School lunch menus around the world and the current situation of Vietnamese students

Exploring school catering menus for students around the world and in Vietnam

Busy lives, whirling with work, mean that most parents do not have much time and cannot be at home to pick up their children every day at lunchtime, so almost all students stay at school for the full day. As a result, children having lunch and resting at school is becoming increasingly common, especially in developed countries, cities and urban areas. Accordingly, each country and each school has its own standards and different menus for its students. So what is on the school lunch menus of students around the world? And in Vietnam, how does school catering work?

Join STAVI on a trip around the world to see what children eat for lunch at their schools and whether the school lunch menus of Vietnamese students are any different!

Image: The latest school catering

You may be interested in some related articles on industrial catering for schools:

• https://stavi.com.vn/en/news/STAVI-The-No-1-trusted-quality-school-catering-provider-in-Hanoi.html
• https://stavi.com.vn/vi/tin-tuc/Suat-an-cong-nghiep-cho-truong-hoc-can-dam-bao-nhung-yeu-to-nao.html​
• https://stavi.com.vn/vi/tin-tuc/Cong-ty-cung-cap-suat-an-truong-hoc-o-Ha-Noi-chuyen-nghiep.html​
• https://stavi.com.vn/en/service/Provide-industrial-catering.html

Standards for school catering menus

In many parts of the world, school catering is still a luxury, and some non-governmental organisations are working hard to provide students with free, simple meals of meat and vegetables. By contrast, in many developed countries, student lunches are planned months in advance under strict regulations on food safety and hygiene and nutrition.

Depending on each country's economy, culinary culture and so on, the menus and quality of the dishes for students differ. But the general nutritional standard for their menus must include all four of the following important food groups:

The starch (glucid) group: cereals such as rice, rice vermicelli, pho noodles, corn, sweet potatoes and so on. These are all foods in the cereal group that provide starch (for energy) and are also a good source of fibre.

The protein group: prepared from animals (pork, beef, chicken, duck, Muscovy duck, etc.), or from fish, sea fish, eggs, shrimp and crab; and plant-based foods such as beans, pulses, peanuts and sesame.

The fat (lipid) group: such as fatty meat, fish fat, butter, milk, milk skin, egg yolk, etc., or vegetable oil, peanuts, sesame, etc.

The vitamin and mineral group: green vegetables and yellow or red fruits and tubers that provide vitamin A, vitamin C and fibre. Fruit and vegetables must be fresh and not bruised. Industrial catering for schools regularly includes foods such as shrimp, crab and fish to provide the minerals children need to develop comprehensively.

Image: STAVI's standard school catering is trusted by many partners

What is on the school lunch menus of students around the world?

1: School catering in France

Typically, the lunch menu for French students is drawn up by the canteen manager two months in advance and sent to a nutritionist for review.

Image: School catering menu for students in France

The expert may suggest adding or removing dishes to balance the amount of starch, sugar, protein and fibre in each meal. Popular dishes include curly endive, grilled tuna, salad, oven-roasted vegetables, steak, omelettes, chicken, courgettes, carrots and fish stew.

Boarding students at French schools typically have a rich four-course lunch. The starter is usually a fresh vegetable salad, after which students get protein from fish served with broccoli. Of course, children's favourites such as soft cheese, fruit jam and fresh bread are never missing.

2: School catering in Brazil

Student meals here must contain at least 30% ingredients sourced from local farmers. School chefs usually cook fresh dishes such as vegetable frittatas, served with rice and beans and a portion of fruit for dessert

Image: School catering menu for students in Brazil

3: School catering in South Korea

Most school lunches are designed as one standard serving, consisting of rice, a soup, meat or fish, vegetables and a little fruit. On the lunch tray, the rice is always placed in the lower-left compartment and the soup on the other side. In addition, kimchi is an indispensable item (appearing almost every day) on the school lunch trays of Korean students.

Image: School catering menu for students in South Korea

4: School catering in Italy

Italian students going to the canteen have quite a few lunch options, but the law in this land of pasta requires menus to be 70% organic. A child's lunch in Italy includes a protein-packed piece of salmon or grilled chicken with mozzarella cheese, pasta, bread, some vegetables, grapes and tomato salad. This is an ideal lunch even for adults. Every child's dessert is always fresh, delicious fruit.

Image: School catering menu for students in Italy

5: School catering in Greece

A Greek student's lunch consists of chicken, rice, stuffed vine leaves, cucumber and tomato salad, fresh orange and yoghurt with pomegranate seeds.

Image: School catering menu for students in Greece

6: School catering in Spain

Lunch for students in Spain consists of fried rice, fried shrimp, vegetables, gazpacho, fresh peppers, bread and an orange.

Image: School catering menu for students in Spain

7: School catering in Thailand

The primary school lunch menu in Thailand usually features sweet and sour pork, rice and a cake wrapped in banana leaves.

Image: School catering menu for students in Thailand

8: School catering in China

This is a school lunch in Shanghai. Students enjoy french fries, sausage, carrots, bread and a piece of cake. 

Image: School catering menu for students in China

9: School catering in Sweden

A lunch menu for students in Sweden consists of crispbread, mixed salad, peanuts, potatoes and a stew

The current situation and school catering menus in Vietnam

In Vietnam, full-day school meals for students are always a matter of special concern for society as a whole, teachers and parents. In large cities, almost all primary and lower secondary schools, and some upper secondary schools, provide lunch for students at school. To meet the growing demand, schools usually cook for the children in the school kitchen or use meals from a company providing industrial catering for schools. 

Lunch for Vietnamese students at full-day schools is usually guaranteed to include at least three main items: a savoury dish, a soup and stir-fried vegetables. The menu is renewed every day. The children may also have an extra dessert of fruit such as banana, apple, pear, watermelon and so on.

Image: School catering in Vietnam

Through this article we have learned about school lunch menus around the world and the current situation of school catering in Vietnam. We hope the above information is truly useful to you. For advice on all matters relating to STAVI school catering, please contact us using the details below:

Telephone: 024 395 33343

Hotline: 0917 32 5858

Email: sales@stavi.com.vn