The contribution of collective catering to the well-being and sustainability of future generations

Collective catering—and specifically that in the schools—has a strategic role in promoting healthy and sustainable eating habits, especially for the new generations, and it is a unique laboratory of nutrition and social inclusion.  

Each year in Italian schools, 403 million meals are served, with a trend that has remained essentially stable in recent years. Of these, 69% is provided by collective catering operators, with a value of approx. €1.2 billion.

And yet, 1 child out of 2 in Italy does not use the school meal service, with major geographical discrepancies: from an average of 33% in northern Italy, it rises to peaks of over 80% in Sicily and Molise.

Using this as a base, The European House – Ambrosetti, in collaboration with Elior, has prepared the position paper titled “The contribution of collective catering to the well-being and sustainability of future generations”. The report analyzes the current status of the school meal service in Italy and highlights its system-wide value on an economic, social and environmental level, while also identifying opportunities and obstacles to its development and defining a series of policy recommendations capable of reinforcing its strategic role in shaping the eating habits of the Italians of tomorrow.

Read the Position Paper

Conceptual Map

Read the article by Corriere.it