This case study is part of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose’s (UCL IIPP) publication series.
Explore more working papers, case studies and policy reports here.
Free School Meals in Sweden: More than the food on the plate | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) | Case Study
Authors:
- Dan Hill | Professor of the Built Environment and Director of the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne; Visiting Professor of Practice at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London; and former Director of Strategic Design at the Swedish government’s innovation agency Vinnova
- Mariana Mazzucato | Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London and Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
This case study is part of a wider project on school meals led by Professor Mariana Mazzucato and her team at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, with funding from the World Food Programme. The insights from this work informed the report ‘A Mission-Oriented Approach to School Meals: An Opportunity for Cross-Departmental and Multi-Sector Industrial Strategy’, published in September 2025 by Professor Mariana Mazzucato and Sarah Doyle.
Case Summary:
Location and time period
Sweden, 2018-present
The policy problem
Since 2018, a new policy path has been taken to combat the misalignment between Sweden’s strong economic performance and progressive welfare state, and its domestic emissions. In a country with strong governance capacity at the local level, a nation-wide mission-oriented approach was initiated to advance both health and sustainability objectives. The mission: for every child to receive healthy, tasty, sustainable school meals by 2030. Deeply collaborative, design-led approaches have demonstrated early successes, and future expansion presents an opportunity for aligning and advancing an outcomes-oriented industrial strategy.
Main topics/themes in this case
- Design-led public sector innovation
- Cross-sector and local collaboration
- Public food procurement
- Food security
Read this case if you…
- Are interested in the challenges and opportunities of operationalising mission-oriented policies within a devolved governance structure.
- Want to understand how design-led, participatory approaches can facilitate cross-cutting policy to simultaneously address food security and environmental sustainability.
- Are seeking lessons on how innovation agencies or funders can govern and enact cross-sectoral, multi-actor collaboration toward healthier and more sustainable food systems.
- Contribute to green and inclusive growth as part of a mission-oriented industrial strategy.
Reference:
This case study can be referenced as follows: Hill, D. and Mazzucato, M. (2026). Free School Meals in Sweden: More than the food on the plate. UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. IIPP Case Study.
Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2026/mar/free-school-meals-sweden-more-food-plate
This case study is part of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose’s (UCL IIPP) publication series.
Explore more working papers, case studies and policy reports here.