1. Theorising sustainable school meals and food education provision in primary schools in England : a realist study
- Author
-
Sabet, F., Harrison, Neil, Norwich, Brahm, and Dillon, Justin
- Abstract
Driven by the compounded challenges of childhood obesity, childhood food poverty and climate change, this doctoral study theorises sustainable school food and develops a framework showing what works, for whom, how and in what contexts. 'Sustainable school food' is the term used to refer to school meals and food education practices which promote human, and environmental health. I follow an interdisciplinary theoretical framework based on the planetary health model which integrates human and environmental health. Informed by Dewey's experiential learning philosophy to education, I follow an integrative approach to school meals and food education practices in schools. Adopting a sequential realist design, I co-designed, and evaluated a sustainable school menu intervention enhanced by a food education content for 6 weeks with three schools with different demographics and catering models in England. Following a critical literature review, data were collected using a mixed methods approach in two studies. The aim of Study 1 was to develop initial programme theories through practice-embedded stakeholder input, whereas Study 2 was the realist evaluation. During Study 1, I collected and analysed data from a web-based survey to 8 primary schools, semi structured interviews with 15 key informants, and in person observations in 3 schools. Data in Study 2 were collected using observations, individual and group interviews with multiple programme experts, pupil surveys as well as documents review including menus, recipes, wholesale price lists, records of meals uptake and collected weight of plate waste over three weeks before and halfway two weeks after the start of the intervention. Three initial programme theories representing foundational principles for sustainable school meals were gleaned from the literature and further refined after Study 1: reversion to scratch cooking, prioritising sustainable school food procurement by sourcing local, seasonal, and agroecologically produced ingredients, and reducing meat while increasing plant-based meals in the menus. Findings from Study 1 suggested local producers were marginalised, and catering staff disempowered by the over-reliance on ultra-processed and pre-packaged foods from a small number of large wholesale corporations. Study 2 findings support the urgent need for contextualised food education, which is experiential, authentic, and relevant and came up as a core mechanism in supporting pupils' acceptability of the adapted meals. Multiple level school food partnerships linking the kitchen to the school and the school to the community in which it is embedded emerged as an integral programme component for sustainable school food. Food education was found to be most transformational for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, where pupils have limited access to diverse food experiences outside school context. The adapted meals across cases were financially and environmentally less expensive with an average of 13% reduction in costs and 44% reduction in CO2, thanks to reducing and substituting some of the meat content with legumes and fresh vegetables. All adapted menus were compliant with the School Food Standards. The proposition of multiple-level sustainable school food partnerships, supported by ethical leadership, is at the heart of this thesis and its findings. Evidence indicated that ethical leadership in schools creates a conducive microstructure for a school food partnership model of positive synergies to emerge. As small local producers secured a share in the school food market, schools served more local and organic produce in meals and gained access to farm visits to enhance pupils' food experiences. These findings have significant implications on public food procurement in the UK where schools, caterers, and local food producers can collaborate to mobilise a dynamic school food procurement system to improve health and sustainability standards of school food. Findings from both studies highlight the need for an integrative approach to school food. Enhancing sustainable meal provision with contextualised food education is particularly urgent for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds where sustainable school food can promote health equalities while minimising the impacts of climate change through an environmentally sensitive school food system. An operational and conceptual framework is proposed to guide sustainable school food programmes in primary education in England. Implications for practice and policy and future directions for research based on cross sectoral, and transdisciplinary approaches are recommended.
- Published
- 2023