Strasbourg, 13 March 2025
On this year's International School Meals Day, European decision makers heard increasing calls for healthy school meals and food education for all children directly from those affected the most - the students themselves. A delegation of ICLEI Europe advocates, young students, and city representatives took their message directly to the heart of European policymaking, meeting with EU Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Invited by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and representative of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Dario Nardella, a delegation of students actively participated in a lively discussion, facilitated by ICLEI Europe and IFOAM Organics Europe, with the Mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian, Parliamentarians, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, and European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Olivér Várhelyi. ICLEI Europe created a valuable space for intergenerational exchange, demonstrating that effective food policy must include the voices of students at the decision-making table.
A major highlight of ICLEI’s activities on International School Meals Day was the handover of more than 111,000 signatures from the “Free healthy school meals for all children” Petition to Commissioners Hansen and Várhelyi. The petition, addressed to the European Commission and EU Member States, calls for good school food and food education for all children and urges support for the pioneering work of cities and regions in providing healthy and sustainable school meals.
“School meals should taste good and there should be some vegetarian options. The petition that we presented today was already signed by over 111,111 people, and we hope that it leads to real change, so that every child can enjoy good food at school and learn how to eat well for life”, emphasised the pupils from Markgräfler Gymnasium Müllheim (Germany) who took part in the discussion in Strasbourg.
With over 90 million pupils and students attending schools and universities across Europe, the provision of nutritious, healthy meals at educational institutions, paired with adequate food education, has the potential to tackle poverty and reduce health disparities among children and youth. Cities and regions are at the forefront of this change, being important supporters, sometimes even funders and administrators of schools.
“School catering plays a crucial role in the green transition, in ensuring social justice and in promoting public health. As a city, together with all other municipalities in Europe, we need the support of the EU to move forward” said the Mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian.
ICLEI’s work - through SchoolFood4Change and its advocacy campaign Buy Better Food - aligns with the ambitions of the European Child Guarantee, an initiative launched by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in 2019 to protect the rights of vulnerable children from social exclusion, by guaranteeing them access to essential services, including at least one healthy school meal per day. Already around half of the 27 EU countries have included school meals in their National Action Plans to implement the EU Child Guarantee by 2030.
Despite this progress, there is currently no unified EU vision that aligns existing programs to improve school nutrition, which is why ICLEI Europe calls for coordinated efforts that build on the existing work streams of the European Commission’s Directorates General (DG), such as the EU School Scheme (DG Agriculture and Rural Development), the EU Child Guarantee (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and DG SANTE’s (DG for Health and Food Safety) work on developing guidance for food procurement.
The event organised by ICLEI and IFOAM Organics Europe on International School Meals Day (13 March) gathered politicians from across the political spectrum. The discussion revealed a growing consensus and will to act, as Commissioner Hansen stated “Collaboration across political groups and joint initiatives are the way forward”. Commissioner Várhelyi reinforced: “Eating habits are formed from a very young age and schools can be the place where children learn about nutrition. This requires a strong commitment from everyone involved, as school catering is the starting point for a healthy life.”
As the petition continues to gain momentum, the message is clear: children across Europe deserve healthy and accessible school meals and food education. Sign the Petition. Public support can make a difference.
Learn more about ICLEI Europe’s efforts to bring about a sustainable food system transformation here.
The EU-funded project SchoolFood4Change was launched in January 2022 and aims to engage schools as catalysts for a transformation towards a sustainable food system. The 43 organisations from 12 European countries, coordinated by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, bring all relevant school food actors to one table: students, parents and teachers, farmers, chefs and canteen staff, sustainable food procurement experts, dietitians, and local enterprises. The heart of the project is a three-fold approach that includes sustainable food procurement, the implementation of planetary health diets and the holistic “Whole School Food Approach”. In the first year, the project teams have engaged schools and laid the foundations for a shift towards more sustainable food, by introducing the ‘Whole School Food Approach’ to participating schools. SchoolFood4Change is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. It started in January 2022 and will run for four years. Findings will be replicable within and beyond the EU.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125 countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low-emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development. ICLEI Europe provides members in Europe, the Middle East, and West Asia with a voice on European and international stages, a platform to connect with peers, and tools to drive positive environmental, economic, and social change.
