Manifesto for establishing minimum standards for public canteens across the EU

School catering is a candidate to become one of the drivers of the ecological transition of food systems in Europe. This will be discussed on 15th May at the Compraverde Buygreen Forum in Rome, during the international meeting ‘School catering promoting the ecological and just transition of local food systems in Europe’. The event, realised in collaboration with the European project SchoolFood4Change, will bring together institutions, schools and operators from different countries to discuss the most effective strategies to reduce the environmental impact of the local food supply chain, promote short supply chains, ensure social equity and disseminate good practices and innovative policies.

Transforming the food system starting from schools. This is the challenge at the centre of the meeting ‘The Global Approach to School Food’, scheduled for 15th May 2025 at the Compraverde Buygreen Forum in Rome. An appointment that focuses on one of the most promising levers for promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles: food education integrated into the daily practices of schools. The methodology presented, the Whole School Food Approach (WSFA), was born within the European project SchoolFood4Change and is proposed as a concrete tool to rethink school food. It is not just a question of improving the meals served in the canteen, but of involving the entire school ecosystem: from participatory governance, to teaching, to the relationship with the local area and families.

The Forum Compraverde Buygreen on 15th May opens the debate on a decisive but still too neglected issue: the role of health in public procurement criteria. To date, although the concept of sustainability is at the heart of public policy, the impact on health – both human and environmental – often remains a marginal aspect in procurement selection processes. The One Health approach, adopted by the World Health Organisation, emphasises how human, animal and environmental health are closely interlinked. Yet in public procurement – from school catering contracts to urban green management and infrastructure design – the direct and indirect impact on people’s health is rarely integrated into the award criteria. A vacuum which, in a time of ecological and social transition, is no longer sustainable.