School-provided lunches have existed in the US for about 130 years, if you count the early days when private welfare groups handled the gig. School lunches have never been paused since they started, but the impetus for providing them has varied widely. (And they’re the reason “white people food is bland” is such a compelling concept.)

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Sources:

Foodtimeline.org

New York Times

Pacific Standard magazine

National Education Association

US Government Accountability Office (PDF)

School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America’s Favorite Welfare Program

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet

Feeding the Family

The American and His Food

Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in America

Related Episodes/Articles:

Breadlines and Famines with Jeremy Bowditch

The Settlement Cook Book

Prison Food with Danny Trejo

Music: Dead Kennedys – A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch

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