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Health & Nutrition - Free for all

What lessons can the UK learn from Finland, which has an established tradition of providing high-quality free school meals to all pupils? Meredith Jones Russell reports
Finland recognises the positive social impact of its policy
Finland recognises the positive social impact of its policy

After Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford brought free school meals to the top of the social and political agenda during the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for children to have a high-quality, nutritious and healthy lunch every day was highlighted across the UK. But in Finland, the importance of free meal provision has been widely accepted for decades.

Finland is believed to have been the first country in the world to serve free school meals when the policy was introduced in 1943, and to this day, its Government provides free meals to all school pupils aged from six to 18.

PRINCIPLES OF EQUALITY

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