Our research has shown that parents are the ones who decide whether their child has school meals or brings their own packed lunch, rather than the child themselves. To increase the take-up of school food, we wanted to better understand the existing evidence and practice around engaging both children and parents in school meals. In this phase of the project, we aimed to highlight areas where further exploration with stakeholders in Wales is needed – and potentially identify interventions to test in schools in Wales.
Between December 2022 and January 2023, we undertook a period of rapid insight gathering that included:
- A rapid literature review – identifying peer-reviewed articles on intervention studies aimed at increasing participation in school meals.
- Interviews with subject matter experts, including academics, food consultants, headteachers and public health bodies.
