One big rush: dinner time at school

A small-scale study has been carried out of children at a primary school in southern England, and the context in which they eat school meals, which affected their diet. Children tend to be subject to stress at meal times with pressure to make rapid choices and eat fast. They have little choice over what they eat and this includes children eating packed lunches, whose parents often make the decision over contents. There is little attempt to integrate their school meals with teaching on food and nutrition in the school.