The School Meal Day gathers Helsinki dwellers to an event of tasting and insights - find out about today's school food at the Abattoir on Tuesday 11 November

School meals are an important part of the school day, but also a central element of Helsinki’s history. This is the city where, among the earliest ones, they started serving school meals in 1943. Free school meals were offered in all Finnish schools as by law in 1948. School meals have gone through transformations throughout the years, together with the changes in children and food culture. The School Meal Day offers a perception update to the present millennium as well as an opportunity to get acquainted with modern school food, by doing things together.

Knowledge, experiences and an exchange of ideas – for parents, children and decision-makers

During The School Meal Day on 11th November at 5-8pm at the Abattoir in Helsinki, the public has an opportunity to experience what school food is like. At the evening’s tasting, parents can try the food their children are eating at school. A historical view on school food is also offered, as well as the chance to challenge one’s own senses in the taste workshop. Alongside these experiences there is the possibility to exchange ideas concerning the future of school meals with those who plan and make them.

The aim of the School Meal Day is to allow the public an easy approach to the issue of everyday school food, as well as a means to have an influence on school meals in the future.

The patron of the School Meal Day is the recently appointed Food Culture Strategist, Timo Santala. - School meals are, together with the maternity package, a cornerstone of the Welfare State. It’s wonderful through this event to raise a discussion between the various participants involving also the students and parents themselves, Santala states.

Ways for pupils to have an influence on issues concerning themselves are called for in the new curriculum. ­  I find it brilliant that a similar trend can be seen in the development of the school meals in Helsinki, and that I get to discuss the issue with citizens of this city, Santala adds.

Restaurant Committees  - bringing together the makers and consumers of school food

The earlier part of The School Meal Day at the Abattoir is reserved for Restaurant Committees. The work of these committees started this year in Helsinki at schools, senior secondary schools as well as Stadin ammattiopisto (Helsinki Vocational College). Participants consist of student, teacher and school restaurant representatives.

The aim of the Restaurant Committees is to influence not only school food but the entire event of having a meal, for example the atmosphere and the interior decoration of the school restaurant.

The Helsinki #Kouluruokapäivä acts as a pilot event, which can in the future be arranged by any city, council or school in Finland. Material from the School Meal Day will be gathered to a web site towards the end of this year. Anyone interested in arranging a similar event to be able to find all the information they might require. In this way, everything one might need for developing school meals will be found in one place. - Enabling schools, councils and homes to share experiences and ideas allows for the taking of School Meals to the next level, a vision stated by the event’s coordinator, Sini Garam from ELO – Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture.

The School Meal Day is arranged in cooperation between The City of Helsinki, The Education Department, Tukkutori, Flavour Studio, Palmia, Finfood – The Finnish Food Information and ELO – Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture.

Follow the event in social media:
#Kouluruokapäivä
www.facebook.com/Kouluruokapaiva
www.kouluruokailu.fi

Media image gallery:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ujgitvxuxbf1i1z/AAAdZqKm28AUQ9fpTicemMVha?dl=0

Contact person for media, interview enquiries and assistance during the event

Sini Garam
ELO – Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture
050-5870929
sini.garam@elo-saatio.fi

Further information:

Airi Rintamäki, Helsinki Education Department
09-310 86307
airi.rintamaki@hel.fi

Tiina Ahola, Palmia catering
050-343 7117
tiina.ahola@palmia.fi

Minttu Virkki, Finfood – Finnish Food Information
050-326 12 31
minttu.virkki@ruokatieto.fi