Espoo Catering and Ruukku ry participate in a school meal development project
Espoo Catering and the Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku are participating in the new school meal development project named ”Ruokailusta hyvinvointia varhaiskasvatuksesta toiselle asteelle”. The project will be implemented between 2025 and 2027 by the Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku, Finnish Heart Association Suomen Sydänliitto ry and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. It is part of the national health and wellbeing programme.
The aim of the project is to strengthen food education in schools and day-care centres from early childhood education to the upper secondary level, to increase the participation of pupils and school staff in the planning of meals, and to make mealtimes more comfortable. Cooperation in the project allows us to participate in the long-term development of school meals at the national level. Within Espoo, it allows us to incorporate the practical perspective into the broader whole.
We have many reasons to join the project:
- Our wide-ranging experience: Espoo Catering has extensive experience in school catering services – we prepare tens of thousands of meals every day in the schools and day-care centres of Espoo.
- Development opportunities: We want to contribute to the project’s success and use the resulting ideas and materials in our own operations.
- Cooperation: The project emphasises cooperation between different actors, including catering services, children, young people, parents as well as teaching and education personnel. We are committed to working as an open partner in this network.
How is the project visible in our operations?
In Espoo, we can work with Ruukku to pilot various workshops, surveys and materials in schools during the project. Teaching and education personnel can use the learning materials and tools in teaching.
Cooperation with Ruukku is important to us: in our opinion, the meals at schools and day-care centres are an important part of education and the broader work on wellbeing. We believe that successful meals are built on interaction, continuous development and a culture of experimentation. The project provides a new forum for these reflections and enables us to improve the school meal experience in Espoo.