School lunches in Hollywood movies tend to look a little like this.

CHARLOTTE: Cafeteria, dirty tables, sloppy coffees.

OLIWER: There is a table for naughty children, and then a table for good children and

SOPHIE: One with the popular girls, one with the nerds

LILY: The lunch lady is going to, like, serve up a big pile of garbage.

WREN GILLETT, JOURNALIST: Of course, here in Australia we have to bring our own food from home.

WREN: Not yet.

ALI: You don’t pack your own lunches, Wren?

WREN: Oh yeah. TRUE.

But school feeding programs are actually a reality in many parts of the world. In fact, it is estimated that around 380 million children worldwide receive free school meals. It’s an idea that dates back to the 1790s in Germany, when this guy Count Rumford started giving free food to kids who couldn’t afford to eat at home. Then, in the United States, during the Industrial Revolution, when poverty was high, organizations began serving hot meals to students, to try to give young people a more equal opportunity to succeed in school. Today, many countries offer school lunch programs, such as India, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States, in which lunch is provided either to everyone for free, or to the students who need it most. And recently, the possibility of a school feeding program has been discussed right here in Australia, specifically in Queensland. Yes, you’re watching former Queensland Premier Steven Miles make a sandwich on stage.

WREN: Let me tell you why.

Basically, his party said that if re-elected this weekend, it would provide free lunches to all public primary school students.

STEVEN MILES, FORMER PREMIER OF QLD: This is a policy that will be good for children, good for teachers and good for parents too.

Labor didn’t win the election, so free school meals won’t be available in Queensland any time soon, but he’s not the first person to suggest something like this. In November last year, a parliamentary committee published this report, which called on the government to consider a national school meals programme, to ensure children receive adequate nutrition and help them concentrate and learn at school. school.

WREN: We all know it’s important to fuel your brain with a healthy meal.

And lately, this has become much more difficult for many families due to the cost of living crisis. In fact, free meal programs run by charities and schools have seen a surge in demand. But implementing a school meals program would be very expensive and require a lot of organization.

PAT MURPHY, QLD PRINCIPAL’S ASSOCIATION: Do we have the capacity as confectioners, PNCs, school communities. How are we going to implement this?

Some people think there are better ways to help struggling families than handing out free lunches. But what do you think?

CHARLOTTE: It could cost a lot of money and it would require a lot of resources.

OLIWER: Even though it’s expensive, I think it’s a good idea for disadvantaged people.

SOPHIE: I’m pretty picky about the types of food I eat, so I’m not really enthusiastic.

WREN: If you could choose anything to put on the menu, what would it be?

ALI: A Zinger box.

OLIWER: Pizza or chips.

CHARLOTTE: Fried ice cream.

SOPHIE: Sushi.

LILY: Pasta

WREN: Anyone want to swap?