Hello, Stockholm!

In Sweden, school meals are free for all students

By Ed Bruske

aka The Slow Cook

As this goes to press, I should be landing in Stockholm. At the invitation of the Swedish government, I am attending a two-conference on how the Swedes feed their kids in school.

What I've gleaned so far is that Sweden is virtually alone among developed countries in providing free meals to all students. The kids serve themselves, so there are no "reimbursable meal" requirements, apparently, like the ones set forth here in the States by the USDA. Also, no book-size regulations describing precise nutrition requirements. In Sweden, school meals must merely be "nutritious"--at least that's my understanding so far.

The reason for this particular post is to request intel from anyone who may have children in Swedish schools--or had children in school there at one time, or was a student recently in a Swedish school. Please let me know what your experiences were with the food. Or perhaps you know someone who fits this description and can pass along my message.

You can e-mail me at euclidarms(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I hope to have a complete report sometime after I return.