Almost all children have lunch at school
Most children stay at school during the afternoon break. 92% of parents indicate that their child has lunch at school. Just over half of parents (56%) are satisfied with how the school organizes this. In contrast, one-fifth of parents (20%) are dissatisfied with it.
Fifteen minutes for lunch is too short
For half of the parents (51%), their child has only fifteen minutes to eat lunch. That is not always enough. Nearly a quarter of parents (24%) feel that lunchtime is too short. Their child regularly comes home with a lunchbox that is still full.
Healthy lunch rules
Just over half of parents (52%) believe that schools should introduce rules for healthy food. And a quarter of parents disagree. When it comes to responsibility, 42% believe that healthy food is the school's responsibility.
Organization of healthy school lunches
In countries such as Sweden, Finland and France, it is common for schools to organize healthy school lunches. Dutch parents are divided on whether schools should be responsible for organizing this. 44% of parents support this, while 38% disagree. If the school day were to become longer as a result of providing lunch, 53% of parents would have no objection.
Participation in decision-making
If the school were to organize lunch, 82% of parents would be willing to contribute financially. Some parents do point out that if they pay, they also want to have a say in what the school lunch looks like.
About the study
A total of 911 parents with children in primary school took part in the study. The results provide an indication of parents' views on healthy school lunches at school.
Read the research report on healthy school lunches here.