How school lunches help children eat more healthily

Many Dutch children do not eat enough fruit and vegetables and consume too much salt and saturated fat. At the same time, they drink a relatively large amount of sugary drinks. The consequences are clearly evident: around one in eight Dutch children is overweight. This puts them at a greater risk of health problems like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, both now and later in life.

To investigate whether a healthy school lunch leads to healthier eating habits, researchers worked with children, parents, schools and social organisations on the ‘Healthy School Lunch’ project. The study involved pupils from three primary schools in Amsterdam, Lunteren and Vlaardingen. Over a period of six months, the children were provided with a healthy lunch. Researchers observed and recorded what the children ate and used questionnaires to gather feedback from pupils, parents and teachers.

“We started by presenting various lunch concepts to children and parents to find out which format best suited their needs,” project leader Monique Vingerhoeds of WUR explains. “We then developed a healthy ‘self-serve’ lunch scheme, where children put together their own lunches from a selection of healthy options.” She continues: “The children could choose from a buffet of wholemeal bread, healthy spreads, raw vegetables, water, milk and buttermilk. In addition, products like fruit, yoghurt, salad and soup were regularly on offer. Suppliers delivered products for the daily lunch to the schools twice a week.”

The proportion of children who ate vegetables at lunchtime rose from 7% before the study began to 56% after three months. “In addition, more children were eating wholemeal bread and fruit, and more children were drinking water or milk and fewer sugary drinks.” According to Vingerhoeds, the lunch offered more than just healthier choices. “Teachers appreciated the fact that every child was offered the same lunch options, that the children were encouraged to try new things and that it was a time for everyone to come together.”

More than 65% of pupils said they would like to continue having the school lunch. 81% of parents were satisfied. “These positive results have inspired several other primary schools in Utrecht to introduce a healthy school lunch too. For example, through the ‘Lunch Buddies’ project, which is based on our research.”  

Researchers do point out, however, that introducing a healthy school lunch requires time, organisation and structural funding. Without those preconditions, it is difficult to maintain in the long term. “The buffet isn’t wheeled into the classroom ready-made," says Vingerhoeds. “It takes a lot of time to prepare. It is therefore important to appoint someone to be specifically responsible for lunch – for example, a volunteer or a childcare worker – and to ensure there is a suitable space where the children can eat."

As an example, Vingerhoeds cites several primary schools in Limburg that have extended their school days, thereby creating scope for pupils to enjoy a healthy lunch buffet and get more exercise.

Various subsidies are available to help cover the costs. The lunches provided as part of the study were paid for from project funds. At the time (2018/2019), lunch cost between €1.80 and €2.30 per child. In 2023, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (in collaboration with the Youth Education Fund) launched its School Meals programme. “This presents a great opportunity to offer healthy lunches. Schools are eligible for the programme if at least 30 percent of their pupils come from families on a relatively low income. Other schools can seek funding through external partners. And in some municipalities, a financial contribution is available.”

According to the researchers, a healthy lunch is effective only for as long as healthy options remain available. When children become reliant again on what they bring from home, old habits resurface. “Six months after the buffet was discontinued at the three primary schools, parents and children were again filling their lunchboxes with white bread, sweet spreads and sugary drinks. So you have to keep offering it,” says Vingerhoeds. She continues: “By teaching today’s children about healthy eating and helping them develop good habits, they will be able to carry these forward when they are older themselves. But the school also has a role to play here, for example by drawing up policies to ensure there are guidelines for a healthy school lunch.”

Vingerhoeds is delighted that more and more schools are investing in healthy school lunches. “Not only does it lead to healthier children and adults, it also reduces healthcare costs in the future. If more schools opt for a healthy lunch, the healthy choice could become the obvious choice for more and more children."

The ‘Healthy School Lunch’ project was a collaboration between Wageningen University & Research (WUR), VU University Amsterdam, three primary schools in Amsterdam, Lunteren and Vlaardingen, Albert Heijn, Boerenhart, Dutch Cuisine, the Municipality of Ede, Sarphati, Schoolsoepie, GroentenFruit Huis, Koninklijke Vezet, the National Action Plan for Fruit and Vegetables (NAGF), the Dutch Dairy Association, FoodBase, TKI Agri & Food. WUR was responsible for the project management. In collaboration with VU, WUR designed, carried out and analysed the research.