National School Lunch Week Concludes Today: Nearly 30 Million Children Served Daily Under 'Cafeteria Circus' Theme
National School Lunch Week 2026 ran from October 12 to 16 and concludes on October 16. This year's theme, 'Cafeteria Circus: Where Healthy Choices Take Center Stage,' was marked in schools across the United States with themed menus and classroom activities highlighting the National School Lunch Program, which serves nearly 30 million children every school day.
National School Lunch Week was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and is held each year during the second week of October, promoted jointly by the School Nutrition Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under the program's standards, every school lunch includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and milk.
The Iowa Department of Education announced on October 12 that Iowa schools were encouraged to carry the celebration from the lunchroom into classrooms, including discussions in health, science and agriculture classes. More than 55 million school lunches were served to Iowa students through the program last school year. Patti Harding, an administrative consultant with the department's Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, said school lunch is an important part of the school day and that a healthy lunch gives students fuel to learn and develop new skills.
Other states marked the week at the same time. The Alabama State Board of Education adopted a resolution recognizing October 12-16, 2026 as National School Lunch Week in Alabama schools, and in Oregon the Department of Education and the state school boards association arranged for board members to join students for lunch in local schools during the week.
The School Nutrition Association invited schools to share their activities on social media using the hashtag #NSLW26. After the week concludes, the National School Lunch Program continues to provide lunches to students at participating schools on every school day.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 弗吉尼亚州马纳萨斯约克郡小学的学校午餐工作人员在校内厨房合影（美国农业部资料照片）· Lance Cheung 摄，美国农业部，公共领域（维基共享资源） / School lunch staff pose in the kitchen at Yorkshire Elementary School in Manassas, Virginia (USDA file photo) · Photo by Lance Cheung, U.S. Department of Agriculture, public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
