SD Demand: Scrap Religiously Adapted Food in Schools

In Kungsbacka’s schools, a significant proportion of students require special diets. This includes, among other things, food without blood or pork. Religiously adapted meals are something the Sweden Democrats want to stop, as they believe schools should be neutral.

In the municipality of Kungsbacka’s elementary and high schools, 15,000 meals are served every day. About ten percent of these are special diets without blood or pork. In total, 16 percent of the municipality’s students eat some form of special diet.

This summer, the Sweden Democrats submitted a motion proposing a ban on religiously adapted special diets, which received support from the Moderates. The proposal was also approved by the preschool and elementary school committee, but for it to be fully implemented, the municipal council must also weigh in.

Stefan Jägnert, group leader for SD Kungsbacka, does not believe religion is something that should be taken into account in municipal operations. He also believes that there are already sufficient alternatives.

C-anger

According to the Moderates, abolishing religiously motivated special diets would create a more inclusive and cohesive school environment where all students eat the same food and special solutions do not risk sparking feelings of unfairness.

However, the Centre Party is upset.

– This affects students who eat according to Jewish and Muslim tradition and is an issue that never should have come up. In their motion, SD refers to these students bringing their own food from home. But that doesn’t benefit anyone; instead, it pushes students away, says Peter Lundin (C), member of the preschool and elementary school committee, to Kungsbacka-Posten.

Neutral School

Speaking to Samnytt, Stefan Jägnert says that medical needs, such as allergies and other health conditions, will of course always be met, but the religious aspect is something they want to do away with.

– What the Sweden Democrats are pushing for through this motion is that the municipality should not offer special diets motivated by religion, and we have the support of M and KD, which means it will be approved in the future, says Jägnert.

– Schools should be neutral and the municipality should not adapt its operations according to religious dietary rules, either directly through “religious diets” or indirectly through special solutions that are essentially based on religious requirements.

Warns of Escalating Demands

Jägnert notes that neither halal nor kosher is served in Kungsbacka, but adjustments are still made, such as pork-free and so-called blood-free food — the kind of religiously motivated exceptions they want to remove as a routine municipal solution.

– Of course, medically required special diets should remain and be strictly managed, while schools should offer nutritious meals for all students within the regular menu, where a vegetarian option already exists and functions as a fully sufficient choice for those who for various reasons avoid certain ingredients, he says.

– The municipality should not have a system where religion becomes the basis for special treatment; it creates extra work, lack of clarity, and risks becoming an escalating set of demands where more and more adjustments are pushed through. The aim is a more cohesive school environment where students interact on the same basic terms and where we uphold the principle of neutrality.