Ever wonder what students eat at school in Taiwan, Pakistan or the United Kingdom? Students at 14 schools in nine districts got the chance to talk to students in other countries to find out about their school meal programs. The International School Meals Day, held March 8, is a collaborative effort between the USDA and several organizations in the UK, including the Scottish Government and British Council. For the program, the US and Scotland were paired up.
Two schools in the Mt. Lebanon School District, in Pennsylvania, were selected to participate in the program. Tazeen Chowdhury, foodservice director for the district, says her schools were selected to participate after receiving a commendation for the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge program. On the International Day students from one of Chowdhury’s schools Skyped with a partner school in Scotland—the other schools communicated via email because the Scottish school didn’t have the technical capabilities for Skype.
The students talked to each other about their school meal programs—the Scottish schools serve a buffet-style lunch—and favorite meals. “They all like burgers, french fries and pizza,” Chowdhury says with a laugh.