The world is facing a number of challenges related to food consumption. These are, on the one hand, health effects and, on the other hand, the environmental impact of food production. Radical changes are needed to achieve a sustainable and healthy food production and consumption. Public and institutional meals play a vital role in promoting health and sustainability, since they are responsible for a significant part of food consumption, as well as their “normative influence” on peoples’ food habits. The aim of this paper is to provide an explorative review of the scientific literature, focusing on European research including both concepts of health and sustainability in studies of public meals. Of >3000 papers, 20 were found to satisfy these criteria and were thus included in the review. The results showed that schools and hospitals are the most dominant arenas where both health and sustainability have been addressed. Three different approaches in combining health and sustainability have been found, these are: “Health as embracing sustainability”, “Sustainability as embracing health” and “Health and sustainability as separate concepts”. However, a clear motivation for addressing both health and sustainability is most often missing

Background: There is a need for research both in relation to food education at preschools and in relation to how the individual teacher can handle and relate to the many different scientific facts and paradigms that are prevalent in relation to food, health, and a sustainable lifestyle.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and meanings that preschool teachers associate with involving food as a tool for learning in planned educational activities.

Design: An exploratory study was conducted in 14 preschools with 131 teachers. Twenty semi-structured individual or group interviews with 45 preschool staff were conducted, and 10 interviews were selected for analysis.

Results: According to participants, both children and teachers developed a sensory language; children became more positive towards tasting and teachers discovered new possibilities for interdisciplinary work. However, the results also show that an allowing system, with both an interested and confident teacher who recognises the competent child and a supportive organisation, is needed in order to make food a meaningful tool for learning in preschool.

Discussion: According to previous studies, food has the potential to play an important part in everyday activities at preschool, both in planned educational activities as well as at meal situations. Our results imply that a holistic understanding of food in preschool is required for long-term work with food as a natural part of the everyday activities.

Conclusion: The results imply that it is fun and meaningful for both children and teachers, and quite possible, to work with food as a tool for learning in everyday activities at preschool. In order to include food as a way to work with the preschool curriculum for a sustainable lifestyle, an allowing system is needed.

Introduction: Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and other bioactive substances, which are important for intellectual performance. In a previous study it was shown that approximately two third of the pupils were hungry the last lesson before lunch. The average fruit and vegetable intake at lunch was much lower than the recommendations.

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate effect on attention and school performance of a vegetable smoothie, rich in berries, fruits and vegetables, served at the mid-morning brake.

Method / Design: In total 250 Swedish children aged 10-12 years participated. The study was designed as a cross-over trial with two study periods of ten schooldays. The children were randomly divided into two groups and were administered either an active smoothie (smoothie 1; group A) or a fruit-based placebo with the same energy content (smoothie 2; group B). Both smoothies were designed to provide 5% of the daily energy. After a three week wash-out period, group A was administered smoothie 2 and group B, smoothie 1. Statistical tests were performed using SPSS package, version 22.0, using Independent-Samples T test. Analysis included processing speed (PTO), concentration performance (CP) and percentages of error (Ep) as assessed by the D2-test

Results: Preliminary analyses indicate that PTO and CP increased during the intervention period, whilst Ep decreased, for both groups. The effect was stronger in the group drinking the active smoothie, than in the group drinking the placebo. The effect might partly be caused by the addition of water and energy

Conclusions: Attention, and thereby also school performance, may be improved by mid-morning consumption of a smoothie containing water, energy and preferably nutrients and other bioactive substances.

The meal concept is used in varying contexts, and within several scientific fields, however often without a clear definition of what it includes. The meal has been identified as a subject in multiple research areas such as nutrition, medicine, sensory science, history, design product development, food service, biology, physiology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, marketing and so forth 1. A meal may be defined and identified by the time of the day, by its energy content and how the food is combined as well as by its social interactions, implying that it may be understood in relation to the food itself as well as to the social and cultural context 2. The meal has also been discussed in relation to the concept of “snacks”, where a meal has been defined as a “structured food event”, while “snacks” represent “unstructured food events”3 . Some attempts have been made in order to define the meal and also to present a more holistic model of what it includes. One way of defining the meal is by using certain cues related to food as well as the environment 4. Another example is the Five Aspects Meal Model (FAMM) which was developed as a model in the early 2000s 5, with the ambition to capture an entirety of the meal by including the room, the meeting, the product, the logistics and the atmosphere in defining and understanding a meal. Although there have been many attempts trying to find a general and precise definition, the complexity makes it difficult, and maybe impossible, to capture the meal concept in a single definition 6. Different disciplines focus on various aspects, which may complicate a common understanding 7,8,9.

It has been stated that meals are only one form of eating 10, and that the meal alone does not capture the diversity of todays’ eating. Still, it is recurrently used as a point of reference and as a norm for discussions concerning food and eating. The meal concept is however in constant change and must be understood in relation to societal patterns and norms, how we organize our eating and what role food plays as a social and cultural glue 2, but also in relation to our perception of health, sustainability, convenience and so forth. Other concepts, such as “eating episodes” 11,12, “eating occasions” see f ex. 13 and “eating events” 14 have also been used as attempts to illuminate the complexity of food habits. Nonetheless, the meal is still universally used and recurrent in various research works, and therefore it is of importance to investigate how the concept is actually used and understood in the different areas related to food- and meal science, an interdisciplinary field studying food and meals within Food science, Nutrition and health, and Food culture and communication.

Food and Meal Science is an interdisciplinary research and education field at Kristianstad University with a vision to create a sustainable and healthy society. Here gastronomists (BSc in Food and Meal Science) and teachers in home and consumer studies (MSc in Subject Education) are educated. The field include the areas “Nutrition and Health”, “Food Science” and “Food Culture and Communication”. The BSC-programme comprise science, craftsmanship and creativity. Theory is turned into practice through laborative exercises and working life placements. In 2014, the programme was evaluated to be of “Very high quality” by the Swedish educational authority. Approximately 25 gastronomists graduate yearly and find work opportunities within industry, eg innovations and product development and within the public meal sector.Currently, efforts are made to develop a Masters degree programme for students interested in higher education. The research group MEAL was founded 2013. One of the aims is to reach a holistic understanding of food and meals. Research projects include sensory, consumer and nutritional aspects in relation to age, culture and health. Food habits and behavior are of interest as well as sociological aspects. Further key concepts, such as “cooking” and “meal“, are explored from different angles of the field. The research is a key factor in the academisation of the field and will lay a stable ground for education at MSc-level. Food and meal science has a great opportunity to combine and use aspects from the different areas in order to form a holistic understanding within research and education.