Students or consumers? Commensality practices in elementary schools in Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the consumption and social interactions during meals in which children who attend school cafeterias participate in Gran Mendoza, Argentina, and to identify how public and private food management models encourage healthy eating practices. Methodology: Exploratory, qualitative study. Non-participant observation techniques were applied in an intentional sample of three cafeterias attended by children of different socioeconomic status and semi-structured interviews with 12 informants were carried out between 2017 and 2018. Results: The material for cooking, distributing and consuming food are deficient in the cafeterias of public schools unlike in private schools where the service is provided by a company, they try to provide food of nutritional value. The preferences of children, regardless their socioeconomic level, show a limited repertoire which favor dishes based on flour, rice, and beef. Those responsible for preparing and serving food in public cafeterias play a key role in the incorporation of unusual foods such as certain vegetables. In private cafeterias teacher monitors limit themselves to control the discipline during meals. Conclusion: Although this issue competes with other priorities of the school, cafeterias in public schools have a higher potential to promote healthy food choices than private school cafeterias since, in spite of having better material conditions to accompany the children and to offer them products of nutritional quality, they are subject to a commercial logic.