Students are eating more portions at school lunch than before, and the need is great every day of the week - not just before and after weekends. This is reported by school meal staff around the country.
"More food is being consumed overall. Many children do not have the opportunity to eat their fill at home," says Ylva Odenbring, professor of education at the University of Gothenburg, in a press release.
Around 13 percent of Sweden's children live in economic vulnerability, and are therefore extra vulnerable during the holidays when school lunches are unavailable. In the study, Odenbring shows how the same need for school meals that existed when the reform was introduced in 1946 still exists today.
"School lunch is based on a democratic principle: that children should have equal opportunities to participate in education. We must protect that tradition, especially when the gaps are widening," she says.
