Better Eating; Better Learning

1
How health and the general environment are
connected throughdiet and nutrition?
What does healthy and sustainable mean for food
in schools?
Dr. Jennie Macdiarmid
2
What does sustainable mean?
fat sugar
healthy
value for money
tasty
quality
business
local
pleasurable
convenient
culturally acceptable
seasonal
greenhouse gases
biodiversity
waterfootprint
3
Sustainable and healthy food in schools

• Health
• Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition
  (Scotland) Act 2007
• - food nutrient standards
• Social
• acceptability, preferences
• Economic
• affordable
• budgets
• Environment
• climate change (i.e. greenhouse gas emissions)
• food waste
• water use
• land use

We need to maintain healthy ecosystems so that we
can provide food for generations to come with
minimal negative impact to the environment. ww
w.scottishschoolmeals.co.uk/sustainability/
4
Greenhouse gas emissions in the food system
composting
5
Greenhouse gas emissions of food
red meat (beef/lamb) dairy products pork / white
meat / fish / eggs fruits / vegetables / beans /
pulses cereals sugar

• But it depends
• - production method
• location / season
• processing storage

6
Example of meals in primary schools
Red meat (i.e. beef, lamb, venison, pork) 30
meals offered Nutritional requirements for food
and drink in schools recommends 2 x
week offered 4 x week
(range 2- 6)
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GHG emissions examples of school meals

8
Reformulate meals reduce meat by a third
kgCO2e/ serving
Reform 1 kidney beans onion, peppers, leeks, carrots, turnips tomatoes, onion, rice reduce peppers rice
Reform 2 kidney beans, vegetables, rice onion, leeks, carrots, pepper, turnips, couscous peppers, tomatoes peppers
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Food waste in schools

• Sustainability issues
• - embedded energy in uneaten food (e.g. GHGE)
• cost in purchasing food, preparing and disposal
  of waste
• lost nutritional benefits of uneaten food
• likes and dislikes of the food
• Survey in England (2009-10)
• - 30 primary schools / 9 secondary schools in
  England (3 weeks)
• waste collected and sorted from all the schools
• WRAP 2011

http//www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Food20was
te20in20schools20full20report20.pdf
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• 80,382 tonnes food waste in school per yr
• (83 avoidable)
• 69 waste in primary schools
• 72 canteen, kitchen
• 22 classroom, play ground
• 6 other. e.g. staffroom

most common foods 49 fruit vegetables 17
mixed dishes
greenhouse gas emissions
http//www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Water20an
d20Carbon20Footprint20report20Final2C20Nov2
02011.pdf
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Vision for sustainable food in schools
local
seasonal
greenhouse gases
biodiversity
water use
land use