Policy Histories Seminar: The History of the UK School Meals Service

This Policy Histories seminar showcased findings from the ESRC-funded project The UK School Meals Service: Past, Present and Future? — the first comprehensive historical study of school meals across the nations of the UK. Since its creation in 1906, the School Meals Service has delivered more than 54 billion meals, evolving in step with wider political, social, and economic shifts. This research demonstrates that school meals are not only about nutrition: they are also sites of care, inequality, memory, and belonging, reflecting how society understands and values childhood itself.