Policy options to increase the provision of Free School Meals (FSMs) in England: a qualitative exploration of the challenges of policy implementation through stakeholder interviews

Objective: Rising levels of household food insecurity in England, and associated health and well-being impacts for children, have led to calls to expand access to free school meals (FSM). Policymakers have been hesitant to extend provision of FSM due to concerns surrounding acceptability, affordability and implementation challenges. The most effective strategies for expanding FSM are not yet fully understood. This work aims to fill this gap by examining school meal policy from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, to provide actionable recommendations for policies that could expand school meal provision.

Design: A qualitative interview study design was used. The data were analysed using the Framework Method, underpinned by the Context and Implementation of Complex Interventions (CICI) framework. Themes were categorised into context-related and implementation-related factors. Detailed recommendations were discussed at the macro, meso and micro levels of the school food system.

Setting: The study was conducted in England, UK.

Participants: Seventeen stakeholders represented the views of local, regional and national government, policy, academia and schools.

Results: Stakeholders indicated that policies should prioritise stigma reduction and integrate expansion of school meals with existing school policies where possible, including the monitoring of school food standards and ensuring maintenance of school food quality. Stakeholders also suggested improvement to the administrative process and communication with families and recommended a joined-up approach linking interventions with common goals across the whole food system.

Conclusions: Crucially, sufficient financial support is essential for successful implementation.