The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia as the associated partner is supporting the “Organic Food in School Meals” project, also known as the “BSR Food Coalition,” for a duration of two years, starting from October 2022 and concluding on 30 September 2024. The primary objective of this initiative is to promote the usage of locally sourced organic food in school meals, with a particular focus on supporting the produce of small and medium-sized farmers.
One of the initiatives is the Farm to School programme – a proven success in Sweden’s Karlstad region over several years. It has resulted in enhanced school catering system while establishing well-organised food supply chains. Karlstad municipality has been committed to refining the nutritional quality of meals in local schools. Over the years, the chefs of Karlstad have gained expertise in reconciling the pupils’ desire for tasty food, the offer of local producers and food providers, the municipality’s budget, and environmental considerations.
In late October and the beginning of November 2023, a professional exchange seminar and workshops were conducted in Latgale, in partnership with the municipality of Karlstad. School chefs from Daugavpils, Rēzekne, Ludza, Balvi, and other regions, covering all municipalities in the Latgale region, participated in masterclasses led by Swedish chefs and nutritionists. On October 30 and 31 in Daugavpils and on November 3 in Rēzekne.
These masterclasses were conducted by three Swedish experts:
- Alain Grenard, the Chief Nutritionist at Karlstadt Municipality with more than 15 years of experience in school catering. He is not only a chef but also an agricultural specialist and serves as a mentor for the Farm to School programme. He is responsible for overseeing 150 school cooks.
- Andreas Maninnerby, the Kitchen Manager at the Sundsta-Älvkullegymnasiet Gymnasium in Karlstadt.
- Anton Utterström, the Kitchen Manager at Fredricelundsskolan in Karlstadt.
The Latgale Region municipalities and local educational institutions actively participate in various activities of the project, including the conference titled “Farm to School Programme – no need to re-invent the bicycle”, which took place on November 1. The conference was organised by the Latgale Planning Region in collaboration with the Karlstad Region Municipality, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia, and SIA “Latvijas lauksaimniecības un izglītības centrs”. During the visit, Irina Paura, the Director of Daugavpils Secondary School of Technology-Liceum, shared insights with the Swedish representatives about the school’s achievements in improving the catering process and achieving the project’s objectives. She also highlighted the school’s collaboration with local caterers and elaborated on the necessary alterations to the Latvian legal framework in relation to Latvian school meals.
The target audience for this project includes local organic food producers, school administrators, municipal representatives, students, and parents. Although the project is ongoing, its positive impact is already evident. Throughout the project, participants have increased their knowledge about healthy and balanced nutrition and gained a better understanding of the importance of a nature-friendly lifestyle, not only in school meals but also in their daily lives.
Furthermore, the project has facilitated a network of valuable connections for future collaboration at the local, regional, and international levels. It is anticipated that the project will improve the competitiveness of local organic food producers in the Latgale region, shorten the distribution chain for organic food products, and promote the consumption of locally sourced products.
The BSR Food Coalition project is co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027. On the regional level, it is coordinated by the Latgale Planning Region and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia. The project partners in Latvia are the Latgale Planning Region and the Kurzeme Planning Region.
On behalf of our office, this project is coordinated by our colleague Vadims Murašovs from the Daugavpils branch.
For more information about the project, please visit the project website (in Latvian) or browse the programme’s official website at www.interreg.lv.
Further reading: Nordic Council of Ministers study “8 Megatrends in the Nordic and Baltic Food Systems”.
