International blog series: Transforming school food across Europe with SchoolFood4Change
Across Europe, schools are increasingly recognised as powerful places to shape children’s health, food habits and understanding of sustainability. But improving school meals alone is not always enough to create lasting change.
The SchoolFood4Change project set out to test a broader vision, involving a whole school food approach. Working with more than 600 schools across 12 countries, the three-year initiative explored how food can be embedded across school life, from classrooms and gardens to cafeterias and community partnerships. To mark International School Meals Day, we spoke to Annelies Smets, Project Coordinator for SchoolFood4Change at Rikolto, as part of our international blog series, about what the project has achieved, what schools and policymakers can learn and why food culture matters as much as what’s on the plate.
What is the whole school food approach and why is it more effective than improving school meals alone?
The whole school food approach is essentially a lens through which a school looks at food. It goes far beyond “what do we eat at school”. It is about the entire culture surrounding food: in the classroom, during projects, in the playground, in the cafeteria, and in collaboration with parents and the local community, such as the shops around the school. By addressing food in all these different contexts, you gradually create a school where healthy and sustainable eating becomes the norm.
I often use my own child’s school as an example. They have good food with organic and high-quality produce. However, when I ask my son what he had for lunch, he often says, “I don’t know”. At one point, he even stopped eating at school. It turned out that he found the canteen too noisy, he wasn’t interested in the food, and he wanted to go and play in the playground as quickly as possible. He also found it difficult to try new things without knowing what he was eating.
This is something which is avoidable if you apply a whole school food approach and consider school food holistically. Children learn to recognise what healthy and sustainable food looks like, they eat high-quality food together in a pleasant environment, they talk about food and have the time and learn the skills to appreciate the food.
Over the three years of SchoolFood4Change, what changes have you seen in schools that adopted the whole school food approach?
Over three years, schools that adopted the whole school food approach shifted from isolated food initiatives to a more coherent food culture. We saw improvements in the nutritional quality and sustainability of school meals but also broader changes: food became embedded in lessons, school gardens were used as learning spaces, and students became more engaged and curious about what they were eating.
Importantly, food moved from being a logistical issue to a shared educational and community priority. In many schools, children’s willingness to try new foods increased, food waste decreased, and conversations about sustainability became more visible across the school environment.
The project worked with more than 600 schools across 12 countries. What did you learn from implementing a shared European framework in different contexts?
I am very excited about what we have achieved within SchoolFood4Change. We have seen that the framework with four pillars and precise criteria worked, and schools and cities were enthusiastic about it. One key lesson was that a shared framework provides direction and common ambition, but flexibility is essential. Schools operate within very different cultural, economic and policy environments. What works in one country may need adaptation in another.
However, despite these differences, the core principles – healthy food, sustainability, participation and education – resonated everywhere. The framework worked best when it was seen not as a rigid checklist but as a guide that could be adapted locally while maintaining shared goals at European level.
Your report talks about moving “from pilots to policy”. Why is coordination at city or national level so important for lasting school food change?
Pilot projects can demonstrate what is possible but without policy support they often remain temporary or limited in scale. Lasting change requires structural backing: solid procurement standards, funding mechanisms, training systems and clear guidelines.
City or national coordination helps ensure consistency, equity and long-term commitment. It also makes it easier for schools to act because expectations and support systems are clear. When food policy is embedded at system level, schools are not working alone, they become part of a broader transformation.
Why is hands-on food education, like cooking and growing, essential alongside improving school meals?
Improving school meals is critical (especially with the current focus on ultra-processed foods) but it is not enough on its own. Hands-on food education connects children to where food comes from and how it is prepared. Cooking and growing build practical skills, confidence and curiosity.
Research and practice both show that when children are involved in preparing or growing food, they are more likely to try and appreciate healthier options. It also strengthens understanding of sustainability, seasonality and food systems, turning food from something passive into something participatory.
Teacher training was part of the SchoolFood4Change project, including webinars delivered by School Food Matters. Why was supporting teachers key to the success of the project?
Teachers are central to embedding food education into daily school life. Without their confidence and engagement, the whole school food approach cannot become part of the curriculum and culture.
Training provided teachers with practical tools, lesson ideas and a stronger understanding of the links between food, health, climate and learning outcomes. It also created a community of practice where educators could exchange experiences. Empowered teachers act as multipliers, ensuring the approach continues beyond the life of the project.
Within SchoolFood4Change, we have seen that, while some teachers are highly motivated to work on food education, many others do not have it top of mind. Supporting these teachers to develop their skills and understanding of healthy, sustainable food is essential. I believe that reaching teachers first is the most effective way to reach students.
What were the biggest challenges schools or cities faced when putting the whole school food approach into practice?
Common challenges included budget constraints, procurement regulations, time pressures within the curriculum, and resistance to change, whether from suppliers, staff, or families.
In some contexts, kitchens lacked infrastructure for fresh cooking. In others, there were policy barriers to sourcing local or organic food. Another challenge was coordination: bringing together education departments, catering services, health authorities and local stakeholders requires sustained collaboration.
Now that the project is coming to an end, we are seeing schools continue their work on implementing a whole school food approach. Once schools and cities begin this journey, they quickly start to see the value of their efforts and what began as a ‘project’ becomes a new way of organising school food. Over time, school food culture begins to shift. As the benefits become more visible, the challenges start to feel more manageable.
As the project concludes, what message would you share with policymakers and schools internationally?
School food is not a peripheral issue. It sits at the intersection of health, education, climate and social equity. If we want systemic change, we must treat school food as a strategic priority.
For policymakers: provide long-term frameworks, funding and cross-sector coordination. For schools: start with small, practical steps but think systemically. Change is possible, and when food becomes part of the whole school culture, the impact reaches far beyond the plate.
SchoolFood4Change shows that when food is treated as part of a school’s culture, the benefits can extend well beyond the lunchtime service, from healthier eating habits to stronger connections between schools, communities and local food systems. At School Food Matters, we recognise many of these principles in our own Nourish programme which also supports schools to embed nutritious, delicious and sustainable food across the entire school food environment.
As the SchoolFood4Change project concludes, its findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, cities and schools looking to create lasting change in how children experience food at school. You can explore the full findings and recommendations in the SchoolFood4Change report.