Lunch - Three stars for school and kindergarten food
From childhood onwards, promoting healthy eating through play: This goal of the Rhineland-Palatinate state government is gaining increasing importance with the growing number of all-day schools and daycare centers. The state program "Rhineland-Palatinate eats better" supports educational institutions both professionally and financially to provide children with adequate and sustainable catering, as announced by Minister of the Environment Katrin Eder (Greens) in Mainz.
Together with the Food Center Rhineland-Palatinate, schools and daycare centers can develop a plan for high-quality catering, focusing not only on taste but also on nutrition education. Institutions can earn up to three stars in the program.
Around 65 schools have already achieved three stars. The first star is awarded for the quality of catering, the second for the dining atmosphere and nutrition education, and the third for creating an own catering concept to ensure the achieved quality.
More than 160 schools have started the process since 2014, with around 65 having already achieved the third star. There are approximately 1,600 schools and 2,700 daycare centers in Rhineland-Palatinate, with nearly 1,300 schools offering some form of all-day care.
From the new school year, the web-based tool "Our School Lunch" will also facilitate the qualification process. Registrations are possible until September 15th, and the offer is free for schools. Around 900,000 euros per year are earmarked in the state budget for this and other nutrition awareness measures.
Qualification process for the catering of schools and daycare centers
The Rhineland-Palatinate government is heavily invested in encouraging healthy eating in schools and daycare centers, recognizing its growing importance with the rise of all-day schools. The government's budget allocates about 900,000 euros annually to support this initiative.
The state government, in collaboration with the Food Center Rhineland-Palatinate, empowers educational institutions to develop comprehensive plans for improving catering quality and nutrition education.
