Sustainable Food Laboratory

December 12, 2007

In East Ayrshire, Scotland, children clamoring for food in the school cafeteria these days are clamoring for Salmon. This high quality offering hasn’t always been on the menu but is one outcome of Robin Gourley’s school meal improvement program, “hungry for success.” Gourley was one of 120 public food service managers, staff, and farmers from 10 European countries that gathered in Seville, Spain last month to talk about the details of school meal reform. These participants spoke different languages and came from different cultures but they held one challenge in common: advancing sustainable rural development through public and institutional food service.

Clive Peckham, conference organizer and director of AlimenTerra said,
“Food is one of the best ways for society to express its individuality and distinctiveness; public food systems can support and are a way for government to show commitment to sustainable development.”

The conference met November 8-9 and was organized by AlimenTerra in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Andalusia (Europe's leading agricultural region), through its Directorate General of Organic Agriculture. The conference was also part of AlimenTerra’s work on the Food for Health Initiative of the Sustainable Food Lab.

Gourley’s DVD presentation, excerpted from a BBC film, about his work overhauling school meals throughout the rural communities of western Scotland was one of 24 initiatives presented throughout the 2-day conference. Gourley reported that 26 schools throughout East Ayrshire have purchased all of their fresh produce within 30 miles of Kilmarnock.  This includes fresh meat from Aftonglen Farm in New Cumnock, Artesan cheese from Dunlop Dairy in Stewarton, organic milk from Clyde Organics in Lanark.  Free range eggs, locally grown vegetables, fruit and fresh fish. This adds up to over £200,000 now being invested in the local economy.

“I got very inspired after watching that movie to convince the New York department of agriculture to do a film to promote farm to school,” said Karen Karp or Karp Resources in New York City and a member of the Food Lab Staff who attended the conference.

Spanish public food service managers and staff from different regions in Spain made up 70 percent of the participants. The other 30 percent was from 9 other Euopean countries (Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Germany) and the United States and Canada. Participants also included producers who directly or indirectly supply public sector markets.

Franco Zecchinato was one of the producer representatives present. He is Chair of the El Tamiso producer co-operative from Padua in northern Italy that supplied the school kitchens in the city of Venice for three years. Franco said this was one of the very rare conferences he had been to where it was worth listening to the presentations.

Many of the presenters touched on the need for producers to organize and develop the necessary physical infrastructure and production planning expertise in order to supply public contracts. In Andalusia, a collection/distribution center that enables farmers in the region to access products from other cooperatives has enabled farmers to supply schools, care homes and hospitals with ingredients for 10,000 meals a day.

Clive said participants from Eastern Europe, Slovenia and Poland, stressed the importance of hearing about such initiatives. They said it helps them effect change in their own countries by seeing what works elsewhere. And by being involved in a wider network they can show their local stakeholders that people calling for more sustainable public food services are not isolated dreamers but a part of a strong and growing international movement.

The conference also marked the launch of European Alliance for Sustainable Public Food Systems, sponsored by the Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation. The objective of the Alliance is to create a common charter that is eventually adapted by government about “sustainable public procurement.” The first meeting of which will be held in London on January 21.

As one of the few from North America Karp reflected, “It is impressive to find this community of many countries/languages with a common aim—and the varied cultural/societal/economic conditions that exist in the different countries yet bring them together in such a collegial way.”

For more information, contact Clive Peckham