How health and the general environment are connected through diet and nutrition? What does healthy and sustainable mean for food in schools? Dr. Jennie Macdiarmid

What does sustainable mean? HEALTHY & SUSTAINABLE school meals HEALTH food and nutrient guidelines SOCIAL acceptable, peer pressure ENVIRONMENT minimise impact ECONOMIC financial constraints, economic growth greenhouse gases quality tasty healthy biodiversity value for money local culturally acceptable pleasurable seasonal convenient waterfootprint fat & sugar business

Sustainable and healthy food in schools Health  Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition (Scotland) Act 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.

Greenhouse gas emissions in the food system productionprocessing retail consumption food waste CH 4 N2ON2O CO 2 CH 4 composting

Greenhouse gas emissions of food But it depends: - production method - location / season - processing & storage red meat (beef/lamb) dairy products pork / white meat / fish / eggs fruits / vegetables / beans / pulses cereals sugar

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)

GHG emissions: examples of school meals %

Reformulate meals: reduce meat by a third Reform 1 kidney beansonion, peppers, leeks, carrots, turnips tomatoes, onion, rice reduce peppers rice Reform 2 kidney beans, vegetables, rice onion, leeks, carrots, pepper, turnips, couscous peppers, tomatoespeppers kgCO 2 e/ serving

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 ( ) - 30 primary schools / 9 secondary schools in England (3 weeks) - waste collected and sorted from all the schools WRAP

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

Vision for sustainable food in schools HEALTHY & SUSTAINABLE school meals HEALTH food and nutrient guidelines SOCIAL acceptable, peer pressure ENVIRONMENT minimise impact ECONOMIC financial constraints, economic growth greenhouse gases biodiversity localseasonal water useland use