Pizza, plum cake and pickled red onion: how school lunches look across Europe

Midday meals vary across the continent, but experts agree they are key to tackling childhood obesity and social inequalities

• European children should get one healthy school meal a day, say experts

Some children love it, some children dread it, some children depend on it and some children simply do not get it. The midday meal that punctuates the school day across Europe differs wildly in cost and content from country to country. In some, it is paid for wholly or partly by the state; in others, parents foot the bill.

Although in recent years there has been a shift towards more nutritious school lunches – note the increased presence of fresh fruit and vegetables on the meal trays below – there is a growing awareness of the role a decent meal a day can play in tackling both health problems and social inequalities.