Win-win-win: Schools meals that benefit health, farmers and nature
As leader of ICLEI’s Global CityFood Programme, ICLEI Europe is a strong advocate for food system transformation at local, national, and global levels, believing in the transformative power of public procurement with the market for social food services estimated at 82 billion euros. The meals served in schools and other public institutions therefore have a significant impact on our climate and public health and by leveraging our purchasing power cities and local governments can be key drivers of this change.
School meals are the perfect example of how to apply the Triple H approach through one tool:
- Healthy People: Ensuring access to nutritious food and integrating food education into schools to improve public health outcomes.
- Healthy Climate: Reducing the environmental impact of food procurement through climate-friendly choices such as plant-based meals and organic ingredients.
- Healthy Landscape: Supporting local and regional farmers, enhancing biodiversity, and strengthening food sovereignty through sustainable sourcing and land use policies.
The need for a holistic approach was even more clear during the two events (one in Strasbourg and one in Brussels) held for International School Meals Day, when ICLEI Europe met three Commissioners of the European Union, respectively in charge of Health (Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi), Agriculture (Commissioner Christophe Hansen) and Youth (Commissioner Glenn Micallef), underlining how school meals are a cross-cutting theme.
During the events, children from 9 to 17, handed over to the Commissioners and other high-level politicians a petition of over 111,000 signatures, calling for healthy school meals paired with food education for all children. Commissioner Várhelyi highlighted the importance of early food education: “Eating habits are formed from a very young age and schools can be the place where children learn about nutrition. This requires a strong commitment from everyone involved, as school catering is the starting point for a healthy life.” Commissioner Micallef echoed this sentiment, highlighting food literacy as a crucial life skill that should be integrated into the education system. Meanwhile, Commissioner Hansen reiterated the message: “You, the children, have a right to good food for the future.”
Cities leading the way on sustainable school meals
In Europe, over 90 million students attend schools and universities yet one in three children in Europe overweight or obese and one out of four is at risk of social exclusion or poverty. Therefore, the provision of healthy, nutritious meals in these institutions, coupled with comprehensive food education, offer a powerful solution, ensuring students receive and are educated about proper nutrition to support their well-being and academic success.
ICLEI and its Member Cities are at the forefront of this transformation through initiatives like SchoolFood4Change (SF4C) and Buy Better Food, which promote public health with a holistic approach. By prioritising nutritious food, sourced through sustainable public procurement and paired with education, these initiatives demonstrate how local policies can accelerate the transition to a healthier food system.
As part of SF4C, several ICLEI Members are spearheading school meal transformations, including Umeå and Malmö (Sweden), Vienna (Austria), Tallinn (Estonia), Ghent (Belgium), and Copenhagen (Denmark). The impact of their actions is evident: more than 650,000 pupils are already being reached through SF4C activities, and, thanks to improved procurement processes, over 3,200 schools across 22 countries are serving healthier, more sustainable meals.
These efforts align closely with the European Child Guarantee, an initiative launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to protect vulnerable children from social exclusion. The initiative strives to ensure access to essential services, including at least one healthy school meal a day. Yet there is no unified EU vision that aligns existing programmes on school nutrition across the European Commission’s Directorates-General.
It is to address this issue, that ICLEI Europe has organised the two high-level events addressing European decision-makers, to both bring the voices of young people directly affected by school food policies and to put the spotlight on the power of local governments.
Taking action: Support the movement for better school meals
The momentum for healthier, more sustainable school meals is growing, but continued action is needed to turn advocacy into lasting change. To support this effort, EU residents can sign the petition for healthy school meals for every child in every school, which already has more than 111,000 signatures. The petition’s signatures support ICLEI Europe’s call for setting an EU-wide standard for healthy school meals and food education for all children and a shared EU vision, in line with the European Child Guarantee.
Local governments, NGOs and for-profit organisations can take action by endorsing the Buy Better Food Manifesto, developed in cooperation with the EU Food Policy Coalition. The Manifesto sets clear criteria to guide cities in adopting more sustainable food procurement models, demonstrating how prioritising ingredients from small-scale and organic farmers can foster a win-win-win for public health, nature and farmers alike.
By leveraging the power of the public plate and adopting the Triple H Approach, cities and local governments can turn school meals into a driving force for healthier communities, a resilient environment, and thriving local food economies.
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