Marche, 'Come ti cucino il bio' to promote healthy eating in schools

Another datum of interest is the number of municipalities, as contracting stations, that have requested access to the interministerial fund for organic school canteens: still taking the 2023/2024 school year as a reference, in the Marche there are 28 interested entities. In the course of time there has been an ever positive trend as the contracting stations adhering to the fund have gone from 5 in 2018, to 13 in 2019, to 15 in 2020, to 19 in 2021, to 25 in 2022 and 2023 and precisely 28 in 2024.

The 'Come ti cucino il bio' project envisages two strands of activity: conferences and demonstrations starring the cooks of the school canteens of the municipalities in the Marche region participating in the initiative, who are called upon to create innovative recipes using organic raw materials and products.

The school canteen cook has a role that goes beyond the simple preparation of meals; he or she must ensure that every dish served meets high standards of nutrition and taste, that there is no waste and that what reaches the pupil has also been assessed from the point of view of sustainability. The dishes will be judged by two juries: a technical jury composed of experts in the field and one composed of pupils using the school canteen service. As part of the conference activity, speakers have been chosen from among experts in the sector with the involvement of the teaching staff of the hotelier institutes and farms in the organic districts of the Marche region.

The Marche region represents the largest organic district in Europe,' as Antonini recalled when presenting the initiative, 'and 'Come ti cucino il bio' is 'an opportunity to strengthen the image of the Marche region as the cradle of organic farming and a healthy and sustainable food culture.

Promoting quality of life, through an integrated approach that recognises the close interconnection between human health and the environment, investing in prevention, education and responsible policies - which is the message launched at the InLife International Quality Life Forum in March - finds full realisation in 'How I cook you organic'. "A further step to reiterate that a more conscious and sustainable food education, especially among the younger generations, has positive effects on the entire community in terms of expenditure, services and interventions for citizenship," reiterated Antonini at the first meeting held at the Istituto Superiore Alberghiero Celso Ulpiani in Ascoli Piceno.