New Nordic study looks at the relationship between school meals and learning
A new Nordic report looks at the relationship between food in schools and pre-schools and the significance of school meals for children's health and ability to learn. While one can talk about the Nordic welfare model in general, there are radical difference in the countries regarding the provision of food in schools and pre-schools.
- Photographer
- Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org
The authors of the report have studied and analysed the available international and Nordic research literature on the relationship between school meals and children's health and learning skills. The literature does not clearly endorse that school meals have a positive outcome for learning, cognitive skills and weight management in the short term. But even though food in itself does not have an effect, the meal as such has a positive effect on weight management as well as short term effects on cognitive skills and learning.
"Welfare and health go hand in hand. A healthy population is necessary to maintain high productivity and competitiveness that leads to growth and prosperity. Children's and young people's living conditions are of great importance for their future health and thus also, in the long run, a pre-condition for a healthy and able-bodied population," commented Halldór Ásgrímsson, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers on the report.
The Nordic countries food schemes are radically different from each other. They represent the whole register of school food offerings ranging from free three-course meals based on national regulation, to no free meals and no statuary regulation on school food.
Nordic experience shows that offering healthy food and preventing access to unhealthy food is one way of changing school children’s eating habits. The report also shows that school food can have other purposes that to achieve direct effects in relation to health and learning. Food in Finnish schools, for example, is defined as an arena for learning and establishing a proper social interaction.
The report finds that there is no need for further studies on the effect of school food in relation to health and learning. On the other hand, it would be interesting to see a survey of the extent to which there are studies showing the role of the meal, and not just the role of food. Also, new and relevant knowledge might be gained from studies looking at whether food schemes in schools and pre-schools contribute to social equality.
Contacts
Emelie Barbou des Places
Phone
+45 29 69 29 38
Email
emca@norden.org
