Italian Supreme Court Gives Schools Authority to Ban Packed Lunches

The Italian Supreme Court ruled in favor of giving schools the power to ban packed lunches on campus. It has been a tradition for Italian students and teachers to all sit together and eat the same lunch from the school cafeteria. However, some parents of students began preparing home-cooked meals for their children because cafeteria food is usually expensive and unhealthy. Following this action, a group of parents from Turin, Italy, pushed a legal battle to make school lunches optional instead of compulsory. The country’s Supreme Court sided with schools in prohibiting students from bringing home-cooked meals. The court emphasized that such action demonstrates disregard for the principles of equality that school lunches promote. According to the court, bringing packed lunches can result in discrimination as some students may avoid sitting with their richer classmates, who usually eat more expensive meals. However, more and more Italians are beginning to have a different opinion regarding the tradition of eating the same school lunch. A survey revealed that 26% of Italians deem lunches served at schools to have poor quality. This was confirmed during previous school canteen checks in which authorities found insects and mouse droppings in food. Because of the downsides that come with eating school lunches, the ruling infuriated numerous parents. In an interview with a local TV station, one mother complained about the school lunch fees being higher than her monthly wages. Other parents took to social media to gather more signatures for their petition. They insisted that bringing home-cooked meals to school is a social right and does not affect children's level of engagement in school.