Perceptions and Memories of the Free School Meal in Sweden

Abstract

The aim of the present article was to gain a deeper understanding of the free school meal as an embedded phenomenon in the Swedish culture. This was achieved by studying perceptions and memories of the Swedish school meal. One hundred and ninety-two informants took part in the study by responding to an ethnological questionnaire. The results showed that the school meal was seen as a second-class meal with regard to the staff, environment and to some extent the food. The school meal was also seen as part of the Swedish welfare state, as it represents universal and equal social benefits for everyone. One interpretation of this is that the informants liked the idea of having a free public school meal, but that the meal does not live up to their expectations, that is, a meal with the same values as one served at home.

Keywords:

• school meal
• ethnological questionnaire
• social constructionism