School lunch

A meal served to students during the school day, often through an organized program. School lunch programs combine food service with goals such as nutrition, affordability, and access.

National School Lunch Program: A United States federal program that reimburses schools for serving qualifying lunches to students. It is the best-known example of a large public school lunch program.
Means testing: Assessing eligibility for benefits according to a person's or household's income and resources. Income-based eligibility determines which students receive subsidized lunches in many systems.
Food insecurity: Limited or uncertain access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Reliable school meals can reduce gaps in children's access to food.
School feeding: The provision of food to children through schools, often to address hunger or support education. School lunch belongs to the broader history of feeding children at school.
Universal basic services: A policy approach that provides essential services to everyone as a shared public provision. It frames universal school meals as a public service rather than a targeted benefit.
School breakfast program: An organized program that serves breakfast to students at school, often with public funding. It extends school food service beyond the midday meal.
Meal reimbursement: Payment made to a food provider for meals served under specified program rules. Reimbursements help schools cover the cost of qualifying lunches.
Child nutrition: The dietary needs and eating patterns that support children's growth and health. Lunch contributes to children's daily nutrient intake and eating habits.
The Great Depression: A severe worldwide economic crisis that began in 1929 and lasted through much of the 1930s. Unemployment and agricultural surpluses helped spur organized meal programs in the United States.
Nutrition transition: Population-level changes in diet and physical activity associated with economic and social change. Changing diets complicate decisions about what school meals should promote.

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