In the framework of the Buy Better Food campaign, ICLEI Europe has launched a public petition asking for “A healthy school meal for every child in every school” to boost healthier and more sustainable meals in schools, and with the intention to make clear that sustainable and healthy food in schools is a priority for Europeans.

 

Currently, not all children have the right to a balanced diet. In Europe, there are many schools that do not serve meals and countless others that offer ultra-processed food. Many cities and schools are taking steps in the right direction, but childhood obesity is still on the increase at the same time as the risk of poverty or social exclusion. Something is clearly wrong with this picture. Evidence provided by international actors, such as the World Health Organisation underpin the urgency to act. Meals provided in schools are less healthy and sustainable than they could be, and children need to understand a whole lot more about where their food comes from and the consequences of an unhealthy diet – for their own health and that of the planet.

 

ICLEI sees schools as catalysts for systemic and multi-actor change. This is why, over the past two years, the city network has worked intensively on the issue of improving school meals for children, especially since the launch of the EU Farm to Fork strategy in May 2020. This strategy represents a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, outlining the paths towards a fair and sustainable food system, meaning healthy and affordable food for us all. It has opened the door to significant improvements in the way we eat and want to eat in the future.

 

“We see that childhood obesity is increasing, and at the same time the risk of poverty or social exclusion is also on the rise. Children from vulnerable families or backgrounds tend to be needy in terms of good nutrition and food education, but they are not the only ones. It’s more and more the case that parents are overwhelmed with other responsibilities. Meals provided tend to become less healthy and sustainable than they could be. Generally speaking, children need to understand much more where their food comes from and the consequences of an unhealthy diet,” explains Amalia Ochoa, coordinator of the Sustainable Food Systems team at ICLEI.

 

ICLEI’s petition, that has already more than 6,500 signatories, was created as part of the Buy Better Food campaign and the EU-funded SchoolFood4Change project to raise awareness of the issue amongst the general public and to gather as much support as possible to send a clear message to policy makers that people care and that we need urgent change on this issue. Under the slogan “Small plate. Big impact.”, it addresses the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the EU Member States responsible for the implementation of the Farm to Fork strategy  urging them to “enforce healthy school meals and food education for every child in every EU school, as the minimum standard for the EU Farm to Fork strategy and for the enforcement of the European Child Guarantee”, at a time when the European Commission is in fact reviewing the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme. The petition emphasises that “healthy school meals are beneficial for both people and planet. Paired with food education, school children can learn to eat and cook healthily - while using food responsibly."

 

This is the first time ICLEI, a core member of the Buy Better Food campaign, invites the general public and civil society to participate and become active in such an action by asking for support to sign and share the petition. To help broaden outreach the petition is available in seven languages: German, Spanish, French, Polish, Italian, Greek and English.

 

On 11 October 2022, Peter Defranceschi, Head of ICLEI’s Global Food Programme, will host a high-level workshop on farm to form procurement in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek), the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy. On the occasion of the event, ICLEI will personally hand over the petition endorsed by the signatories to date, together with a “Manifesto for establishing Minimum Standards for Public Canteens across the EU”, prepared by members of the EU Food Policy Coalition, to Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, Head of Farm to Fork strategy Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).

 

And ICLEI Europe’s work continues beyond the current momentum. Various initiatives and EU-funded projects coordinated and/or supported by ICLEI Europe, such as SchoolFood4Change, the largest EU project on EU school meals and food education, and FEAST, illuminate challenges in our current food system from different perspectives and propose solutions.

 

The petition can be signed following this QR code:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SmallPlateBigImpact #SchoolFood4Change #BBF