How Sweden devised brilliant school meals : Shared by Tom McDermott

‘If there’s a free alternative, I’ll eat healthily’: how Sweden devised brilliant school meals

Jonna Dagliden Hunt
The Guardian
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Summary
A Swedish pilot led by Vinnova is reshaping school meals by adding a morning “energy bar” with juice shots and overnight oats made from supermarket surplus, redesigning canteens with student input, and using a “snowball method” to scale local changes. The initiative—built on Sweden’s universal, nutritious free school-meal system—aims to keep pupils on campus, reduce food waste, and boost engagement, and has informed the country’s updated food strategy and 2025 school-meal guidelines. Officials say long-term success will require other actors to take over funding and coordination so the model can expand beyond the pilot.

Quotes
“If there’s a free alternative at school, then I might consider eating something healthy.”
“Key players need to step in or step up. Together.”
“For some students, this may be the only cooked meal they eat in a day… It’s also a way to help reduce socioeconomic inequalities.”