Here's what a typical school lunch in France might look like

Here are pictures of what some school lunches might look like around the world. The images were created by Sweetgreen, the healthy salad chain with restaurants in DC, New York City, and Philadelphia. The pictures are examples of "some typical school meals around the world," according to Sweetgreen.

Here's what the restaurant says a school lunch in France might look like.

And Italy.

Here's Finland.

And Ukraine.

Brazil.

South Korea

Want some shrimp? Try Spain.

Finally, here's a shot of a typical US school lunch.

Admittedly, these lunches were prepared by an upper-scale farm-to-table restaurant, so they're at least a little bit prettier than what real lunches might look like. For a less stylized presentation of school lunches around the world, see this slideshow on Business Insider. Buzzfeed, too, has compiled a collection.

But even if Sweetgreen's images are doctored, the point being made is still noteworthy. American schoolchildren, in general, aren't as accustomed to eating the same fresh, healthy meals as some of their global neighbors. In the photo series above, the American meal includes chicken nuggets, peas, mixed fruit, mashed potatoes, and a cookie. While that satisfies certain federal guidelines for nutrition, there's plenty here (preservatives, processed sugar) that's less than ideal. Still, the meal doesn't look that bad.

Of course, as anyone who went to US public schools knows, the meals are rarely this aesthetically appealing.

Plenty of them look like this.

"Today, class, we'll be having brown."

For an explanation of the #ThanksMichelleObama hashtag, read this piece by Vox's Libby Nelson.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via