Exploring Involvement of Children on Development of School Meals With Unconventional Edible Plants

Abstract

Unconventional Edible Plants (UEPs) offer a promising strategy to diversify diets and value local biodiversity, yet their consumption remains low. The aim of this study was to explore children's proposals of UEP-based foods and whether co-creation with children could facilitate the inclusion of UEP-based meals in schools. Fifty-seven children developed meal concepts—such as pizza and cheese bread with yam or ora-pro-nóbis—which were then tested by 180 students. Results demonstrated good overall acceptance (in the range 5.3 and 5.7 in a 7-point scale) of UEP-based products. While the impact of co-creation on acceptance varied by school context, information about whether peers or cooks prepared the meals did not significantly affect liking scores. Emotional responses were, in general, little affected according to children's participation. Co-creation proved to be a feasible and promising approach for introducing UEPs into school feeding systems, successfully supporting biodiversity and sustainability without compromising food acceptance.