South Ostrobothnia moves to standardise special school meal requests

South Ostrobothnia is preparing a common model for handling pupils’ special meal requests as parents increasingly ask schools to provide foods such as macaroni and ketchup without health-based grounds, Yle reports.

The number of individual dietary requests unrelated to health has grown in school catering. Requests commonly include macaroni and ketchup, French fries, sausages and meatballs. Sugar-free meals, food without white grain, organic products and plant-based drinks are also among the requests.

Marjaana Manninen, a senior education adviser at the Finnish National Agency for Education, said schools are generally facing demands for more individualised meals, including domestic and locally sourced food, handmade products and responsible choices. She said there are no statistics on the trend, but that it has been observed in Jyväskylä, Espoo and South Ostrobothnia.

Financial and nutritional considerations, as well as the need to ensure equal treatment for all pupils, limit schools’ ability to provide non-health-based diets.

“School catering can listen to pupils’ wishes, but it cannot operate like a restaurant where everyone is given a personal menu,” Manninen said.

Health-based special diets, including those required because of serious food allergies, diabetes, coeliac disease or significant eating difficulties, generally require a certificate from a doctor or a licensed dietitian.

In Seinäjoki, ethical or religious diets, such as meals without pork, can be requested through a notification. A vegetarian option is available to everyone daily.

Food services seek common guidance

The South Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county is developing a common operating model so that pupils’ meal-related needs and requests are handled consistently in all municipalities in the region.

The model is being developed jointly by public food services, education authorities, school health care and different therapy services within the wellbeing services county’s rehabilitation services.

Training for school nurses on the issue is expected to begin this autumn. The project was proposed by food services, said Maarit Annala, head of food and cleaning services in Seinäjoki.

“We have many municipalities, and everyone is struggling to work out how to proceed. We are looking for a common approach so that municipalities act in the same way. At the moment, practices vary widely,” Annala said.

Annala described the model as a pilot and said there was no similar arrangement elsewhere.

Pilot focuses on safe food

The South Ostrobothnia pilot focuses particularly on “safe food”, a health-care-approved special diet for children with significant eating difficulties.

Safe food may be provided to children with sensory sensitivities, neurodevelopmental traits or severe anxiety related to eating. It can be a main ingredient, side dish or drink that the child can consume without excessive strain.

The diet requires an assessment by a health-care professional and cooperation between the child’s home, school and food services. Other parts of the meal are used to supplement the food the child can manage so that the meal is as nutritionally adequate as possible.

Safe food is always a temporary solution. The decision may be made for a few months at a time, with the situation reviewed regularly.