Article review: Examining the complex picture of school catering

Abstract

Examining the complex image of school catering from the perspective of ethnography and nutrition science III In the third part of our article series we present the findings of children’s and parents’ attitudes towards public catering, based on our research titled: „The social embeddedness of the public catering of children. Issues and opportunities.” The results of the study confirmed that the type and taste of foods offered in school canteens are particularly important aspects for the students, and at the same time, poor eating circumstances also affect their willingness to eat. For example, it is disturbing for them if the dining room is crowded, if there is a lot of noise, if the meal time is short, or if they do not feel the attitude of the serving staff and the teachers is supportive. Most parents consider the lunch offered in public catering to be healthy and varied, and the majority of students are also satisfied with it. Students typically tell their teachers or parents if they have a problem with school meals. There is no well-established system for dealing with complaints related to public catering. Our research has highlighted that, it may be worth taking into account the problems children have expressed about the eating circumstances, which could be improved to increase the acceptability of public catering.