A school meal (whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or evening meal) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. In Japan, this usually refers to school meals served as lunch.
The origin of school meals provided in Japan is in 1889, where an Elementary school provided free meals for children who could not being food to school. Post-World War II school meals usually had a bread loaf and skimmed milk, although rice returned to school meals in 1976.
School nutritionists usually plan the menu for school meals in Japan, and students usually serve the food to students themselves. Local meals are served in some regions.