Daejeon is putting 15% more into every free school lunch — 4,874 won (about $3.60) a meal for 141,593 students

Every student in Daejeon, South Korea, already eats lunch at school for free — and from the 2027 school year, there will be 15% more money behind the food on each tray. The city is raising the average food cost per meal to 4,874 won (about $3.60), including 380 won (about 28 cents) set aside for eco-friendly and better ingredients. Total spending on the program rises to 113 billion won (about $84 million), with the city's own share up 4.8 billion won (about $3.6 million) to 44.8 billion won (about $33 million). The meals reach 141,593 students at 313 elementary, middle and high schools, one lunch every school day — and on the city's comparison, Daejeon's per-meal food budget will be the highest of Korea's major metropolitan cities.

SDG 2 · Zero hunger — Mechanism: policy reform