Economic viability of new launched school lunch programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate determinants for the viability of school lunch programs with a zero‐price start‐up period.Design/methodology/approach – Data sources include application material, questionnaire surveys among the pupils, parents, and staff at the participating schools, follow‐up telephone interviews with the staff, as well as interviews with suppliers. Data are analysed using principal components analysis and logistic regression.Findings – An econometric analysis suggests that price, school size, demand‐stimulating activities related to the schools' support and the users' feeling of ownership, as well as internal professionalism and leadership in the implementation of the school lunch program are important for the viability of the program. These components may, to some extent, compensate for the gap between cost and users' willingness to pay for school lunches.Social implications – The study contributes to increase awareness of the many determinants and barriers for the...