Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons

A revealing account of what we feed our citizens in schools, hospitals and prisons

Kevin Morgan

Access to good food is the litmus test of a society’s commitment to social justice and sustainable development. This book explores the ‘good food revolution’ in public institutions, asking what broader lessons can be learned.

In schools the book examines the challenge of the whole school approach, where the message of the classroom is being aligned with the offer of the dining room. In hospitals it looks at the struggle to put nutrition on a par with medicine and shape a health service worthy of the name. And in prisons it shows how good food can bring hope and dignity to prisoners, helping them to rehabilitate themselves.

Drawing on evidence from the UK, US and Sweden, Serving the public highlights how public institutions are harnessing the power of purchase to secure public health, social justice and ecological integrity.

The quest for good food in these institutions is an important part of the struggle to redeem the public sphere and repair the damage wrought by forty years of neoliberalism.

About the Authors

Professor Kevin Morgan is a professor of governance and development in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University. His research has involved, among other things, the issues of food, sustainability and public procurement.

Professor Morgan speaking at the PSC Alliance Forum ahead of the book's release:

“The social significance of the public plate is so much greater than its economic value might suggest because of the special nature of its beneficiaries. Although pupils, patients and prisoners are radically different people they all have one thing in common - they are highly vulnerable people in need of a nutritious diet.

“In schools I examine the ‘whole school approach’ and the twin challenges of universality and plant-based menus. In healthcare I examine the Sisyphean task of providing clinical solutions to the societal problem of ultra-processed foods. And in prisons I examine the defects of the carceral diet and use the example of The Clink to show that good food offers hope and dignity to help prisoners rehabilitate themselves.”