Anderson Murakami: Utah could learn a lot from Japan’s school lunch program

What is Shokuiku and why do we desperately need it in our schools?

“Your son is doing well in math and science but he is having a difficult time eating his vegetables.” This is something you might hear in a Japanese parent-teacher conference.

Wait, lunch is given the same level of importance as math and science? Strange. Then again, when was the last time you used the quadratic formula in your daily life? Many joke about the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, but few put much thought into what fuel they are putting into their own bodies.

What if we could change one aspect of school that would lead to higher academic performance, fewer behavioral problems and better overall health? It is time we change our outlook on school lunches and food in general.

In the United States, we tend to view lunch time as a break from learning, but in Japan it is part of the educational experience that is called “Shokuiku.” Shokuiku is food and nutritional education. Children take turns being the leader in charge of distributing the lunch their classmates and others help them put food on plates and soup in bowls. It not only provides each child with a warm meal that has been prepared by certified nutritionists but it also is an opportunity for them to learn how to serve one another and to clean up after themselves.

Another key part is the teachers eating the same food with their students and monitoring what they are eating. It may seem like one more thing of busy work for our underpaid and overworked teachers, but studies have also shown that nutritious meals can lead to better grades, better attendance and fewer behavioral problems at school. Nutritious meals are an investment in our children’s physical and mental health and their overall academic performance.

When OECD member nations measured the percentage of their adult population that fell within the range of obese in 2015, in Japan’s it was 3.7%. In the U.S. it was 38.2%. And that is just accounting for obesity. When including overweight and obese individuals, the number jumps to 73.1%.

The Salt Lake City School District’s December menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, cheese stuffed sticks, chicken nuggets and spicy chicken sandwiches as entrees. These are the same types of food that you might find at a fast food restaurant. And all of these are simply heated up at the school.

We are conditioning our children to eat foods both fast and frozen alike. We are establishing eating habits that will lead to a future of more heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and cancer. In contrast, a typical Japanese lunch is made up of white rice, fish or meat, soup that contains multiple vegetables, some type of vegetable dish, fruit and a non-chocolate milk.

The amount of added sugar that we use is a large problem. An 8-ounce nonfat chocolate milk contains 11.3 grams of added sugar. When considering that the recommended daily added sugar intake is less than 25 grams, if you have two you will have almost hit your daily amount. Furthermore, studies have shown 75% of children pick chocolate milk.

Many of the vegetables and other animal products in a Japanese school lunch are sourced by local farmers. Farm to table programs have also become popular in the U.S. and the benefits are immense. Not only is the food fresher but it would also give more business to our local farmers and stimulate our economy rather than lining the pockets of food management companies.

Those who come from low-socioeconomic families will also have school breakfast and lunch to eat fresh produce that otherwise might be too expensive, lessening the burden of parents to provide their children with all of the nutrition they need.

We must stop viewing lunch time as a simple break but as another opportunity to learn. We can teach children that vegetables aren’t always raw. In fact, when cooked the right way, they are downright delicious. Investing in this would change the lives of every subsequent generation and help us all live healthier and happier lives.

Anderson Murakami

Anderson Murakami is currently in the University of Utah’s master of social work program and his social policy interests are primarily focused on combating food insecurity and affordable housing.

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