Food at schools around the Europe Made by: OŠ J. Hudalesa Jurovski Dol, Slovenia

Curiousity We renovated our school last year and we got a new, modern kitchen. Our cooks are very nice and prepare us delicious meals – now we wanted to know if pupils in Europe do have the same privileges as we do? Or do they perhaps even eat for free?

We started from nothing We didn't really know how is it with food in other schools and were very surprised to get the results we did. As our English teacher went to Norway last year, she told us about the food there – pupils had to bring their own food from home – although their country is very rich. We liked their small colourful plastic containers for very different kinds of food but didn't know what to expect to learn in this project.

What about the results? We learnt that our coevals from five schools we cooperated with don't have either a kitchen or a canteen and therefore have to bring their own food to school (REYCP 1, REYCP 3 – if not satisfied with the food at school, RYCP5, REYCP 7, REYCP 9). Although REYCP 6 hasn't answered their questions yet, we assumed that they bring the food from home, too – like the other two Netherlands' schools. Those pupils are satisfied with food, of course, because they probably prepare food themselves or their parents prepare it according to their wishes. The other pupils (those who get food from school – pay it or for free) are also mostly satisfied with their food, pupils in REYCP 8 don't like soups.

In other schools, however, pupils don't have to bring their food to school – they either get it all for free (REYCP 8) because local government pays for it, get dairy products and bread for free and buy the other food if not satisfied with this (REYCP 1), or have to pay for their meals at school (REYCP3, REYCP 4, REYCP 10 and our school – REYCP 2). REYCP 4 gets juice for free – they just need a glass themselves.

To make or not to make suggestions From six schools where pupils don't have to bring their own food to school but cooks prepare it, five are allowed to make suggestions about the menus, but not always – the answers were sometimes, once a year; yes, but seldom accepted; if they are healthy.

Healthy or unhealthy? Schools take care that pupils eat healthy food and those schools where pupils bring their food from home have special rules what is allowed to be brought and what isn't – sweets are usually forbidden, apple juice instead of cola, wholemeal bread if possible …

There are some exceptions, of course – if one of the pupils has birthday, he or she can bring sweets from home to treat schoolmates. Pupils like both kinds of food – the half of asked likes healthy and the other half likes both – healthy and unhealthy (steaks, chips …).

Problems, diseases? All schools that bring their food from home have to bring 'special diets' from home, too. In schools where cooks prepare ordinary meals 'special diets' are prepared by cooks, too. In the Estonian and the Romanian school where pupils get meals for free cooks don't cook for pupils with some diseases – they have to bring their own food from home.

Differences between countries Netherlands and Greece – bring food from home Slovenia and Latvia – pay for meals Estonia, Romania – food for free

Why do they exist? And consequences? Differencies exist because of different rules in governments; some of them provide money for food at schools and some don't. Consequences: Pros and cons for bringing or not bringing food to school:

Questions and answers