Category | Strategy | Adolescent views (appeal) | Staff views (feasibility) |
---|---|---|---|
Availability | Wider choice of salads/vegetable dishes | Adolescents value choice | Report high demand for wide choice Some cynicism about pupils purchasing salads Concern about increased food waste |
Ban on sales of unhealthy snacks and drinks within school canteen | Removes choice/autonomy (viewed negatively) Belief that teens need sugary foods for energy boost Pupils would purchase banned foods elsewhere | Easily implemented in canteen However, pupils would purchase banned foods elsewhere | |
Position | Unhealthy snacks placed behind till, available upon request only | Viewed as likely to be effective because ‘Out of sight, is out of mind’ | Viewed as likely to be effective since pupils prioritise speed Concerns about lack of space behind tills Potential consequence is increased desirability of hidden food items |
Fridge reorganisation (healthier drinks more prominent) | Viewed as likely to be effective because ‘Out of sight, is out of mind’ | Already in place to some extent so easy to implement | |
Functionality | Colour coded serving utensils (to indicate whether to have large or small amounts of each dish depending on calorie content) | Viewed as helpful and instructive However, would slow service down | Low cost to implement However, would slow service down |
Express/self-service till for healthy food items only | Viewed as likely to be effective as adolescents value speed Concerns about behavioural issues (i.e. theft) | High initial cost outlay for infrastructural changes Expect high levels of pupil buy-in as suits their desire for speed Concerns about behavioural issues (i.e. theft) Concerns about high volume of customers removing the ‘express’ nature of the strategy Requires a large amount of space | |
Pre-ordering of lunchtime meal | Viewed negatively as removes opportunity for spontaneity However, adolescents believed it allows for more considered/rational choices | Resource-intensive for catering staff to implement High start-up costs for pre-order electronic system Volume of customers too high to be practical in secondary school setting | |
‘Cash for cookies’ (treat foods cannot be purchased using pre-paid cardsa) | Viewed as fundamentally unfair to specific groups of pupils e.g. children from low income families Adolescents expect this would encourage unhealthy purchases as cash purchases are unmonitored by parents (as opposed to cashless systems) Adolescents had concerns about carrying cash (i.e. theft) | Administrative cost in re-introducing cash-based system too high Would lead to a loss of valuable data about purchases via the cashless system | |
Presentation | Pre-chopped fruits and vegetables | Viewed as visually appealing and on-trend | Viewed as an economical use of left-over produce |
Salad toppings station | Viewed positively as adolescents value choice Concerns about behavioural issues (i.e. mess) | Expect high levels of pupil buy-in Some cynicism about pupils purchasing salads Concerns about a high volume of pupils using it | |
Dining room decoration to improve ambience | Would create a more visually appealing environment for eating | Requires only an initial cost outlay, so relatively inexpensive to implement | |
Café style set-up (food service) to improve presentation/appeal of food purchasing environment | Appealing aesthetic, creates an inviting purchasing environment Concerns over behavioural issues if foods were presented so openly (i.e. theft) | Viewed as appealing to young people Viewed positively as mimics out-of-school environment Concerns over behavioural issues if foods were presented so openly (i.e. theft) | |
Guided floor markings e.g. footprints to healthy food/drink items | Viewed as fun However, dining room too crowded so wouldn’t be visible | Dining room too crowded so wouldn’t be visible Viewed as more appropriate for primary school children | |
Size | Smaller plates (to make portion sizes appear larger) | Concerned about hunger due to smaller portion sizes Viewed as too manipulative | Low cost so inexpensive to implement Concerned about student resistance as pupils would not want smaller portion sizes |
Information | Simple traffic light label scheme | Adolescents value the opportunity for more informed decision-making However, adolescents prioritise taste | Scheme would need to be supported by education/curriculum learning Concerns about maintaining an accurate database of nutritional information for all dishes |
Promotional posters to encourage healthy eating | Adolescents value the opportunity for more informed decision-making Adolescents expect reduced impact/visibility over time | Low cost so inexpensive to implement | |
Pupil taste tests of new healthy dishes | ‘Try before you buy’ approach viewed as reducing risk of wasting money on disliked dishes Provides greater autonomy to adolescents to make informed choice based on taste preference | Viewed as appealing to pupils Easy to organise | |
Nutritional information available on mobile app (e.g. nutritional content of dishes at point of purchase; and/or post-purchase individualised report of nutritional intake) | Viewed as increasing autonomy through self-monitoring of purchases However, adolescents critical of the potential additional screen time required Adolescents reported potential for negative peer-peer competitive consumption as an unintended consequence | Would work well within existing cashless payment system (has this functionality) Expect high levels of parent buy-in Mixed views on expected levels of pupil buy-in | |
Social media promotion of healthy dishes | Disliked the potential for dishonest visual representations of dishes | Reluctance to open up food provision to pupils’ feedback over online platform (potential for abuse) Concerns about increasing pupils’ social media use | |
Verbal prompt from lunch staff to add fruits/vegetables | Adolescents felt this added unnecessary pressure to select certain items, which may not be eaten/wasted | Considered easy to implement as can be built into normal conversations with pupils with no additional resources required |