School Meals Policy: The Problem with Governing Children

This paper seeks to explore the role of school meals policy in the UK, and more particularly its articulation in England. It will outline the history of this policy and examine a number of changes that have taken place over time. The focus will be on nutrition and how the emphasis has shifted from issues of quantity to the composition of food eaten by children. The nutritional argument will be examined by exploring the changes in the governance of the population, as represented by school meals policy. Finally, the paper will address the awkward relationship between the state and children, as evinced by school meals policies.