A new United Kingdom-wide study – led by the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty award holders Dr. Sara Long and Dr. Kelly Morgan – is set to transform our understanding of school meals and their role for children’s health.
Why School Meals Matter: Rising Health Concerns Across Europe
Currently in the UK, many families struggle to access healthy food due to the rising cost of living, limited availability of fresh and/or affordable products, and the dominance of fast food options in their neighbourhoods. Less nutritious choices are often cheaper, and more heavily marketed, leaving children in some areas particularly vulnerable to poor diets. The UK has one of the worst obesity rates in Europe, with approximately 11.4% of children aged 5-19 suffering from obesity and almost 19% being overweight.
School meals can play a pivotal role in addressing this issue, ensuring that all children have access to a balanced, nutritious diet during the school day.
Free School Meals in the UK: A Patchwork of Provision
While the UK has introduced Universal Free School Meals (UFSM), ensuring all children can access a school meal regardless of their family’s financial situation, the extent of provision varies significantly across the four nations. England’s rollout remains inconsistent, differing from region to region, while Scotland extends the entitlement to children up to year 5 of primary school, with some local authorities going a step further. Wales has taken the most comprehensive approach, becoming the first UK nation to guarantee free school meals to every child of primary school age making it a natural focus for the RISE project.
About the RISE Project
The three-year (2025-2028) project , funded with £1.6 million, is titled “Reducing Inequalities in School Food Environments (RISE): Supporting Provision, Uptake and Consumption of Free School Meals in Primary Schools”. It is a research-focused initiative, which seeks to examine how school meals are provided and consumed across primary schools, and how school meal programmes could be improved to better serve children’s health and wellbeing.
Spanning all four UK countries, the study will examine how school meals are delivered in practice, with particular attention to how Wales’s pioneering policy is being implemented and what impact it is having. Cardiff University researchers will partner with Welsh local authorities to analyse the nutritional content of school menus and track what children are actually consuming, while interviews with school staff, parents and pupils, alongside annual surveys, will shed light on broader trends in school food provision and uptake.
Voices Behind the Research: Meet the Team
Both principal researchers expressed enthusiasm for the project. Dr. Sara Long said:
“The RISE project provides a unique opportunity to explore the school meal provision across the UK, so that lessons can be learned about how children and young people can be given the best foundations for healthy and happy lives.”
Dr. Kelly Morgan added:
“We’ll be working closely with schools, local authorities and families to understand not just what’s on the menu but what children are actually eating and why.”
Professor Monica Busse, Director of Health and Care Research Wales Faculty, welcomed the initiative:
“It’s fantastic to see Faculty award holders like Dr. Sara Long and Dr. Kelly Morgan leading such an important UK-wide study. The Faculty is committed to offering comprehensive support to researchers at all stages so they can make meaningful progress in advancing their research careers just like Dr. Long and Dr. Morgan.”
Looking Ahead: Research in Service of Every Child
The study’s findings are expected to shape future school food policy and practice, with the ultimate goal of ensuring every child has access to nutritious meals that support their health, development and learning.
At SchoolFood4Change, we welcome the growing recognition of school meals as a vital social tool. It is encouraging to see more research and initiatives dedicated to reviewing and improving school meal programmes, all working toward our shared goal: ensuring every child has access to the nourishing meals they need to flourish.
