Breakfast and Beyond: The Dietary, Social and Practical Impacts of a Universal Free School Breakfast Scheme in the North West of England, UK

Breakfast is widely recognized as the most important meal of the day due to the numerous benefits associated with breakfast consumption including healthy weight maintenance and greater nutrient intake. In an effort to promote healthy breakfast habits, many schools provide breakfast to children before the start of the formal school day. At present, a government-supported scheme is being rolled out to increase the number of school breakfast clubs available to children across the UK; however, few research studies have investigated the impact of school breakfast provision within this country. The current study aimed to address this issue by gaging the views of parents, children and school staff on a universal free breakfast scheme in the North West of England, UK. Interviews revealed that school breakfast has the potential to influence outcomes beyond diet, including social relationships, punctuality and academic performance.