The prototype of the model of using school lunches as a means to rescue local producers can be seen in the UK. The top priority for a modern nation was to improve the nutritional status of its citizens. Milk had become an important food in that sense. Around 1930, wealthy Britain began to import cheap butter and cheese from abroad. The dairy industry in England and Wales also faced a crisis. So in 1934, England and Wales created a public school milk supply system. This system was intended to have one million children in these areas drink milk. More than one million children drank milk, and consumption reached 40,000 tons per year. The policy of England and Wales contributed to the local production and consumption of milk.
In Fukushima Prefecture, it became very difficult to use local ingredients for a time. This was due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company. In fiscal 2010, before the earthquake, the rate of use in school lunches was relatively high at 36.1% based on the number of items. However, in fiscal 2012 after the earthquake, it dropped to 18.3%. Of course, Fukushima Prefecture has also set a goal and made efforts to increase the use of locally produced products. The prefecture has set a goal of increasing the proportion of locally produced products used in school lunches to more than half based on the number of items by fiscal 2026. This goal was achieved ahead of schedule in fiscal 2023. Fukushima Prefecture has promoted the use of locally produced products in school lunches in conjunction with food education. As a result, Fukushima Prefecture’s rate of increase in locally produced ingredients is now third in the nation.
An even more interesting attempt is being made in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This city has decided to make school lunches free for elementary and junior high schools from fiscal 2024. This city has also done something even more drastic. They have secured a budget for purchasing locally produced ingredients in addition to the regular school lunch fee. Nagato city has set aside a separate budget of 8.2 million yen to improve food education. A separate budget has been set aside to purchase local ingredients, creating an opportunity to eat high-quality ingredients. This is a school lunch that the children will be happy to have. For local producers, it means that a definite demand has been created. The mayor’s hope was that this would encourage people to want to return to Nagato even if they leave in the future. Although the city is in a difficult financial situation due to high prices, he sees this as an investment in the future. I hope that such initiatives will spread across the country.
