lunch helps students do better in class. That’s what studies say. Around the world, many schools provide fresh meals. In Italy, some students get fish, pasta, and vegetables. In South Korea, students eat fish soup, kimchi, tofu, and rice.

The United States has updated its nutrition standards. This means there are more healthy choices. Foods like roasted turkey and fresh veggies are becoming more widely available than before.

Diane Pratt-Heavner works at the School Nutrition Association. She supports longer lunch periods in schools. That’s so students who get school lunch have enough time to wait in line at the cafeteria. And they can enjoy their meal too.