'We've got some underground business selling junk food': qualitative evidence of the unintended effects of English school food policies

Fletcher, Adam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-7659, Jamal, Farah, Fitzgerald-Yau, Natasha and Bonell, Chris 2013. 'We've got some underground business selling junk food': qualitative evidence of the unintended effects of English school food policies. Sociology 48 (3) , pp. 500-517. 10.1177/0038038513500102

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Abstract

Drawing on two qualitative studies, we report evidence of pervasive black markets in confectionery, ‘junk’ food and energy drinks in English secondary schools. Data were collected at six schools through focus groups and interviews with students (n = 149) and staff (n = 36), and direct observations. Supermarkets, new technologies and teachers’ narrow focus on attainment have enabled these ‘underground businesses’ to emerge following increased state regulation of school food and drink provision. These activities represent a new form of counter-school resistance to institutional constraints within the context of enduring, although less visible, class-based stratification in British secondary schools. These black markets also appear to be partly driven by the unsafe and unsociable nature of school canteens, which was a recurring theme across all schools. These findings highlight how new school food ‘bans’ ignore the complex, ecological drivers of poor diet in youth and the potential for iatrogenic effects which exacerbate health inequalities.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HM Sociology L Education > L Education (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Uncontrolled Keywords:	counter-school culture; diet; health inequalities; obesity; prohibition; qualitative; school; school food policy; UK; youth
Additional Information:	Online publication date: 10 September 2013.
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0038-0385
Last Modified:	25 Oct 2022 08:07
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/51534

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