| Summary: | Meals in Swedish preschools has undergone change between 2005 and 2020 regarding meals as important pedagogical tools. Due to new guidelines for conducting preschool meals presented by the Swedish Food Agency an increased focus has been placed on pedagogy during the meals to help develop the minds of young children. Previous research has shown that preschool staff had little to no education on food and meal or how to conduct pedagogical meals. To understand how the preschool staff, perceive the pedagogical meal and how it has changed over time, a convergent mixed method with a survey and interviews was used. The results showed that the staff does not have formal education on food, meal and how to conduct pedagogical meals, but instead rely on peer learning. They perceive themselves as role models in forming a positive relationship with the social and nutritional aspects of food and meal. While their job has many positive aspects, they face challenges with stress and increasing child groups. As the role of preschool staff has changed, from making sure children eat, to socially participating in the meal, the guidelines have changed alongside the role.
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