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Kickstart a healthier life for children on March 14, for it is International School Meals Day! Established only in 2013, this dedicated day has quickly become an important awareness platform around the world. Its primary purpose is to promote the benefits of healthy eating habits to youngsters and underscore the significant role nutritious school meals play in their lives - academically, physically, and mentally. This unique day brings us together and gives us an opportunity to look at the bigger picture: Better food, better future! Let's unite to make every child's plate a tasty testament to health, well-being, and the spirit of learning. It's time to celebrate and take the right actions for a healthier tomorrow!
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1932</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>First School Meal Programs</div><div class='timeline-text'>In United States, the first public school meal program was established in Philadelphia. This was a move towards recognizing the importance of children's nutrition.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1946</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>National School Lunch Act</div><div class='timeline-text'>The National School Lunch Act was signed by President Harry Truman, officially federalizing the school meals initiative in the United States.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1970</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Introduction of Breakfast Programs</div><div class='timeline-text'>The Child Nutrition Act expanded to include breakfast programs, acknowledging the importance of the first meal of the day.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2005</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>United Nations' Efforts</div><div class='timeline-text'>The United Nations' World Food Programme recognized school meals as a global priority, leading to increase in international focus on school nutrition.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2013</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Establishment of International School Meals Day</div><div class='timeline-text'>March 14 was declared as International School Meals Day, intending to spread global awareness about the importance of good nutrition for every child.</div></div></div>
<div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Share a healthy school lunch</h3><p class='facts-text'>Encourage parents and students to bring home-packed, healthy lunches made with love. You can even take it a step further and share a virtual school meal day, sharing photos of the healthy lunches for inspiration and celebrating the diversity of healthy foods.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Start a garden at your local school</h3><p class='facts-text'>Nothing promotes healthy eating more than growing your own food. Work with a local school to start a garden where students can grow fruits and vegetables. This also gives the students a sense of ownership and responsibility over their own nutrition.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Host a cook-off</h3><p class='facts-text'>Invite students and their families to participate in a cook-off competition, where they need to prepare a nutritious school meal. This is a great way to get the community involved and promote nutrition education.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Start a healthy recipe exchange</h3><p class='facts-text'>Encourage students, faculty, and parents to share their favourite healthy recipes. You can compile all these recipes into a book and distribute it to the school community. This will create a lasting resource for healthy meal ideas.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Organize a nutrition workshop</h3><p class='facts-text'>Invite a local dietitian or nutrition expert to your school to provide a workshop on healthy eating habits. The workshop could cover topics like how to read food labels, proper portion sizes, the importance of different food groups, and how to make healthier food choices.</p></div></div>
<div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>A</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Promotes Healthy Eating Habits among Children</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>International School Meals Day underlines the importance of nutritious meals for school-going children. Proper nutrition plays a critical role in the cognitive, physical and emotional development of a young mind, setting the foundation for a healthier future and better performance in school.</p></div></div><div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>B</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Highlights the Role of Schools in Nutrition Education</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>On this day, schools worldwide emphasize the significance of nutrition education. They play a crucial role in promoting healthier food choices and teaching kids about the value of balanced diets and the potential health consequences linked to poor diet and unhealthy eating habits.</p></div></div><div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>C</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Creates a Global Platform for Sharing Experiences and Good Practices</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>International School Meals Day offers an opportunity to share experiences, challenges and success stories around school meals globally. Countries can learn from each other's practices, leading to better school meal programs and contributing towards every child's health and well-being worldwide.</p></div></div>
<div class="facts-item"><div class="facts-number-wrapper"><p class="facts-number">1</p></div><div class="facts-core-content"><h3 class="facts-title">School meals were initially designed to combat malnutrition</h3><p class="facts-content">Historically, school meal programs were created as a social intervention to fight against malnutrition in children during the 19th and 20th centuries. The aim was to ensure children received at least one balanced, nutritious meal per day.</p></div></div><div class="facts-item"><div class="facts-number-wrapper"><p class="facts-number">2</p></div><div class="facts-core-content"><h3 class="facts-title">Finland was the first country to offer free meals to all students</h3><p class="facts-content">Finland was the pioneer in providing free school meals for all pupils without means-testing. Since 1948, all Finnish students, regardless of parental income, have been entitled to a state-funded meal each school day.</p></div></div><div class="facts-item"><div class="facts-number-wrapper"><p class="facts-number">3</p></div><div class="facts-core-content"><h3 class="facts-title">International School Meals Day has a theme each year</h3><p class="facts-content">Each year, International School Meals Day is centered around a particular theme. Previous themes have included 'My Food', which focused on cultural exchange, and 'Sharing and Caring', highlighting the importance of having access to healthy food.</p></div></div><div class="facts-item"><div class="facts-number-wrapper"><p class="facts-number">4</p></div><div class="facts-core-content"><h3 class="facts-title">School meals play a major role in education equality</h3><p class="facts-content">Studies have demonstrated that school meals boost academic performance, especially among girls, thereby playing an essential role in achieving education equality.</p></div></div><div class="facts-item"><div class="facts-number-wrapper"><p class="facts-number">5</p></div><div class="facts-core-content"><h3 class="facts-title">School meals also support economic growth</h3><p class="facts-content">The school meal programs have an economic spillover effect. Besides health benefits, they also support local agriculture and economy by sourcing food locally, providing jobs, and improving the overall economic condition of the community.</p></div></div>
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