1269 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6 1. Introduction A recent study of Belgian Flemish preschool children shows that the diets served to many children do not meet the recommended daily intake of vegetables, fruit, cereals & bread, milk and fluids, while many children consume considerable amounts of sugared beverages and snacks [1], indicating that actions are needed to improve the children‟s diet. In Flanders, more than 95% of the children 2.5-3 years old already go to school and consume their lunch and one or two snack meals at school five days a week. As such, schools are one of the best arenas to reach young children and their families for imparting nutrition education and should provide a context to promote healthy eating habits [2-4]. Moreover, evidence suggests that schools can make a difference [5,6] and school-based interventions can improve the dietary habits of children [7-10]. Policy responses are beginning to emerge and in January 2006, four Flemish Ministers signed a declaration of intent to initiate- and support health promotion measures in primary- and secondary schools (www.ond.vlaanderen.be/nieuws/2006p/files/intentieverklaring-26-01-2006.pdf, downloaded 15 Aug 2008). Additionally, the Minister of Education urged schools to have a school food policy by September 2007; 2007-2008 was considered a transitional year, a period for analysing the school environment and classroom activities and to take appropriate action. However, to develop effective interventions, partnership among parents, the school staff, the community, and health professionals is needed. Effective programs must be tailored to community needs and take into consideration factors concerning individuals such as cultural background and equity aspects [11]. An important component in the early stages of programme development is, therefore, identifying parents‟ and teachers‟ attitudes and perceptions of the school food policy. A study-specific questionnaire seeking opinions about the school food policy was developed; descriptive results of the opinions of parents and teachers will be presented and compared in the present paper. In addition, differences in parents‟ opinions by social status (SES) (operationalized by parental education) are investigated as differences in food consumption and rearing practices by social status have been identified in previous studies among children and adolescents in Flanders [12-15]. First, we will describe the school food policy in terms of availability and restrictions at school, anno 2008. 2. Methods 2.1. Design Data of principals and teachers were collected as part of the baseline survey of the FIFI-study (Familial Influences on Food Intake), a longitudinal study on young children‟s food habits and their primary socialization (Study 1) [16]. Data of parents was collected as part of the baseline survey of an intervention study (Beastly Healthy at School) to assist Belgian nursery schools in the implementation of a healthy school food policy (Study 2) [17].