The quality—or lack thereof—of U.S. school lunches has been a hot potato issue since before today’s schoolchildren were even born; we all remember the Reagan-era wisdom of trying to classify ketchup as a vegetable (just another reason to rue the ’80s). In the last year, growing childhood obesity rates in the U.S. inspired the reality-TV series “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” in which the British chef tackled unhealthy lunch programs in West Virginia. The ensuing healthy-menu initiative may now serve as a national model and, indeed, Congress is taking up the cause as well. Though some swear that kids will never eat healthy lunches, and others think school lunches get an unfair bad rap, we may just need look to another EU nation, France, where it’s being proven that fresh ingredients make for healthier fare—and can even be cheaper. And that may be just the recipe for success.