This proposal builds on the experience gained while undertaking previous research on producers' and consumers' attitudes towards and uses of organic foods, interdisciplinary research on local food in the UK and this proposal's coordinator participation in a British funded research project on school meals and children eating habits. It also benefits from rich sociological work on public health and youth; advertising and consumption; media and sustainability issues. Thus, this project will examine the organization of the school meal system in Portugal and its recent changes, children's food appropriation and knowledge, and their families eating habits. Sociological studies focusing on children eating habits, food knowledge and school meals are scarce. On this topic, research proliferates within the nutritional sciences and public health education fields, often directed to practical interventions on health and food education driven by concerns around childhood obesity. Despite the valuable insights of such literature, one pressing shortcoming can be identified. It often departs solely from two main theoretical perspectives: individualization through a focus on the body and its genetic make or/and individual behaviour (informed by psychological input); the structural and contextual factors that influence eating habits be they economic, cultural, social or technological. An either/or take on such perspectives is frequent, although studies that include individual and social variables are becoming more common. Nevertheless, this literature is mostly oriented to health promotion, overlooking other aspects beyond health, namely the environmental and ethical qualities of food that also mediate eating practices, a central point explored in. Another flaw is the emphasis given to quantitative methodologies, limiting richness and in-depth approaches to children's food consumption. An aspect that this proposal will contribute to repair with the team vast experience on qualitative methodologies. In addition, a narrow notion of health tends to dominate these studies by focusing on its scientific understanding wherein the nutritional discourse is highlighted. Particular assumptions that frame a rationalistic and reductionist approach to health are taken for granted: health is assumed as a universal value equally and widely desired by everybody. Plus, the scientific recommendations on health and nutrition are the authoritative bases of knowledge and the effective way on which to improve health. Finally, if children do not follow the advice of scientific experts, lack of information or poor understanding are advanced as justifications. Once the knowledge deficit is diagnosed, more information is offered as solution. These are problematic assumptions. When examining consumer meanings of organic foods, a plurality of associations with 'health' was found, contributing to question the binary and normative character in food classification: unhealthy/healthy. Besides, there are other legitimate knowledge bases beyond science, notably lay knowledge. Such diversity thwarts not only a hierarchical view of knowledge but also rejects the notion of people (and children) as passive recipients of expert knowledge. Additional information can be ineffective especially if a top-down approach is implemented and neglects situated practices. It is, thus, advisable to depart from an understanding of food practices as they are performed by children and their families in their everyday lives along with the way food knowledge and competences are acquired and distributed through and, in the course, of practice. As to the sociological literature, recent contributions on this topic are still few and far between. The sociology of childhood tends to approach it from the 'production of consumption' angle, whereas the sociology of consumption pays little systematic and detailed attention to children. A social constructionist approach emphasizing socialization processes is often applied to explain children's knowledge and eating habits, and structural/holist factors are enhanced. Recent work in the 'new' sociology of childhood recognises children as social actors capable of reflexivity, a view that we share. Still, a practice approach to children's food consumption and food knowledge is greatly missing. This approach promises to be fruitful in overcoming some of these shortcomings. A middle ground theoretical perspective avoids falling into individualist or holist angles and moves towards a relational and processual perspective of food practices and knowledge formation (beyond child development and socialization processes). Therefore, this proposal looks at the organization of the school meal system as a gateway to understand children's food appropriation and knowledge and their families' eating habits by piecing together different bodies of work derived from the sociologies of food, consumption and childhood.