ZeeWaste4EU’s Post

Funding for #SchoolFood is inconsistent across schools and many feel it falls short. But what's the right funding level? Thanks to Impact on Urban Health, we’ve commissioned research to uncover the true cost of producing healthy, sustainable school meals. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/efAeWF-H #RightToFood #FoodJustice #SchoolFood #ChildHealth #FoodPolicy #CostOfLivingCrisis #SchoolFoodMatters #HealthInequalities #HealthyEating #LevellingUp

Last week, we were invited to #Prague to share our experience of delivering a whole school approach to food in the UK at the #SchoolFood4Change annual general assembly. It was excellent to hear more about school food in Europe – what’s going well, the challenges and how we can work together. Here are our key takeaways: 💡 Food for Life’s pioneering approach to school food is inspiring work across Europe, with many countries looking to us for inspiration 🏞️ The landscape today is more challenging than when Food for Life launched in 2007. We can learn a lot from other countries’ approaches to challenges like climate change and lack of funding. 🤝 We are not alone. Lots of countries want the same as we do – healthy and sustainable school food – and we’re much stronger working together. 📈 We've come a long way in the UK already. It’s easy to be pessimistic and think about all the progress that still needs to be made, but it’s important to reflect on our successes so far. ICLEI Europe #SchoolFood #SchoolDinners #FoodForLife

🌍PROMOTING HEALTHY DIETS THROUGH SCHOOL MEALS🍽️ On September 27th, we attended the InfoPoint conference, where the transformative power of school meals in improving health, education, and community well-being was highlighted. The discussions focused on sustainable practices that can shape healthier futures for children and their communities. 📋Key insights included: 🌱 The integration of school meal programs with local and healthy food sourcing, ensuring that students receive nutritious meals while supporting local farmers and producers, creating a direct link between sustainable agriculture and child development. 📊 School meals not only improve health but also boost educational outcomes, helping children concentrate and perform better in school, while fostering long-term healthy eating habits. 🤝 Collaboration across sectors is essential: governments, schools, and local communities must work together to ensure these programs are sustainable and resilient. This approach aligns with WFTO Europe's mission to promote fair trade and sustainability, ensuring that local farmers benefit from responsible sourcing while children gain access to healthy, nutritious food. By integrating fair trade principles, we can help create systems that are fairer for both people and the planet. #FairTrade #SchoolMeals #Sustainability #WFTOEurope

Food waste solutions for students and higher education institutions - an online webinar that is open to all to celebrate #Earthday on 22 April. See the registration link in the comments. This special event marks the closure of 'Love Student Leftovers 2024' - a student Instagram cooking competition to raise awareness of food waste. This was open to any student at any university across the UK, Ireland and India, as part of a collaborative project between Oxford Brookes University (UK) and Amity University (India). Funded by the The Association of Commonwealth Universities SDG Challenge Grant, our focus was on #sdg2 zero hunger, #sdg12 responsible consumption and production and #sdg17 partnership for the goals. We are honoured that Prof Tim Vorley OBE Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes University Business School and Prof. (Dr.) Gurinder Singh Group Vice Chancellor Amity University Group will open the event. This will be followed by: -Announcement of the competition winners   -A panel discussion with food waste experts (competition judges) on the challenges and opportunities facing students and Higher Education Institutions in raising awareness of food waste challenges and solutions.  -Launch research into students' food waste attitudes and behaviours, and how to get involved Panel discussion hosted by Dr. Emily L. Connally (Managing Director and Founder) of Cherwell Collective, CIC (Food redistribution and surplus cafe). Emily also leads a 'carbon cost your food' initiative. #foodmiles UK panellists/competition judges:   Good Food Oxfordshire (Sustainable food network) - @Jess Copp: Network and Communications Lead Oxford Food Hub (Food redistribution) - Spencer Lawes: Outreach Coordinator CAG Oxfordshire - Replenish (Supporting cooking and growing)- @Joanne Milton: Project Coordinator Waste2taste (Community cafe) - Sandra Ruge: Director India panellists/competition judges: Prof. (Dr.) Gurinder Singh - Group Vice Chancellor, Amity Education Group  Dr. Zubin D'souza, Ph.D, CHA, CFBE - Principal and Dean for Culinary at the Indian School of Hospitality @Kaajal Chhibber Sathee Foundation (supporting rural and disadvantaged urban slum residents) With many thanks to all the students who contributed (see the project sites via the link below to see entries) The UK academic team Sangeetha Thondre, Dr Jo Feehily, Dr Simon Smith, and student leads Gracie Ball, Siana Dimitrova, Alice Gaunt (supported by Ross Jordan) and contributors Riya Gupta and Jake Beer. Thank you to Jacob Callicott for Brookes Union Support, Michele Morley and Charles Fraser from Brookes sustainability team for supporting the project The India team: Dr. Anupama Rajesh and student leads Vedant Patil, Aritra Manna, Kavya Jain and SAKSHAM GUPTA #foodwasteaction #studentengagement #earthday2024 Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford Brookes Centre for Nutrition and Health TO REGISTER VIA ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE LINK IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW

Suncity School organised a competition "What's in the Fridge" for students of Grades III to V, to encourage creativity in the kitchen while integrating principles of sustainability. This event aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, which emphasizes reducing food waste and promoting sustainable use of resources. The competition's unique challenge required students to create innovative recipes using leftovers from their fridges at home, fostering awareness of food waste reduction. Participants were tasked with turning leftover ingredients into a unique dish, using what might have otherwise been discarded. Students brought in a variety of leftover items, such as rice, bread, vegetables, and roti/ parantha. Overall, the "What's in the Fridge" competition was a resounding success. Students gained hands-on experience in reducing waste while learning the importance of responsible consumption. #suncityschool #sustainabilitygoals #sustainabledevelopments #competition #wastereduction #foodconservation #schoollife

Plan to Revolutionise School Food Procurement: Boosting Local Farms, Student Health, and Sustainability The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has unveiled an ambitious plan to overhaul food procurement across schools in England. With a proposed budget of £5 million for the 2024/25 financial year, the initiative aims to uplift local economies, improve student health, and enhance food transparency. In a nutshell, Defra’s objectives are clear: to instil best practices in food procurement within the education sector. They seek to involve pupils more deeply in understanding where their food comes from, while also enhancing their relationship with farming and nutrition. Imagine pupils swapping their usual classroom for a visit to a local farm—now that's education! This initiative doesn’t just stop at education; it aims to boost local farmers and small businesses by encouraging schools to source food locally and seasonally. The aim is to have schools purchase from a diverse range of suppliers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which could lead to more innovative food options. By promoting higher environmental and animal welfare standards, and reducing food waste, schools will not only nurture healthier kids but also a healthier planet. And let's face it, who couldn't use some tips on cutting waste? A peek into our supply chain could reveal some surprising waste points, turning every meal into a lesson in sustainability. This initiative comes at a time when public awareness around food sourcing, sustainability, and health is at an all-time high. With schools acting as microcosms of wider society, the ripple effects of this programme could be significant. Whether this substantial investment will pay off in creating a more sustainable and educational food environment in schools remains to be seen, but it's certainly food for thought! 🍏 Will schools see a real improvement in food quality and sustainability? 📊 How will this initiative impact local SMEs in the long run? 👩🌾 Can involving pupils in food procurement inspire a new generation of eco-conscious consumers? #SustainableSchools #FoodEducation #PublicProcurement #Tender For more details on this tender, please click: https://lnkd.in/eNMHR9tS

From students to busy professionals, young families to eco-conscious foodies, Too Good To Go is your ultimate lifesaver in Ireland! 🇮🇪 Discover what’s Too Good To Go, why it’s a must-use, and get 3 tips to make the most of it! 🌱 https://lnkd.in/ggcRawfs

👏Great news!👏Nottingham City Council will now serve entirely plant-based meals at all internal events - following similar policies at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Exeter City Council. This is an important victory - more councils should follow suit! Even more inspirationally, many councils are beginning to take steps to reduce emissions from food procured for local school meals - which means shifting to making more healthy and delicious plant-based options available to students, to reduce overall meat consumption, reduce emissions and improve student health. Four London councils are pioneering this approach with Sustain: https://lnkd.in/eAG6pYeg Will the councils shifting to plant-based meals for their internal events also consider signing up to shift to more sustainable healthy diets in school meals, to maximize their impact? Read more about Nottingham's new plant-based food policy: https://lnkd.in/e4tnTm6F #food #meat #plantbased #lessandbettermeat #climatechange #climatecrisis #biglivestock #defundbiglivestock

📣 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. The transformative potential of school meals for children aged 1-16. 📆 17 - 18 June 2024 📍Copenhagen A conference by the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, Roskilde University, and Københavns Kommune within the framework of Food Trails and the Cities Feeding the Future Initiative. The event aims to: ✅ Inspire politicians to maximise opportunities for using public food procurement as a lever in the pursuit of more sustainable food systems and healthy meals for children. ✅ Provide city officers with tangible skills and useful tools to simultaneously achieve multiple objectives. ✅ Develop synergies among #MUFPP cities in the region, national governments and international organizations active on the topic of school meals. ✅ Advocate for cities at the National and EU level to play a crucial role in reshaping local food systems toward sustainable models through innovating public procurement processes and strengthening local supply chains. To learn more and to participate, visit: https://lnkd.in/diwpmHcF

Imagine a world without food insecurity. Join our food club and be part of creating that future. 🌎 https://lnkd.in/ezikzNhE Let’s re-imagine a world where every student has access to nutritious food, regardless of their financial circumstances. A world where food waste is a thing of the past and our food system is in harmony with the planet’s natural ecosystems. This is the vision that drives our food club. We are here for the Sarahs *, a dedicated student who struggled to balance her studies with a part-time job. Despite taking every shift offered to her and working really hard, she often felt she had no choice but to skip meals due to the rising cost of living. Then, she discovered our food club. Intrigued by our obsession with building Good Lives For All by reimagining the food system, she quickly found herself part of a supportive community of interesting thinkers, learning interesting new ideas of how to totally overhaul the food system to help save the planet and enjoying first hand how her food choices lead to delicious meals. Sarah no longer had to worry about food or groceries. Her academic performance improved dramatically. She was able to focus on her studies, and even had time to participate in extracurricular activities. She’s able to pursue her dreams without the constant worry of hunger. Sarah's story is just one example of the positive impact our food club can have. By joining us, you too can be part of creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all https://lnkd.in/ezikzNhE #foodwaste #education #sustainability #highereducation #climateaction #foodjustice *Names changed for data protection purposes