Understanding the ideology of the Swedish tax-paid school meal

Abstract

Background:Children are provided with food at school in various ways. In Sweden, free school lunches are provided to all children of compulsory school age. Internationally, Sweden is fairly unique in this sense, which makes the country an important example to study and reflect upon.Objective:This article aims to describe the welfare ideology that underpins the provision of school meals in Sweden.Setting:Schools in Sweden.Method:The ideological underpinnings of the free school lunches provided in Sweden are described using the Seven Elements of Public Meals framework, which comprises the elements of welfare, health, sustainability, learning, social environment, physical environment and food.Results:Our findings suggest that school meal provision in Sweden is seen as a universal welfare service and a part of public health work. Meals are to be sustainable and are regarded as a learning occasion. The importance of the social and physical environment is accentuated, and when it comes to the quality of the food served, the school meal has improved over the years.Conclusion:The choice of food in schools is increasingly expected to be guided by personal choice. However, the privilege of being served a shared free school meal comes at the cost of less individual choice.