Report shows influences of school meal uptake

Veg Power has released a new report looking at the decision-making dynamics for school meal uptake.

It sets out to investigate three topics in particular: who decides whether a child should have a school meal or not? What influences these decisions? And what can be done to change them?

The report finds that across primary school age groups, average consumption is just under three school meals per week. This varies widely by region and demographic, with children in families where Household Income (HHI) is between £30,000 and £60,000 eating notably fewer school meals than other income groups.

Among children who eat a school meal at least once a week, those who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) eat an average of 4.2 meals per week against 3.2 meals per week if the parent has to pay.

Sixteen per cent of primary school children never eat a school meal. Even at age five, the figure is 11 per cent. This increases to 25 per cent by age 11.

Looking at who decides on school meals, almost 40 per cent of decisions are made jointly; 32 per cent are made by the parent or carer, and 28 per cent are made by the child. These percentages are not affected by whether meals are free or not.

Children are significantly more likely to eat school meals, and eat them more often, when the parent or carer says they are the sole decision-maker.

When asked what stopped them from having a school meal more often, 40 per cent of children said they preferred a packed lunch. Other significant barriers included a resistance to experimentation, a perceived lack of variety and the fact that their friends don’t eat school meals.

Parents and carers cited similar barriers. However, among those who had to pay, 23 per cent referenced expense as a reason for their child not having more school meals. In families where HHI was £20,000 to £30,000, this figure rose to 26 per cent.

Among parents and carers who claim to be the sole decision-maker and whose child never has a school meal, half of them think school meals are expensive.

The likelihood of a child eating school meals, and eating them more often, is significantly greater when the parent or carer claims their child eats two to three handfuls of vegetables per day.

Almost 4 in 10 parents and carers, however, said FSMs would pursuade them and their child to eat school meals more regularly.

Despite this, FSMs will not be sufficient in isolation. To drive greater frequency, parents and carers also want more variety, more appetising presentation, and better-quality ingredients. 

The report recommends that FSMs should be universally available to primary school children across the UK. If this cannot be implemented immediately, eligibility should be dramatically extended to include lower and lower-middle earners.

The report also calls for school lunchtimes to be social, culture-building experiences that children don’t want to miss.  

In parallel, emphasis must be placed on offering greater variety and choice (perhaps through salad and pasta bars), and on developing mechanisms that give primary school children a say in menu design.

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