[mrabcx]

Norway as a state may be rich. but the state is also very afraid of spending too much money within the country as not to drive up inflation, salaries etc. In Norway the school children do not even get free/hot lunches (compared to e.g. Sweden).

[juahan]

Having lived in Norway forsome years, at least to me the locals told me that it is more due to tradition of ”matpakke” and not so much of not being able to do it. Even in the work place it is common to bring your own sandwitches in stead of having ”proper” lunch. And also, it would be a huge undertaking even if people wanted it as no school building is equipped with suitable kitchen.

[jampekka]

Free school lunches are coming in Norway next year.

https://archive.is/20241129112123/https://www.thelocal.no/20...

[4ndrewl]

You mean they're so rich the government don't need to pay for the food for the poorest in society?

[qeternity]

They don’t have poor the way other countries do. And that’s down to culture. I don’t think people appreciate just how homogenous Scandinavia is. (Although this is changing, especially in Sweden)

I also don’t think most people realize how small these countries are. Sweden is as big as Michigan, and Norway is as big as South Carolina.

Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland combined have about half the population of California. And California has about 1/10th of the US population.

[jampekka]

> They don’t have poor the way other countries do. And that’s down to culture. I don’t think people appreciate just how homogenous Scandinavia is.

The good old dog whistle.

It's down to politics. Nordic countries had estate systems (codified social classes) until the late 19th to early 20th century, with high class separation still until the enormous socialist reforms in the mid 20th century.

Finland in particular was a true "shithole country" until after massive reforms (that were partially mandated by the Soviet Union) after WW2. Finland had a massive famine in 1866-1868 where around 10% of the population perished. The government refused to distribute food out of fears it would make the working class lazy, and continued food exports while the people were literally starving. There was a semi-serfdom system until after the 1918 civil war.

> Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland combined have about half the population of California. And California has about 1/10th of the US population.

So they managed it even without the economics of scale.

[bitshiftfaced]

> So they managed it even without the economics of scale.

You're also more likely to see extreme outcomes with small sample sizes. For example, if we were looking at a list of countries ordered by GDP per capital, statistically we should expect to see more smaller countries in the top and bottom of the list. It doesn't necessarily mean it's due to underlying causes like policy.

[mongol]

Free vs hot makes a very big difference in this case since Norway is well known for its lunch culture. What matters: is it free or is it not?

[jay_kyburz]

Of all the things to pick, school lunches would not have been it.

[cycomanic]

School lunches are considered one of the best return on investment if you want to lift next generations out of poverty. It's really very little money, but greatly improves attendance and participation (poor kids go to school because the get lunch, and are much more attentive because they are not hungry).

[karencarits]

A large systematic review from 2023 was unable to conclude what positive consequences school lunches would have in Norway, as there is too little research from comparable countries.

The report: https://www.fhi.no/contentassets/97c17432815a4b2291e34140748... Results translated with chatgpt:

> In general, the results from the Nordic literature were inconsistent, and several of the studies were of low quality. The majority of studies from the Nordic countries indicated that a free school meal (breakfast or lunch) had a positive effect on some dietary outcomes. Furthermore, the results suggest that a free school meal may help reduce social disparities in diet.

> A total of three Nordic studies examined the relationship between free school meals and weight, with one study showing increased weight, another showing increased waist circumference, and one showing no change as a result of a free school meal. Two Nordic studies investigated the effect of a free school meal on academic performance, but neither found a clear positive effect.

> None of the Nordic studies found a link between free school meals and absenteeism (two studies), well-being (two studies), or the school environment (two studies).

> Regarding sustainability, only one study from Denmark examined the impact on food waste. The results showed that a warm school meal led to more food waste compared to a packed lunch brought from home.

> Two studies examining the long-term effects of free school meals, implemented in the Nordic countries between the 1920s and 1940s, found that the school meal led to longer schooling and increased income.

[cycomanic]

Interesting as I was only aware of studies done in other countries, with significantly higher poverty rates. I stand corrected.

[baobabKoodaa]

does norway have poverty