Dr Roberta SonninoDr Roberta SonninoThe In ThingThe In Thing

Quality for All: School Meals in Rome

Dr Roberta Sonnino

School of City and Regional Planning

Cardiff University

School Meals in Rome: The Numbers 140,000 meals supplied every day (26,600,000

meals/year) -- 40% of Italian public school meals

92% of the meals cooked in the schools 70% of ingredients are organic PDO and PGI meat 280,000 Fair Trade bananas and 140,000

Fair Trade chocolate bars/week

School Meals in Rome: The Service Service entrusted to 6 food companies but

strictly monitored by the centre: 3,500 inspections by dieticians/year 1,100 inspections performed by a specialized

firm in 2005 Involvement of Local Health Authorities Canteen Commissions

School Meals in Rome: The Context

Finance Law 488/99: To guarantee the promotion of organic agricultural production of ‘quality’ food products, public institutions that operate school and hospital canteens will provide in the daily diet the use of organic, typical and traditional products as well as those from denominated areas, taking into account the guidelines and other recommendations of the National Institute of Nutrition

School Meals in Rome: The Process Rome began its “quality revolution” in 2001

Contracts awarded on the basis of the “economically most advantageous tender” emphasis on quality

The market for organic food was not well developed in Italy at the time identification of a few basic quality criteria; development of innovative award criteria that

have encouraged food companies to broaden the range of social and environmental services offered

School Meals in Rome: The Process

2002-2004 100-point award system

Price of the meal (51 points) Organizational characteristics of the service (30

points) Projects, interventions and services offered to

improve the eating environment and promote food education (15 points)

Additional organic products offered (4 points)

School Meals in Rome: The Process

In the 2004-2007 tender, Rome increased the number of both basic quality criteria and award criteria. The tender introduced:

New requirements to prevent childhood obesity Renewed emphasis on seasonality, variety,

tradition and nutritional health Increased number of organic products -- olive

oil, tinned tomatoes, cheese, bread and baked products, legumes, cereals, pasta, rice, flour, eggs and chocolate

2004-2007 AWARD CRITERIA Points

A Price 51

B Improving and restoring canteens, kitchens and furniture

9

C PDO and PGI products (meat and cured meats) offered in addition to those required by the tender

17

D Organization of training courses and informational campaigns

9

E Organizational features of the service 5

F Use exclusively of products from "bio-dedicated“ food chains

4

G Organic products offered in addition to those required by the tender

4

H Fair Trade products 2

School Meals in Rome: The Costs Costs of a meal: € 4,11 (£ 2.83)

Ingredients: € 1.9 (£ 1.31) -- 47% of the total Other direct costs: € 2 (£ 1.38) -- 50% of the

total Profit for the food companies: 0.13 cents/meal –

9 p/meal (3,2% of the total)

School Meals in Rome: The Costs

Families pay on the basis of their income: 5 meals/week: € 41.32 (£ 28)/month 25% discount for low-income families Service free for poor families

Costs of the school meal service in Rome: almost € 110 million (£ 76 million)/year The city has invested € 166 million (£ 114 million)

for the years 2004-2007

School Meals in Rome: The Benefits

Emphasis on food security and children’s health

School Meals in Rome: The Benefits

School meals and social inclusion

Behind the Roman School Revolution Innovative and solid partnership between

public and private sector Active involvement of producers

Wider governance philosophy that emphasizes both economic development and social cohesion

The Roman model Everything we do aims to combine economic

growth with social cohesion […] At the foundation of every choice we make there is always a way of working, collaborating, concerting, proceeding together: the municipality, the city council, and, with them, the business world, the trade associations, the social forces and the various subjects of the civil society. It is the willingness of creating a “system”. It is a ‘broad’ idea of what a managerial class is.WALTER VELTRONI, Mayor of Rome, 2006

Lessons from Rome

Need for a regulatory context that promotes creative procurement skills

School meals must be seen as a crucial strategy to achieve sustainability and community well being

Importance of a concerted action that mobilizes support for change amongst all actors involved

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