From crumbly custard to turkey twizzlers, school dinners are always a hot topic of discussion these days. So here are the facts:

A school dinner is a meal served to children at school. School dinners are usually served around noon (12:00).

School lunch breaks can vary in length. Some school lunch breaks may be an hour long, some may be 45 minutes long, others may be only half an hour long.

On average, a school dinner costs around £1.55.
In British schools, children are given the choice of having a hot snack or a cold snack for dinner. Children may also bring a packed lunch from home.

School dinners became a major issue in the UK in 2004 when Jamie Oliver spearheaded a campaign to improve the quality of meals served in schools.

Why do children prefer junk food to healthier food?

The obvious answer is due to all the additives and flavorings in many processed foods. But could the way meals are prepared also be to blame? Now a lot of effort is being made to increase the quality of healthy meals. Hopefully, with bland-looking, tasteless healthy options replaced with fresh produce and exciting recipes, trends will change for the better.

What effects is this having?

What we eat affects everything: our mood, behavior, health, growth, and even our ability to concentrate.

A meal at lunchtime provides a third of the daily nutritional intake of an adult child.

By challenging the junk food served in schools, we can show children that they can still enjoy their dinners, even when they are served fresh and nutritious.

The new school dinner standards mean that by fall all menus will have to change and become healthier for children.

For changes like these to happen so quickly, it is very important that the ladies of the dinner have our full support.

With all our support, the ladies of the dinner can start serving healthy and nutritious food instead of the usual junk food.