Many European Union (EU) states have national school lunch programs. Some make it a priority to procure school food from sustainable sources, including local, organic producers. However, as is the case in the UK, Canada and the US, there is a widespread misconception that sourcing food for school meals from local suppliers violates trade and procurement policies. In Italy, the government’s decision to conserve local food traditions has helped that country to move ahead of other EU nations and put healthy local and regional foods at the heart of school meals. Throughout Europe, the Slow Food organization supports local food through various educational programs in schools and communities.
Directives on School Food Procurement
In 2004, the European Parliament approved important new directives on public procurement that allowed authorities in public sector institutions to set special conditions regarding contracts, including social and environmental considerations.
In an article in the July 14, 2009 Ecologist entitled “What if…Government bought green?” Maria Cross points out that, with this change, institutional food purchasers, such school food authorities, no longer had to favour the lowest bidder. She adds that while there is some evidence that UK institutions have not taken advantage of this, other EU states have done so.
For example, countries such as Austria, Denmark and Italy have revamped their public procurement policies to encourage sustainable food procurement, including procurement of sustainable local food. Italy has been especially innovative in this regard.
Conserving Local Food Traditions
In Italy, school meals are seen as an essential part of the right of citizens to education and the right of consumers to health, according to a paper published by the UK School Food Trust entitled The Provision of School Food in 18 Countries.
The link between local, organic food and public catering food policies emerged in the 1980s and culminated in 1999 with the passage of the government’s Finance Law 488. This law guaranteed the promotion of regionally sourced, organic, high-quality foods in schools and other institutions operating cafeterias.
The Growing Up Organic Project, a 2007 paper from the Canadian Organic Growers’ Growing Up Organic initiative, suggests that Italy’s long-established food culture has allowed it to argue that it was necessary to incorporate "typical and traditional" foods into school menus and that only local operators could know what the tastes were in various parts of the country.
Culture that Feeds
In addition, Italy has incorporated broader education into its school meals, allowing it to exercise full control over food service providers and to maintain that best value was not the same as lowest cost where food was involved.
In a school program called “Cultura che Nutre”, or Culture that Feeds, teachers link the activities of the school kitchen to classroom studies covering food, nutrition, cooking, Italian farming practices, food quality, and Italian diet and food culture.
The Role of Slow Food
Slow Food is an international, non-profit organization that describes itself as “eco-gastronomic” and dedicated to countering the dominance of fast food and the erosion of local food traditions.
Among its many efforts, Slow Food is active in several areas related to school food in EU countries and around the world. For example, in 2001, the US chapter led the first national project promoting school gardens. The concept soon caught on in Europe.
In 2006, the Slow Food Italy National Congress resolved to create 100 gardens in that country. Today, there are well over 125 schools gardens that form part of a national program including a three-year curriculum on sensory, consumer, and environmental education as well as lessons on food culture.
These workshops teach children and parents to appreciate the sensory qualities of food and to demand better quality in school cafeterias. The garden program also helps young people to:
- use organic and biodynamic production methods
- use the seeds of local fruit and vegetable varieties
- reduce food miles by favouring local produce
A Richer Presence for Local Food
Italy’s respect for local and regional food traditions and its willingness to interpret EU policy in ways that protect these traditions have combined to give local food a stronger, richer presence in Italian schools. This approach, along with Slow Food Italy’s school gardens and educational programs, help put the country at the leading edge of efforts to transform school food culture.
Valerie Ward - Valerie Ward In her 15-year-career as a freelance writer, Valerie has delved into everything from home renovation and health care to ...
Join the Conversation