Restoring Food Education

A balanced diet is a child’s fundamental right and school cafeterias are the primary way the French food model is passed on. In vulnerable areas, canteens also enable children to explain the benefits of preparation methods and quality food to their parents.

The journey of Gilles Pérole demonstrates the power of community and locavore culture to improve food quality for school children. He began the discussion by proudly proclaiming, “our school cafeteria is 100% sustainable, organic and as local as possible, with the majority of produce grown on our municipal farm.” This achievement required vision, dedication and commitment. Indeed, when he began looking into organic vegetables for the school cafeteria, he said, “they came from South America, and said ‘that’s impossible!’ We have land ideal for cultivation and we could not find local organic vegetables, so we decided to do it ourselves.” With homemade vegetarian meals and no waste, he has set a wonderful example, and others have followed suit with France now totaling 85 municipal farms. 

Laure Mardoc likewise made herself the change she wanted to see in the world. “I founded Cap Veggie because I realized I had so many talented chefs around me but as soon as I asked them to make a vegetarian dish, they were lost.” Since founding her company two years ago, Cap Veggie has trained 600 chefs and their teams.

You are never too young to learn, just ask Camille Labro, who launched the École Comestible movement in France, where children as young as 4 and 5 learn to develop a healthy understanding of food and its origins. “People are astonished to see children get so excited about a vegetable – it is because they grew it themselves! Since 2009, we have helped over 12,000 children develop a connection with and newfound respect for food.” Since 2009, the program has educated 12,000 youths and is now present in 100 schools in the Parisian and Aix-Marseille regions.

It is clear that by giving children the tools to understand sustainable nutrition, we set them up for a better, brighter and healthier future, but it is also necessary to sway decision-makers of today. According to Corinne Mbow, the answer is through collective awareness. “Our leverage is the pleasure of the table, food education, awareness vis-à-vis our children and cooking classes in schools. I think this is how we will change things in the long run and influence decisionmakers.”

Using the school systems to create a healthy, sustainable food culture will give students the practical skills to cook and eat well, as well as provide teachers with the necessary resources and support to pass on this knowledge and raise awareness of the professions within the food industry.

Being passionate about a worthy cause, proactively taking initiative when identifying unmet needs, and actively serving the community are all valuable ways in which we can collaborate to ensure that both current and future generations develop healthier relationships with food.