Among others, Swedish citizens trust responsible authorities and legislation to ensure that producers manufacture food under reasonable conditions for both sentient beings and landscapes. Nevertheless many consumers are prepared to go much further and buy goods with e.g. fair-trade or ecological certificates. We believe that this trust is becoming increasingly compromised, and a closer study of what values influence purchase of food served in official institutions such as hospitals, preschools, and schools is important as individual choice according to certain certificates is very limited. This forthcoming study has two main aims. One is to examine inherent values in consumer expectations, policies and legislation regarding school meals through an ethical analysis of different aspects such as e.g. individual choice, public health, global justice, animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Another aim is to suggest a model for municipalities and the county councils to weigh these, sometimes conflicting, factors to one another in order to take reasonable ethical responsibility, live up to citizen expectations and meet national and international legislation regarding e.g. global justice, sustainability and animal welfare.