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Health promotion programmes are widely held to be more effective when the subjects of them actively participate in the process of change. The purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of the Food for Life Partnership programme, a multi‐level initiative in England promoting healthier nutrition and food sustainability awareness for students and their families through involvement in cooking, growing, farm visits and School Nutrition Action Groups (SNAGs).

The study adopted a mixed methods approach, drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data sources. The data sources included quantitative data on school level programme related activities, qualitative data collected through focus groups with children and reports from teachers and other staff involved in the delivery of the programme.

The paper concludes that the pivotal role of SNAGs in catalysing and embracing a whole school approach must be seen as an important mechanism for any health promotion in complex school environments.

This was a national evaluation of a unique school food project aiming to transform food culture in primary and secondary schools. The findings highlight the importance of a whole school approach to public health initiatives and the centrality of pupil participation in the success and sustainability of such interventions.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of the Food For Life Partnership (FFLP) whole school food programme on kitchen staff employment and professional development.

This exploratory research involved baseline and follow‐up interviews with 74 kitchen staff (51 primary and 23 secondary English schools) enrolled onto the FFLP programme. Empirical data were collected using a semi‐structured questionnaire between 2007‐2010 with an average of 20 months between baseline and follow‐up. Data were collected on the perceived programme impact on school cook professional experience and employment and their role in health promotion.

Numbers of kitchen staff and mean job satisfaction grew. Kitchen staff reported significant investment in their kitchen environment. They felt a greater degree of involvement and broader integration with the rest of the school's educational mission. However, towards the end of their involvement, kitchen staff became increasingly cognizant of the growing challenges posed by broader economic conditions emerging at the time of follow‐up.

Kitchen staff can play an important role in the promotion of healthy eating and school cohesion. However, there are significant organisational and employment‐based barriers to fulfilling this potential.

This paper outlines the role of kitchen staff in whole school food programmes and illustrates the key dimensions and barriers that need to be overcome to enhance their role through the delivery of improvements in school food uptake and the promotion of healthier and more sustainable food consumption.

School and community gardens have long histories grounded in social justice. Currently there are advocacy movements calling for gardening programs that foster academics and equity movements through nutrition education, neighborhood green spaces and beautification, and ecological sustainability. While the authors contributed personal experiences and useful resources for those interested in school and community gardening, the authors primarily investigated multiple theories that embraced critical and ecological pedagogies in neighborhoods, schools, urban communities. The democratic movements of food security, removal of food deserts, and socioeconomic sustainability using applicable gardening programs were the driving forces behind this chapter.

In Canada, food insecurity is characterized by the consumption of low quantity or low-quality foods, worrying about food supply and/or acquiring foods in socially unacceptable ways, such as begging or scavenging. As of 2012, approximately 15.2% of Ontario, Canada, children are living in food insecure households, a prevalence which has remained steady since 2005. This is particularly concerning when considering that school-aged children are a population whose growth and developing is sensitive to nutritional stress, and the experience of childhood food insecurity is highly associated with the development of adverse physical, mental and learning outcomes. This study aims at establishing the relationship between food insecurity and Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) standardized test scores in order to highlight the incompatibility of the EQAO's reliance on test outcomes in determining Ontarian school's accountability, specifically for those with a high prevalence of food insecurity.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of the use of food products from family farms on school menus of the school feeding program (SFP) of a municipality in Southern Brazil.

A qualitative content analysis was carried out of 16 key informant interviews involved in the SFP, or in agriculture production related to SFP planning, development and supply. The resulting categories were used to construct a quantitative analysis protocol for school menus for three years both prior to and after (n=130 days) procurement of the SFP with food from family farms. The studied variables were the presence (yes/no) of vegetables, fruits, legumes and concentrated foods. Monthly frequency and contrast of proportions were calculated for each variable during the years studied.

The interviewees recognized that the proximity between food production and the school increased the variety of fresh, natural and organic foods in school menus. The direct supply of the SFP with foods from local family farms resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) in the frequency of vegetables, fruits and legumes in school menus as well as a progressive reduction in concentrated foods.

The design of food and agriculture policy increases the availability of healthy foods in school menus and has beneficial results for promoting healthy meals in schools.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how students’ participation in an integrated school food program was related to the development of components of food and health-related action competence (F & HRAC). These components were understood to be the knowledge, insight, motivation, ownership and social skills that made students able to take action regarding food and health in everyday life.

Research was undertaken as a single case study of the development of an integrated education and health program called LOMA-Local Food (LOMA) in a secondary school in Denmark. Qualitative methods were applied, including an action research component, where researcher and teachers examined how students developed action competence. The program was based on a whole school approach with the aim of improving F & HRAC. As a way to obtain this, students participated in planning, preparing, cooking and serving their own school food as integrated in curriculum. The study applied the Health Promoting Schools’ (HPS) conceptual framework and the

nvestigation,

ision,

ction and

hange (IVACE) approach.

Students who participated in LOMA educational activities became motivated for developing a food F & HRAC, which included components such as knowledge, insight, motivation, ownership, action experience, commitment, cooperation and critical thinking. Students developed practical skills related to food and health, when they were cooking healthy school food together with professionals and peers. The study also points to the importance of capacity building among teachers. The IVACE matrix is suggested as a relevant tool for monitoring forms of participation that contributes to students’ development of F & HRAC.

There were indications of how participation in LOMA contributed to students’ development of F & HRAC. The practical implication of this is that “setting” is very important for the success of food and health education initiatives. In this integrated approach the production kitchen and the dining hall are indispensable. Also the new organization of the school day and the introduction of a shared daily meal are important practical components for the improvement of the learning environment. The possibility of combining theory and practice seem conducive for students’ achievement of action competence.

The current study is an example of how the IVACE matrix can be applied in order to plan, conduct and evaluate LOMA educational activities, which could be considered as a contribution to the HPS scientific community. It would be useful for other schools that intend to apply the LOMA approach. However, more research is needed, where teachers, students, staff and other stakeholders collaborate in an action research process. This could promote students’ health and support other initiatives regarding public health, sustainable development and democracy.

This research may have implications for the way that school food programs are developed and implemented if they are to make a contribution to students’ development of F & HRAC. Taking the political interest for research-based interventions into account, it is important that future strategies include teachers’ capacity building. Research is also needed regarding further development and test of the IVACE matrix as a method in participatory, health education approaches. This should be seen in combination with a renewed focus on integrated curricula models related to the on-going discussion on redesign of western school curricula.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate determinants for the viability of school lunch programs with a zero‐price start‐up period.

Data sources include application material, questionnaire surveys among the pupils, parents, and staff at the participating schools, follow‐up telephone interviews with the staff, as well as interviews with suppliers. Data are analysed using principal components analysis and logistic regression.

An econometric analysis suggests that price, school size, demand‐stimulating activities related to the schools' support and the users' feeling of ownership, as well as internal professionalism and leadership in the implementation of the school lunch program are important for the viability of the program. These components may, to some extent, compensate for the gap between cost and users' willingness to pay for school lunches.

The study contributes to increase awareness of the many determinants and barriers for the viability of school lunches. Experience from the study demonstrates a significant challenge in making user requirements for quality, product diversity and willingness to pay meet with the costs of supplying school lunches.

The focus on the economic viability on school lunches is a new approach to the topic compared to the literature, which mainly concentrates on the physical and environmental effects of providing food in schools

In Australia, the Foodbank of Western Australia (Foodbank WA) has a reputation for being at the forefront of health promotion. The purpose of this paper is to describe Foodbank WA's innovative food bank plus approach of incorporating healthy lifestyle initiatives (i.e. nutrition and physical activity education) into its core food bank business, so as to target priority issues such as food insecurity, poor food literacy, overweight, obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.

A case study approach was utilised to explore Foodbank WA's Healthy Food for All® (HFFA) strategy. HFFA is a comprehensive state wide, school and community based strategy, including the School Breakfast Programme, Food Sensations® and Choose to Move initiatives, designed to promote healthy lifestyles to low socioeconomic and vulnerable groups – a major target group of food banks.

Since its inception in 2007, the delivery of food, education and resources has increased across all of Foodbank WA's HFFA initiatives. Evaluation results from feedback surveys demonstrate the success of these interventions to positively impact upon food security, health and wellbeing of participants.

HFFA is a unique, effective and novel strategy that addresses a number of health and nutrition issues. Food banks are well placed to deliver food literacy and healthy lifestyle initiatives. Foodbank WA's holistic approach and demonstrated success provides other food banks with a best practice model and knowledge base for the development of similar health promotion strategies and interventions.

This study aims to gain an understanding from parents and teachers about the types of food provision practices and venues, and the food-related policies and rules in primary schools in Australia; and investigate any differences in the presence of policies and rules based on the school location and school type.

Data were collected via two online surveys from August 2019 to March 2020. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse quantitative responses. Respondents' written responses to food-related policies were categorised into groups.

The two most common food provision services were canteen and lunch order services (mentioned by 72 and 55% of respondents, respectively). Of the 425 respondents whose schools had a canteen (parents and teachers together), 62% reported their school implements a healthy school canteen policy. Significantly more parents compared to teachers, and more respondents from government schools compared to non-government schools stated that their school had implemented such a policy. Approximately half of the respondents (47%) stated their school had implemented other food-related policies and/or rules. These policies or rules belonged to four categories: avoiding certain foods, avoiding food sharing, avoiding food packages and promoting healthy eating.

This study shows the disparities exist in implementing food-related policies among primary schools in Australia. Nutrition promoters and policy planners should consider these results and find the best mechanisms to minimise the gaps in policy implementation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the good manufacturing practices in meal services in public schools and day care centres in Baixada Santista, Brazil using a health risk classification.

A total of 59 public schools and day care centres in nine municipalities of Baixada Santista – Brazil were randomly selected. The sanitary conditions were evaluated by applying a validated checklist specific to school meal service. The questions were scored according to the health risks detected. A percentage of conformity to good manufacturing practices was calculated, than schools and day care centres were classified according to health risk in relation to the scores obtained for each thematic area addressed in the checklist and in relation to the overall score.

It was observed that 62 per cent of the schools were classified as average health risk failing to comply with Brazilian legislation on food safety rules. The thematic areas that showed lower percentage of conformity to good manufacturing practices were: hand hygiene (33.9 per cent), pest control (3.4 per cent), food handlers (62.4 per cent) and food hygiene (65.4 per cent). The school meal service of day care centres presented higher conformity in the hand hygiene (p<0.01) and the environmental sanitation (p<0.05) than elementary schools.

The data observed in our study highlight the need of an effective system to monitor and evaluate the hygienic sanitary conditions in Brazil. The implementation of HACCP system may be an option with good potential to produce safer meals in school environment, nevertheless, the prerequisite program must be implemented first. Professionals with expertise in food safety can act as consultants to the school meal service and may use the data from this study as a benchmark for interventions.

This paper contain new information related the state food safety practices of Brazilian school meal service. It also presents the use of scores to determine risk. The use of health risk is a novel way to evaluate the food safety practices in school meals facilitating the implementation of corrective measures.