Development and implementation of a school meal programme in a research programme

Description

For use in the project Generation Healthy Kids, Copenhagen University needs development, implementation and continuous refining of a school meal system to be tested during two school years among up to 1800 children in 1st and 2nd grade in different regions of Denmark. This includes a novel logistical system for design, distribution, and local delivery of family style school meals that are of high gastronomical value, live up to dietary guidelines, are suited for the age group, and stimulate children’s development of practical food competences. The meals should be standardized between schools, able to be eaten family-style in the class room and develop children’s food competences and liking of healthy foods. Lot 1: The department off Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen (NEXS) is carrying out a research programme 'Generation Healthy Kids', which is a cluster-randomized intervention trial to investigate if a multilevel, multicomponent intervention in local communities focusing on nutrition, exercise, digital habits and sleep can promote healthy weight, health behaviours and wellbeing in children. The trial involves children in 1st and 2nd grade at up to 24 schools during two school years (2023-2025) in different regions of Denmark, of which half will serve as intervention schools. Here, a core intervention component is a school lunch programme. For this the University needs the development and implementation of a novel logistical system for design, distribution, supply, and local delivery of school meals or ready to eat components of high gastronomical value, that live up to the dietary guidelines, are suited for the age group, develop children’s food competences and that will be tested and continuously refined in a intervention trial among school children. The meals should be standardized between schools, able to be eaten family-style in the class room and develop children’s food competences and liking of healthy foods. The meals must be adapted to children’s preferences, accommodate children of all backgrounds (ethnic, socioeconomic etc), be suitable for children with the most common food allergies and be easy to finalize and distribute at each school with very limited kitchen facilities and only part time personnel (eg. school pedagogues) with limited kitchen training. The development and implementation must be done in close collaboration with project staff at NEXS and by use of the experiences from our pilot study.