Experiences with organizing school food programs in Norwegian Lower Secondary Schools – a qualitative study

Background: The organization of school meals is of importance for adolescent dietary health and psychosocial learning environment, for the sustainable development of food systems and for reducing social inequities. In Norway, there is no mandatory provision of food in schools at the state level. However, local programs are common, differing in content and organization. As debates concerning a potential mandatory implementation reoccur regularly on the political agenda, knowing more about the experiences of schools could provide valuable information for policymakers. Objectives: This thesis has been part of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health project “Development of a national model for school meals”. The purpose has been to explore the experiences of staff involved in organizing school food programs in Norwegian lower secondary schools in a systematic way. Design: Basic qualitative method. Personal interviews with strategically chosen key informants (n=14). A semi-structured interview guide was the main instrument and thematic analysis was applied for analysis. Results: Some key elements are emphasized by informants as essential for successfully organizing programs, such as enough resources, physical facilities, adapting to the local context, the right staff, student involvement, and student acceptance. Nutrition and sustainability strategies applied by informants have also been identified. Commonly perceived benefits of programs were positive impacts on the psychosocial learning environment and social inequity. Environmental sustainability and long-term health were less in focus. Conclusions: Providing school meals is highly dependent on local context and available resources. Plans for the implementation of a state-wide school food program ought to consider these local variations. Greater alignment of the program's content would be beneficial, in order to provide an adequate meal that is both nutritious and sustainable and responds to the students' social, cultural, and religious needs