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. 2025 Apr 20;17(8):1385.
doi: 10.3390/nu17081385.

Enhancing Vietnamese Students' Acceptance of School Lunches Through Food Combination: A Cross-Over Study

An Thanh Truong  1   2 , Anh Thi Lan Pham  1 , Thy Quynh Nguyen  1 , Tan Duy Doan  1 , Tuan Nhat Pham  1 , Yen Thi Hai Hoang  2 , Ryosuke Matsuoka  3 , Shigeru Yamamoto  2
Affiliations

Enhancing Vietnamese Students' Acceptance of School Lunches Through Food Combination: A Cross-Over Study

An Thanh Truong et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Vegetable leftovers constitute more than half of Vietnamese school lunch waste, partly due to limited ingredient variety, which may reduce meal acceptance.

Methods: This cross-over study assessed the impact of diversifying vegetable options on intake and satisfaction among 40 students at a suburban Vietnamese primary school. Five new menus were developed by redistributing a 100 g vegetable portion into smaller servings of multiple vegetable types, combining them creatively with protein-rich foods or rice while maintaining nutritional value and cost. Students alternated between current and new menus over four weeks. Sensory evaluations using a 5-point hedonic scale and food weighing were conducted daily.

Results: Most students increased vegetable intake during the new menu period. Mean intake was significantly higher with new menus (81.5 g; 95%CI: 77.1-85.9) compared to current menus (71.1 g; 95%CI: 65.2-75.1) (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that enhancing vegetable variety in combination can significantly improve intake and sensory characteristics without additional costs. This scalable strategy offers a practical solution for schools to foster healthier eating habits among students.

Keywords: Vietnamese; cross-over study; school lunch; school meals; vegetable intake.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Ryosuke Matsuoka was employed by the company Kewpie Corporation. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean vegetable intake of current and new menus (n = 40). Current and new menus provided the same as 100 g of vegetables per meal. Results are presented as mean ± SD. Student’s paired t-test was conducted between current and new menu values.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The individual differences in vegetable intake in current and new menus (n = 40). We sorted the results of current menus from the lowest to the highest. Results are presented as a mean of five current and five new menus for each subject. Student’s paired t-test was conducted between the current and new menu values.
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