School Meals as Climate Policy: “As Long as It Tastes Good”
Doktorsavhandling, 2026
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food consumption requires dietary changes, yet policies supporting such changes remain limited. Nevertheless, measures to reduce the carbon footprint of school meals are being implemented in several countries. This thesis examines the potential of school meals to foster low-carbon food consumption, within and beyond school, focusing on policy outcomes, policy conditions and policy design.
Two of the four papers draw on a controlled intervention in six Swedish schools, four of which introduced dishes with less red meat and other high-emission ingredients (low-carbon recipes). One analyses effects on food taken, plate waste and meal satisfaction; the other examines students’ perceptions of low-carbon recipes and of all-vegetarian days. The remaining two draw on a survey of public acceptability of such measures in France, Poland and Sweden, and interviews on the design of school meal climate policies with officials responsible for school meals in Swedish municipalities.
In the intervention, low-carbon recipes reduced the carbon footprint of the menu by 20% without significant negative effects on these outcomes. Although students recognised that red meat has a higher carbon footprint than vegetarian food, they described their food choices as guided primarily by taste, satiety and familiarity, and expressed slightly stronger support for low-carbon recipes than for all-vegetarian days. Public support for such measures was around neutral: significantly higher than for a tax on high-emission foods, but lower than for subsidies and labelling. Municipal strategies primarily sought to reduce emissions by changing meal composition and presentation. Their main potential beyond school therefore appears to lie in repeated exposure to low-carbon meals, which may build familiarity, habits and norms.
Overall, the thesis shows that school meal climate policies can reduce the carbon footprint of public meals without significantly undermining student acceptance, particularly when changes fit students’ expectations of an acceptable meal. The findings raise questions about how quickly and visibly changes should be introduced, and whether targets should consider consumption outside school. School meals may contribute to wider shifts towards low-carbon food consumption alongside other policies, but how school meal climate policies can best be designed for this remains to be examined.
Two of the four papers draw on a controlled intervention in six Swedish schools, four of which introduced dishes with less red meat and other high-emission ingredients (low-carbon recipes). One analyses effects on food taken, plate waste and meal satisfaction; the other examines students’ perceptions of low-carbon recipes and of all-vegetarian days. The remaining two draw on a survey of public acceptability of such measures in France, Poland and Sweden, and interviews on the design of school meal climate policies with officials responsible for school meals in Swedish municipalities.
In the intervention, low-carbon recipes reduced the carbon footprint of the menu by 20% without significant negative effects on these outcomes. Although students recognised that red meat has a higher carbon footprint than vegetarian food, they described their food choices as guided primarily by taste, satiety and familiarity, and expressed slightly stronger support for low-carbon recipes than for all-vegetarian days. Public support for such measures was around neutral: significantly higher than for a tax on high-emission foods, but lower than for subsidies and labelling. Municipal strategies primarily sought to reduce emissions by changing meal composition and presentation. Their main potential beyond school therefore appears to lie in repeated exposure to low-carbon meals, which may build familiarity, habits and norms.
Overall, the thesis shows that school meal climate policies can reduce the carbon footprint of public meals without significantly undermining student acceptance, particularly when changes fit students’ expectations of an acceptable meal. The findings raise questions about how quickly and visibly changes should be introduced, and whether targets should consider consumption outside school. School meals may contribute to wider shifts towards low-carbon food consumption alongside other policies, but how school meal climate policies can best be designed for this remains to be examined.
school meal climate policies
policy design
student acceptance
public acceptability
low-carbon food consumption
food policy
dietary change
school meals
Författare
Erik André
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Fysisk resursteori
André, E., Ejelöv, E., & Larsson, J. Public acceptability of school meal climate policies: Findings from a survey in France, Poland and Sweden
André, E., & Larsson, J. Exploring the potential of climate strategies for school meals to promote low-carbon food consumption
“As long as it tastes good”: Students’ perceptions of climate-friendly school meals in a mixed-methods study
Appetite,;Vol. 228(2027)
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift
Acceptance of Low-Carbon School Meals with and without Information—A Controlled Intervention Study
Journal of Consumer Policy,;Vol. 47(2024)p. 109-125
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift
Mat står för ungefär en fjärdedel till en tredjedel av de globala växthusgasutsläppen. För att minska dem behöver vi äta mer växtbaserat och mindre animaliska livsmedel med högt klimatavtryck. Styrmedel för detta är ovanliga, men inom skolmåltider införs sådana åtgärder i flera länder.
Avhandlingen undersöker hur skolmåltider kan bidra till matkonsumtion med lägre klimatavtryck, i och utanför skolan. Svenska kommuner som kommit långt arbetar främst med vad som serveras och hur: ändrade recept, helvegetariska dagar, vegetariska alternativ varje dag och placering som gör växtbaserat lättare att välja. I ett försök med sex skolor minskade ändrade recept klimatavtrycket med 20 procent, utan säkerställda förändringar i hur mycket eleverna åt eller hur nöjda de var. Eleverna gav något starkare stöd för ändrade recept än för helvegetariska dagar. De visste i regel att rött kött har högt klimatavtryck, men deras matval styrdes främst av smak, mättnad och vad de kände igen. Allmänhetens stöd för dessa åtgärder i Frankrike, Polen och Sverige var ungefär neutralt, men högre än för en skatt på livsmedel med höga utsläpp.
Resultaten visar att det går att minska utsläppen från maten i skolan. Skolmåltider skulle också kunna bidra till matvanor med lägre klimatavtryck utanför skolan, men det behöver undersökas närmare. Sammantaget tyder detta på att skolmåltider kan spela en roll i en kombination av styrmedel för matkonsumtion med lägre klimatavtryck.
Avhandlingen undersöker hur skolmåltider kan bidra till matkonsumtion med lägre klimatavtryck, i och utanför skolan. Svenska kommuner som kommit långt arbetar främst med vad som serveras och hur: ändrade recept, helvegetariska dagar, vegetariska alternativ varje dag och placering som gör växtbaserat lättare att välja. I ett försök med sex skolor minskade ändrade recept klimatavtrycket med 20 procent, utan säkerställda förändringar i hur mycket eleverna åt eller hur nöjda de var. Eleverna gav något starkare stöd för ändrade recept än för helvegetariska dagar. De visste i regel att rött kött har högt klimatavtryck, men deras matval styrdes främst av smak, mättnad och vad de kände igen. Allmänhetens stöd för dessa åtgärder i Frankrike, Polen och Sverige var ungefär neutralt, men högre än för en skatt på livsmedel med höga utsläpp.
Resultaten visar att det går att minska utsläppen från maten i skolan. Skolmåltider skulle också kunna bidra till matvanor med lägre klimatavtryck utanför skolan, men det behöver undersökas närmare. Sammantaget tyder detta på att skolmåltider kan spela en roll i en kombination av styrmedel för matkonsumtion med lägre klimatavtryck.
Food accounts for roughly one-quarter to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing them requires eating more plant-based food and fewer animal-based foods with a high carbon footprint. Policies targeting this remain rare, but several countries are already introducing such measures in school meals.
This thesis examines how school meals can contribute to low-carbon food consumption, within and beyond school. Swedish municipalities that have made progress mainly work with what is served and how: modified recipes, all-vegetarian days, a vegetarian option every day and placement that makes plant-based dishes easier to choose. In a trial with six schools, modified recipes reduced the carbon footprint by 20%, with no detectable changes in how much students ate or how satisfied they were. Students expressed slightly stronger support for modified recipes than for all-vegetarian days. They generally knew that red meat has a high carbon footprint, but their food choices were guided mainly by taste, satiety and familiarity. Public support for these measures in France, Poland and Sweden was around neutral, but higher than for a tax on high-emission foods.
The results show that emissions from school food can be reduced. School meals could also contribute to low-carbon eating habits outside school, but this needs further study. Taken together, this suggests that school meals can be one part of a broader mix of policies supporting low-carbon food consumption.
This thesis examines how school meals can contribute to low-carbon food consumption, within and beyond school. Swedish municipalities that have made progress mainly work with what is served and how: modified recipes, all-vegetarian days, a vegetarian option every day and placement that makes plant-based dishes easier to choose. In a trial with six schools, modified recipes reduced the carbon footprint by 20%, with no detectable changes in how much students ate or how satisfied they were. Students expressed slightly stronger support for modified recipes than for all-vegetarian days. They generally knew that red meat has a high carbon footprint, but their food choices were guided mainly by taste, satiety and familiarity. Public support for these measures in France, Poland and Sweden was around neutral, but higher than for a tax on high-emission foods.
The results show that emissions from school food can be reduced. School meals could also contribute to low-carbon eating habits outside school, but this needs further study. Taken together, this suggests that school meals can be one part of a broader mix of policies supporting low-carbon food consumption.
Mistra Sustainable Consumption
Mistra Urban Futures (123), 2022-01-01 -- 2025-12-31.
Drivkrafter
Hållbar utveckling
Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)
Miljövetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap
DOI
10.63959/chalmers.dt/5978
ISBN
978-91-8103-521-6
Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers tekniska högskola. Ny serie: 5978
Utgivare
Chalmers
Lecture Hall EE, EDIT Building, Hörsalsvägen 11, Chalmers Campus Johanneberg, Gothenburg
Opponent: Associate Professor Rachel Pechey, University of Oxford, UK