Student meals benefiting health and communities : food recommendations for vocational institutions and general upper secondary schools

Abstract

Student Catering Benefiting Health and Communities is the first joint publication by the National Nutrition Council, Finnish National Agency for Education, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare of its kind, providing food recommendations specifically for vocational institutions and general upper secondary schools. The publication includes the regulatory framework for organising student catering and nutritional recommendations. The publication also gives tips and ideas for product and service design, cooperation practices, communications, and the monitoring and evaluation of operations.

The general principles adhered to in the food recommendations are the promotion of sustainable lifestyles, social inclusion, non-discrimination and health equality. The recommendations promote regular meals as an integral part of study and work, with social eating in a welcoming environment as a key factor maintaining productivity in studies and at work and the overall wellbeing of the entire school community. School catering services should be based on providing tasty, nutritious and healthy meals while upholding the goals of sustainable development and climate change prevention. Social eating in educational institutions is a central element of a good, sustainable daily life.

The recommendations are aimed at education providers and their support organisations, educational institutions, teachers, student welfare services, school catering services, students and their families. They can also be used for the applicable parts as learning material in health education and home economics in upper secondary schools, welfare planning in vocational institutions, and in the vocational and further training in hospitality and catering and social and healthcare.