Ahead of the scheduled return to school on 14.9.20, civil society appeals to the Ministry of Education. So that even in the Covid-19 era, a healthy, fair and sustainable school lunch is ensured. (1)
The anti-Covid predictions
The Ministry of Education, in recognizing the school cafeteria‘its educational and social function and the principle that it should be guaranteed in a substantial way for all eligible persons,’ considers administering meals in the classroom.
Where it proves impossible to ensure suitable precautionary measures to prevent contagion in traditional school catering, the ministry opens to measures contemplated by the Civil Defense Technical Scientific Committee. Assuming the replacement of cafeteria service with classroom distribution of lunch boxes and single-serving meals, also with a simplification of menus.
Waste and pollution risk
Measures to prevent infection are essential to protect the population and especially its most vulnerable. And yet, in the present case, one must consider the possible unintended consequences.
The use of lunch boxes and single-serving meals, that is, pre-packaged meals in single-use plastic packaging, prepared several hours before serving to children, poses several problems:
– food waste, given the widespread rejection of such foods by children,
– The production of a huge amount of plastic waste,
– A negative impact on children’s nutrition education where ultra-processed foods are used,
– a subtraction of the nutritional intake of the school meal, which for the many children and adolescents in absolute poverty (over 12 percent in Italy) represents the only balanced meal of the day,
– damage to the food supply chain, with impoverishment of the local economic fabric for the benefit of the few large packers of processed meals. In potential conflict with the Minimum Environmental Criteria set forth in the Procurement Code,
– A drastic reduction in the workforce hitherto employed in school canteens. As Filcams CGIL Genoa denounced in a petition that we urge our readers to sign,
– a conflict between families and the administration regarding the possibility of reintroducing meals from home.
A healthy, fair and sustainable school lunch. Save the Children‘s appeal
Replacement Of the school canteen with the emergency measures mentioned ‘is also worrying because it runs counter to calls for a fair, healthy, and sustainable cafeteria that is an expression of the right to food and a tool to combat food poverty and school dropout‘, declare the signatories of theappeal launched by Save the Children. (1)
‘The canteen is also a food policy tool of the Administrations that can strengthen the connection with the productive territory, support virtuous and sustainable food supply chains, ensure respect for workers’ rights and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the use of plastic, etc.’
The sustainable anti Covid-19 alternative
To conjugate safety and sustainability, without giving up the return to school in September, the appeal’s signatories recommend ‘Maintain multi-portions, for example, by adopting distribution via trays and thermal carts that will allow the meal to be administered to children in the classroom through properly trained and equipped with gloves and masks by the staff in charge of serving the meal‘.
Only in this way would the traditional meal production process be maintained, along with the quality and safety of the meals. The meal would continue to be one in line with the Mediterranean diet without departing from the Minimum Environmental Criteria.
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) The organizations that signed the appeal are AIAB (Italian Association for Organic Agriculture https://aiab.it/), Rome Food Policy Promoting Committee, Cittadinanzattiva, Foodinsider.it, School Canteen Observatory, Genima Parents on the Net, Legambiente, Save the Children Italia Onlus, Slow Food Italia. Also joining are Daniele Fattibene, Institute of International Affairs; Dr. Tomaso Ferrando, Research Professor, University of Antwerp (Belgium) and University of Turin. Prof. Davide Marino, professor of rural economics and estimation at the University of Molise and Roma3, Daniele Messina, Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
