Assessing school food policies across the EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland.

Abstract

With alarming childhood obesity trends in many European countries, strategic health policy documents have highlighted schools as a protected environment where children should learn healthy diet and lifestyle habits. Research shows that dietary intakes in school children can be improved by providing healthier food choices at school in an attractive and accessible way. We screened public databases, EU level reports, national ministerial websites and the scientific literature to collate official school food policies across Europe. In a second step, Member States representatives on the High-Level Group (HLG) on Nutrition and Physical Activity checked that all appropriate documents had been identified and referenced. School food policies in the countries assessed vary from mandatory to voluntary to barely existent. Where specifications have been set, these differ in scope and detail. Variations mainly relate to the types of meals targeted (e.g. lunch, breakfast, snack, dinner); whether advice is nutrient- and/or food-based; and if vending machines and the wider food environment (kiosks near schools, packed lunches from home, etc.) are considered. We provide an up-to-date overview of European school food policies. The next step will be to assess the need and feasibility for developing best practice guidelines for school food policies in Europe, bearing in mind cultural and structural differences between countries. This assessment will be conducted via a workshop designed to understand the challenges faced by different stakeholders and countries in developing, adopting, implementing and monitoring/evaluating school food policies.