The privatisation of risk in school meals policies

Abstract

School meals were first introduced in the UK in 1906. The remit and rationale for such policies have changed much over time and serve to illustrate shifts in approaches to the management of risk and the understanding of childhood. Initially, small numbers of children were affected, while in the middle of the 20th century collective provision meant the majority of school children consumed school dinners. This gave way to an emphasis on individual choice followed by the introduction of nutritional guidelines. Throughout that century, the responsibility for risk management altered from being a prominent feature of state protection of its citizens to the individualisation of risk. Children provide a special case with regard to such individualisation of risk. They are given a voice in contemporary society they have previously lacked. Yet there are difficulties in adult society viewing children as individual risk managers, as they are seen as posing a challenge in several respects. Firstly, in terms of posing a risk to their present and future health through the foods they choose to eat, secondly, the manner and contexts in which they consume these foods may offend civilised society as do their increasingly obese bodies. Children's risk management is therefore regulated from an adult perspective.

Keywords:

• children
• nutrition
• risk
• choice
• control

Notes

This refers to policies in England and Wales although the most recent policy covers England alone.