The project “Fish to Schools”, launched under the auspices of the Laboratory of Nutrition at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia, in cooperation with ČSOB a.s., has entered a new phase. After initial preparation and analysis, students from the faculty have now gone into the field – visiting selected school canteens, collecting meal samples, and gathering data directly from children.
The current phase of the project focuses on how children perceive fish dishes and how often fish appears on their plates. As part of the research, samples of fish and non-fish dishes are taken in school canteens to compare their popularity and find out what role fish actually plays in school meals.
"Children are actively involved in the project—they fill out short questionnaires and share their impressions of lunch. From their responses, we learn what they like, what they would improve, and how they perceive fish dishes in the school cafeteria," describes Noemi Davidová, a member of the team.
The collected data will help us better understand how children accept fish dishes and what could encourage them to enjoy fish more often. The visits also include interviews with canteen staff, who share their experiences with preparing fish and ideas on how to include it more frequently and appealingly.
The project involves, for example, Primary and Nursery School Emy Destinové in České Budějovice and Primary and Nursery School Hosín, which have enthusiastically joined the collaboration and are helping the team gather valuable insights and inspiration for further steps.
Based on the collected data, the next phase will involve evaluating the results and preparing recommendations for school canteens, including recipe suggestions and educational materials. The goal is for fish to appear on school menus more often – in attractive forms and in line with healthy nutrition principles.
The Fish to Schools project thus continues to connect experts, teachers, and children with one shared goal – to show that fish can be tasty, healthy, and that they truly belong in schools.
