Nutritionally balanced school meal model for a comprehensive school

Abstract

Purpose -This paper seeks to construct and describe a nutritionally balanced school meal model for a comprehensive school. The aim of the model is to illustrate an holistic view to school meals based on the pupils' needs. Design/methodology/approach -The paper introduces Maslow's hierarchy of needs and eight theoretical views to school meals. The empirical data were collected in 2007 from the pupils (168), their parents (82) and the school officials (42) of four comprehensive schools in Finland by using a structured questionnaire which included open questions. Consequently, a description of a nutritionally balanced school meal model for a comprehensive school was constructed. Findings -A constructed model for serving school meals consists of the following views: pupil's needs; nutrition, food choice and waste views; well-being and energy; education; social-ecological environment and school meal environment, as well as maintaining good health and preventing health problems. The model is structured according to the theoretical views as well as suggestions from the pupils, parents, and experts. Also the subjects responsible for the activities are included. Practical implications -The constructed nutritionally balanced school meal model can be utilized as a standard model when serving school meals in a comprehensive school. Originality/value -The model may act as a reference model for the school catering organisations and the school officials when decisions related to school meals are made.

Strategies to reduce plate waste in primary schools – experimental evaluation

“…Teachers eating together with students is mandatory in Finland ( 35 ) . They are supposed to instruct basic table manners and to promote healthy eating habits among children.…”

“…They are supposed to instruct basic table manners and to promote healthy eating habits among children. Additionally, many municipalities have included school meals and their possibilities for cross-subject learning in their curriculum (35) . Moreover, in Sweden, a programme named 'pedagogic meals' was implemented as a result of a government report.…”

“…The influence of the length of the lunch period on food waste has been also explored by other researchers, who discussed that children spend little time eating their lunch and that a longer lunch period leads to a plate waste reduction (37,40) . Inviting students to participate in menu planning and meal preparation, and improvement of sensory characteristics of school meals are other potential strategies suggested in the literature for achieving waste reduction (9,35) . Potential reasons for the high level of plate waste identified in our study could be related to children's preferences and dissatisfaction with the sensory characteristics of school lunch and to a high level of noise that can adversely affect the environment of the canteen and would impact children's lunch consumption.…”

“…They observed that for teachers, school lunch was regarded as an opportunity for providing daily supply of nutrients, teaching of table manners, building up nutrition education and developing food preferences through eating lunch together with classmates (34) . Teachers eating together with students is mandatory in Finland (35) . They are supposed to instruct basic table manners and to promote healthy eating habits among children.…”

System of planning and evaluation of school meals

“…Research enhances the need to attend to the nutritional and energy requirements of children and young people in schools, but also to other factors such as pleasure, enjoyment, well-being, social happiness, learning, good health and self-development ( 29 ) ; and for that purpose models for balanced meals involving different actors in the school setting are being developed. This holistic view of food and meals would be beneficial in order to achieve higher quality of school meals.…”