The school lunch: better eating, better learning?.

The school lunch: better eating, better learning?.

Do Children Learn Better When They Get A Healthy School Lunch? To Find Out, Three Primary Schools Provide A Healthy Lunch Every Day For A Year. The Researchers See If These Children Perform Better At School And If They Also Eat Healthier At Home. They Also Pay Attention To The Wishes And Needs Of Parents And Children.

Healthy School Lunch

In Most Countries Around Us, It Is Common That The School Provides Lunch. In The Netherlands, This Is Not The Case. Wageningen University & Research And The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Investigate If Parents, Schools And Children Are Open To This. And If A Healthy School Lunch Affects The Performance And Eating Habits Of Children.

Wishes Of Parents

Earlier This Year, Parents Could Say In A Survey What They Think About A Healthy School Lunch. Parents Were Most Enthusiastic About The Self-Made Lunch: A Bread Meal That Children Can Prepare Themselves. This Lunch Buffet Consists Of Whole Wheat Bread, Healthy Toppings, Vegetables, Water, Milk And Buttermilk. A Few Times A Week, There Is Something Extra Such As Soup, An Egg, Or Fruit. Variety Is Especially Important For Parents. That Means The School Lunch Offers More Than What Parents Give Their Children. There Was Also A Large Group Of Parents Who Liked One Of The Other Options: The Healthy Lunch Provided By Parents Following School Policy. Want To Know More About The Research Among Parents? Then Read More On The Website Of The Eten Op School Study.

Costs

Parents Were Also Asked What They Think About The Costs Of A Provided Lunch At School. Most Parents Are Willing To Pay Between 1.00 And 2.00 Euros, But They Also Think That The National And Local Government Should Help. Parents Do Not Think That Supermarkets, Greengrocers, The Food Industry Or Schools Should Pay For The Provided School Lunch. It Has Now Been Calculated That The Costs For The Self-Made Lunch Are 1.44 Euros Per Lunch Per Child. During The Research, Parents Are Asked For A Voluntary Contribution. Parents Can Decide How Much To Pay.

Involve Parents!

If Your Child’s School Also Wants To Provide Such A Lunch, It Is Important That Parents Are Involved In The Plans From The Start. Only Then Can Changes Around School Lunches Be Successful. The Conversation With Parents, Pupils And The Team About The Content Of A School Lunch Is Essential. Every School Is Different, So There Can Be No Obligation. The Director Of Ouders & Onderwijs, Lobke Vlaming, Recently Talked About The School Lunch In The EditieNL Broadcast.

More About The Study

The Healthy School Lunch Is Part Of The Eten Op School Study By Wageningen University & Research And The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The Researchers Want To Know If This Healthy School Lunch Helps Children Learn Better. They Also Want To Map What And How Much Children Usually Eat Of A Healthy Lunch. And If Children Eat Differently Outside School After A Healthy Lunch. Ouders & Onderwijs Was Part Of The Focus Group To Help Shape The Survey And Speaks For Parents About The Study.