Healthy, sustainable and inclusive food at school is becoming an ever-growing priority in Europe. On May 25th, the European SchoolFood4Change project reached an inspiring end to four years of cooperation during its closing event in Ghent. During this celebration, four Flemish schools were awarded for their innovative approach that uses food as a lever for equal opportunities, connectedness and sustainability within the school environment.
For the past few years, SchoolFood4Change has united 12 European countries around one shared ambition: healthy, sustainable and accessible food at school for every student. The driving force behind the project is the Whole School Food Approach, an integrated approach developed by Rikolto. “This approach makes food a key part of all aspects of school life: from policy and supply to education and the wider school environment,” explains Katharina Beelen, expert on policy and upscaling for ‘GoodFood@School’ at Rikolto. More than 3,000 schools and 600,000 students in Europe have been reached this way in recent years.
In our country, the project was supported by a strong collaboration of partners, including the cities of Ghent, Leuven, Antwerp and Schaerbeek, together with Rikolto. Every single one of them played a key role in guiding the school, developing educational materials and strengthening (local) policies around food at school.
The social value of such an integrated approach is also emphasized by research and practical experience. Access to healthy food at school contributes to equal educational opportunities, better learning performances and general well-being among students. “In that light, the recent decision made by the Flemish Government to invest in healthy food at school is a very meaningful development. It offers opportunities to further develop local projects and structurally integrate them into educational, welfare and agricultural policies,” Beelen stressed.
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“With the announced investments of the Flemish Government and the acquired knowledge, there is now a unique opportunity to further develop this approach and structurally integrate it in educational, welfare and agricultural policies.”
During the closing event, four Flemish schools, who each excelled in the Whole School Food Approach, were awarded. One of the schools was actually awarded twice and also won the audience award, for which the audience voted during the day.
At this school, a simple moment of enjoying soup was transformed into a hot Breakfast Club. Every Friday, students and teachers get together for a free, healthy breakfast. What started as a response to food poverty grew into a powerful sign of care, connection and solidarity. Thanks to collaborations with partners who donate surplus food, food waste is also tackled in a smart way.
Don Bosco won a second prize as they also received the audience award for their ‘Kitchen Fight at School’ project. The school counts an impressive number of 80 nationalities, and this diversity was celebrated with great enthusiasm during a culinary competition during which students prepared their favourite dish from their culture. An excellent demonstration of how good food unites people.
In Leuven, this school group introduced a range of fully vegetarian warm meals, delivered by electric cargo bicycles. Thanks to the price range, the service remains accessible to every family. The project has since been expanded to include cooking workshops for students and an educational programme that has found its way to all schools in Leuven.
In this school, some students decided to replace the traditional vending machine filled with unhealthy snacks. They now manage their own healthy vending machine: from stocking and pricing to promoting and reinvesting the profits. This allows them to combine education about nutrition with entrepreneurship and to make healthy choices an inspiring practical example.
At this primary school, healthy eating literally takes on a central position. A small vegetable stand at school lets children and parents choose healthy products together for each extended weekend and holiday. This leads to more involvement, support and inspiration around healthy food at school. Thanks to the ‘soup heroes’, where students can spice up their soup with home-grown herbs from the school vegetable garden, they learn to taste, share and enjoy what they create together.
The closing event in Ghent may have marked the official end of four years of European cooperation, but above all it was also the starting point for a broader movement. The award-winning schools show that healthy, sustainable and inclusive food at school is not only achievable but also pays off. “With the announced investments of the Flemish Government and the accumulated knowledge, a unique opportunity now presents itself to further develop and embed this approach,” Beelen concludes. The many inspiring stories from this day already prove that it is possible, which undoubtedly tastes like more!
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