From Bernese sausages to lentil pancakes: what ends up on the plates in Styrian day schools has been investigated in a survey for the first time. There is still room for improvement in some areas – such as vegetable content. But does it still taste good? And how can this be implemented cost effectively? A new funding initiative from the Styrian Health Fund is supporting this.
How many schools do their own cooking? How was food graded? Are the minimum Styrian standards for general health-promoting catering met? The specialist and coordination office for nutrition at the Styrian Health Fund has collected data for Styria for the first time.
State Health Council Karlheinz Kornhäusl: “It should be as easy and attractive as possible for children to eat healthily. The study of school meals helps us by providing us with hard data. With the ‘LIVING HEALTH RECOMMENDATION’ campaign, we can now provide more support to schools with catering throughout the day in improving their food offerings.”
State Councilor for Education and President of the Directorate of Education of Styria Amon Werner: “If possible, healthy food should be on the table in our schools as well. That is why we are promoting the implementation of a healthy menu for Styrian students as part of TOGETHER G’SUND ENJOYING.”
Club president Hannes Schwarz: “The study of school meals in Styria provided important insights that we are using as an opportunity to take targeted measures. With the campaign ‘HEALTH ADVICE TOGETHER’, we are actively promoting healthy and enjoyable nutrition in our schools. In this way we create a strong foundation for the future of our children – healthy, regional and sustainable.”
The food should just taste good to the children
A “good lunch” for the students is also very important to the Graz-Liebenau primary school. “For us, ‘good food’ means that the children like it in the first place. We have 90 per cent organic ingredients and fresh salads every day, but we also have desserts for lunch – we are not ‘nutrition gurus’. The important thing is that the children like it,” he says Robert Hartinger, principal of Graz Liebenau elementary school. They also analyzed their menus as part of a project funded by Styria in collaboration with Styria Vitalis. The menu has also been proven to meet the criteria for a health promoting diet. “We don’t sell it to the kids as ‘healthy food,’ we just want it to be good for them,” said Hartinger.
Support for schools and communities
From the beginning of March 2024, all facilities with a general supply, including communities and schools, have the opportunity to receive up to €4,050.00 in funding as part of the RESIDENTIAL HEALTH PROPOSAL. New this year: For the first time, anyone who wants to learn about healthy eating as part of a “starter workshop” can apply for support.
As part of the funding campaign, optimization opportunities for companies are identified and worked with experts. Further training or record checks may also be implemented. It is also possible to fund material costs, such as a raised vegetable bed or regional and seasonal (organic) vegetables for a snack.
More information: www.gesundheitsfonds-steiermark.at/gesunde-ernaehrung/foerderungen-im-bereich-ernaehrung/#GGGförder
A survey of school meals: The main findings
The study was implemented in 2022 and 2023 with x-sample social research, market research, assessment. 157 Styrian primary, middle and special schools with all-day education were surveyed.
General conditions:
In only four percent of schools lunch is cooked at school, in 81 percent it is delivered (mostly from commercial kitchens, some also from pubs and other establishments). 15 percent of schools serve outside lunch.
The schools are mostly satisfied with their suppliers and the portion sizes are adequate, even if the menu is not entirely the best from a health point of view (see Styrian minimum standards).
Only 53 per cent of schools influence food choices (when eating on the school site), just a third for those who eat outside.
When it comes to the food supplier, the schools themselves often have little say. The decisions are usually made by the municipalities as school guardians.
Students usually only have one menu to choose from and are rarely allowed to bring their own lunch; only a third of schools have two menus. If schools only have one menu to choose from, the proportion of vegetarian dishes in particular suffers.
From the point of view of the schools, optimization is needed, especially in the dining room, which is not comfortable enough, too high or too small.
There is also a desire for more variety and diversity in menu design. It is also a matter of giving more consideration to students’ food choices.
The quality of the food
Styrian’s lowest levels of general catering show what a good and attractive catering offer should look like. Find out more at www.gemeinsam-geniessen.at.
The minimum standards say, among other things, that vegetarian food should be offered two or three times a week. Just over half of the schools analyzed have menus that meet this minimum standard.
The minimum requirement for fresh vegetables (at least five times a week) is only met by eight percent of the schools surveyed.
When it comes to fruit, the picture is better: a third meets the minimum (fresh fruit two or three times a week).
In general, it can be seen that the food offered in schools varies greatly. Sometimes there are very traditional menus where in some weeks only meat dishes such as mincemeat, Wiener schnitzel and bratwurst were to be eaten or a combination thereof
Liver dumpling soup with roasted pork with potatoes or semolina dumpling soup and pancakes dominate the menu. Sometimes there are also very creative attempts to make good food tasty for children and lentil pancakes with vegetable strips and leaf salad are also offered.
Organic produce can be seen on the menus in four of 24 schools. However, there are very few schools that have clear requirements regarding food quality (regional, seasonal, organic, fair trade products…). Less than ten percent have such agreements. An agreement is likely to be concluded on the subject of seasonality and regionalism. There is great potential here – also in terms of meeting the Styrian minimum standards, which provide recommendations for this.
Complete study for download and more information about general provision in schools: https://gesundheitsfonds-steiermark.at/gesunde-ernaehrung/ideensammlung/ideensammlung-schulen/
About the TOGETHER G campaign‘SOUND RECOMMENDATION
ENJOY G’SUND TOGETHER has been a Styrian initiative for healthy, enjoyable food since 2011. It offers a variety of support for healthier eating. For example, under the campaign name “Sei amol g’miasig” the theme of “eating vegetables” is presented in a humorous way. Eating vegetables is presented as exciting and pleasurable which has nothing to do with providing happiness.
The Nutrition Expert and Coordination Office, which is part of the Styrian Health Fund, is responsible for the initiative. The initiative is funded by the Styrian Health Fund.
More information and links to the study and the funding campaign on the website: https://gesundheitsfonds-steiermark.at/erste-studie-zur-schulverpflegung-in-der-steiermark/
2024-04-18 06:36:20
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