Yle seeks families requesting non-medical school meal diets

Yle is seeking families to interview about requests for individual school meal diets that have no medically diagnosed basis.

The number of such requests has increased in school catering, with the trend noted in Jyväskylä, Espoo and Seinäjoki, as well as elsewhere in South Ostrobothnia, Yle reports.

Non-medical diets are individual food requests that are not based on an illness or need identified by a health professional. Examples include sugar-free food, unprocessed food or organic food.

Schools generally require a certificate from a doctor or a licensed dietitian to provide a special diet. Examples of medically justified diets include those related to diabetes, coeliac disease or safe foods.

Yle is asking families to describe what kind of diet they requested for their child or teenager, why they requested it and what happened afterwards. The story will be published online and covered on radio and television.

Only the journalists working on the story will handle the responses. Yle says it will not share the information with outsiders or publish identifying details without separate permission. A journalist may contact respondents with additional questions.