School catering and issues related to food made available to schoolchildren have constantly been on the agenda of state administration, media, entrepreneurs, and activists. On 18 February 2016, a workshop was organised in Riga by BSC researchers in the framework of the international research project TRANSMANGO („Assessment of the impact of drivers of change on Europe’s food and nutrition security”) were a scenario building method was applied in debating issues regarding school catering.
The workshop participants were given an opportunity to meet in neutral settings and engage in a discussion on the aims the system of school catering should meet and the challenges that have to be taken account of in planning school catering in the future. The workshop was attended by 19 participants, including representatives of catering companies, cooks, parents, schoolchildren, non-governmental organisations, municipalities, scientists, ministries, and public agencies, as well as four BSC researchers.
The discussion initially focused on the definition of aims for the national system of school catering. This step was then followed by a debate on the solutions needed in order to reach these aims. Finally, the workshop participants identified a range of challenges anticipated in the future development of school catering.
An overview of the debate and the main outcomes in Latvian is available here.
For more information on the project see http://www.bscresearch.lv/en/projects/transmango