Provision of healthy school meals in a social, ecological and sustainable way taking into account products freshness, territorial development and job creation through 4 pillars: Production – vegetable school gardens according to organic farming techniques and study visits to organic farms; Acquisition - territorial development by purchasing high quality and fresh raw food materials preferably to local small and medium producers/suppliers; Cooking – direct management by the two municipal kitchens and a network strategy which delegates on the local county authorities to contract local institutions to manage the school meals; Consumption – promotion of healthy eating habits and physical activity.
Characteristics:
1. A Political strategic vision since 2007, about managing the territorial social-economical, and the creation of this specific programme, consolidated in 2014:
2. A rural territory, highly marked by agriculture production, promoting the conditions to buy locally.
Challenges:
This Programme aims to achieve a Sustainable Kitchen and Food Waste Management, a Healthy Food Education and Sustainable Behaviour Change, a Sustainable Urban Planning and Agricultural Land Use, a Food-Related Local Economy and Job Creation, and a Sustainable Integrated Governance, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030, reaching 9 of the 17 ones. In 2015 the Municipality has signed Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and in 2018 joined the CityFood Network and became a partner of the URBACT BioCanteens Transfer Network.
“By educating the youngest, we are contributing to a better future generation for sustainable and healthy food choices and, consequently, more environmentally connected.” – Laura Rodrigues, Education Councilor and Vice-Mayor.
Highlighting some innovations:
1. For organic lots - once we purchase directly to farmers - several meetings were organized in order to plan together with the field production, guarantying the supply needs for the municipal kitchens;
2. The deliverable bulk product boxes' are always collected by its suppliers on the day after, promoting the reusing of the materials and avoiding waste - contributing to a lower ecological footprint;
3. By delegating competences in the local authorities, public procurement issues are facilitated, not only cause the volume of the purchase of the Municipality is lower, but also because the non-profit private organizations are not submitted to public procurement rules and have no restrictions to buy locally;
4. The “Lunch with me on my Birthday” – an initiative set up by the Municipality which invites families to lunch with their kids on their birthday at the school canteens, with a distribution of an inquiry of the meal;
5. Cultural and seasonal menus – since the territory (with about 407 km2) has very different cultural food habits, the menus are designed according to which local reality. For example, in the coastline villages’ fish is more appreciated, but in the interior rural ones, plant-based protein (as beans, for example) are better accepted by pupils. This reality is only possible once each county there’s a local non-profit organization managing the meals, so they’re not all from the city central kitchens. In spite of it, all these organizations are controlled by the Municipality and work according to the municipal guidelines;
6. October “The Food Month”, it’s an annual event where Food is the major theme in schools, focusing on several activities around it. Some events for the general population are also promoted.
1. Social-Economic
2. Environmental
3. Nutritional
1. Social-Economic
Environmental
Contribute to a lower ecological footprint:
Nutritional
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
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