[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/11615\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe school route to healthier eating \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the lunch bell rings at the Sancta Maria primary school in the Belgian city of Leuven, standard packed meals aren\u2019t on the menu for dozens of hungry children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead, the pupils receive freshly prepared, hot organic vegetarian fare delivered daily to the school canteen. The meals come by bicycle from nearby, purpose-built kitchens belonging to \u201cFoodatelier\u0026nbsp;C\u00e9sar\u201d \u2013 a service set up by a parent keen to promote healthy diets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEye-opening menus\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe students are participating in a project that received EU funding to improve the nutritional value of meals served at schools across Europe. Called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101036763\u0022\u003ESchoolFood4Change\u003C\/a\u003E, the four-year initiative runs until the end of 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Sancta Maria and two other schools in Leuven, a medieval city located 25 kilometres east of the Belgian capital Brussels, the new menus were introduced in November 2023. Some early resistance by children has waned as they get accustomed to the cuisine, according to\u0026nbsp;Tom Berghmans, the parent behind the catering service.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We notice that the way the food is served, who serves it and what they do to motivate the children play an even bigger role in getting them to try new things than the taste itself,\u2019 said Berghmans, a local architect who has two children getting to sample the new school offerings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchoolFood4Change features 3 000 schools and 600\u0026nbsp;000 children in total across Europe. The cities represented are in 11 EU countries besides Belgium: Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe goal is to make healthy food a regular part of children\u2019s lives. With obesity on the rise in Europe and awareness growing of industrial agriculture\u2019s threat to the environment, the idea is to instil in young people an appreciation of eating habits that benefit both people and nature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhole view\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe European branch of a global network of local and regional governments known as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iclei-europe.org\/\u0022\u003EICLEI\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;is running the EU project.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re looking not just at getting the food on the table but also at how it gets there and the potential, from an educational point of view, to help foster healthier diets and eating habits,\u2019 said Amalia Ochoa,\u0026nbsp;head of sustainable food systems at ICLEI\u2019s Freiburg office in Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWho produces the food, where it comes from and how meals are prepared are all of concern to SchoolFood4Change \u2013\u0026nbsp;in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the EU\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/food.ec.europa.eu\/horizontal-topics\/farm-fork-strategy_en\u0022\u003EFarm to Fork\u003C\/a\u003E strategy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re looking not just at getting the food on the table but also at how it gets there.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAmalia Ochoa, SchoolFood4Change\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn what it calls a \u201cwhole school food\u201d approach, the project encourages\u0026nbsp;cooperation among small farmers, schools, local food suppliers and caterers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This approach looks at the bigger scheme of things \u2013 of achieving a healthy and sustainable food culture in and around schools, including public procurement of food, training school chefs and getting the chefs and farmers that grow the food to work with children,\u2019 said Ochoa.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn making sure that every participating child has at least one healthy meal each school day, the project is also contributing to an EU goal to ensure\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/chso.12700#chso12700-bib-0014\u0022\u003Efree school meals\u003C\/a\u003E for all children in need in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2022, almost\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php?title=Children_at_risk_of_poverty_or_social_exclusion#:~:text=24.4%25%20of%20children%20in%20the,compared%20with%2021.1%20%25%20of%20adults.\u0026amp;text=In%202021%2C%20dependent%20children%20living,in%20the%20EU%20(44.1%25)\u0022\u003Eone in four\u003C\/a\u003E people under the age of 18 in the EU was at risk of poverty or social exclusion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018For children from disadvantaged\u0026nbsp;families, lunch may be the only good meal that they have,\u2019 said Ochoa. \u2018Some schools are also looking at breakfast snacks because many children are coming to school on empty stomachs.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe said that numerous cities in SchoolFood4Change are working with schools in more disadvantaged areas but not exclusively because children in general are considered a vulnerable group.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EObesity influences\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPoverty can increase the likelihood of obesity by limiting people\u2019s access to healthy foods.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERoughly one in three children in Europe is overweight or living with obesity, according to a 2022\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.who.int\/europe\/news\/item\/03-05-2022-new-who-report--europe-can-reverse-its-obesity--epidemic\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E by the World Health Organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EObesity, which can lead to diseases such as diabetes and cancer, has drawn the attention of Professor Franco Sassi, director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation at Imperial College London in the UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe led an EU-funded research project that examined the spread of childhood obesity in European countries and what policy responses would be the most effective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECalled\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/774548\u0022\u003ESTOP\u003C\/a\u003E, the project wrapped up in November 2022 after more than four years and brought together researchers from across Europe as well as from New Zealand and the US.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing cutting-edge techniques to measure biomarkers in children and identify the main factors linked to obesity, the experts concluded that its origins begin before birth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe health of both parents starting from before conception, and particularly of the mother during pregnancy, plays an important role. This suggests that tackling obesity in children requires addressing the health of young mothers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to ensure that women of child-bearing age are able to have a healthy lifestyle and live in an environment that is conducive to healthy choices,\u2019 said Sassi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPoverty link\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe STOP research also reinforced the connection between obesity and poverty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIncentives for industry to reformulate their products make it a lot easier for people of low socioeconomic status to eat healthy diets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Franco Sassi, STOP\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELiving in disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances entails a number of risk factors for obesity, according to the project.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese factors include neighbourhoods that lack green spaces and are difficult or unsafe for children to walk through, an excess of food outlets that typically sell little or no fresh fruit and vegetables and a high share of fast-food stores.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESTOP also identified that children who get more than 30% of their calories from ultra-processed foods \u2013 junk food \u2013 are much more likely to become obese early in life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESassi said regulation is an effective way of making healthy choices the easy option, not only by limiting the number of fast-food shops in any neighbourhood but also by encouraging suppliers to produce intrinsically healthier products.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Incentives for industry to reformulate their products make it a lot easier for people of low socioeconomic status to eat healthy diets,\u2019 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the UK, for example, a tax on sweetened drinks prompted a fall in consumption and pushed manufacturers to drop the sugar content by 40%.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESTOP suggests such taxes could be widely extended to food products as well as drinks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBack to school\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers examined ways to help families tackle weight troubles in children and to build obesity-prevention programmes into regular school activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project tested an app for parents meant to encourage physical activity for their children and improve food choices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt enables parents of pre-school children to log their intake of sugary foods as well as fruits, vegetables and drinks. Feedback comes at the end of each week \u2013 as do regular notifications with tips drawn from current diet and exercise guidelines for pre-schoolers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe app was trialled in Romania, Spain and Sweden by 150 families. While the results are still being analysed, the app could lead the way in making treatment for early childhood obesity more accessible and effective, according to Sassi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe STOP team also worked with national public health agencies in six European countries \u2013 Estonia, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain \u2013 to identify the barriers to stepping up physical-activity programmes at schools. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe inspiration was a school programme in Slovenia that improved access to sports and regularly monitored children\u2019s fitness levels, providing a benchmark for the pupils and their families.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile such arrangements cost money, they should be seen as a long-term investment in public health, according to Sassi.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In the overall scheme of things, compared to the running of schools generally, it\u2019s a minor investment that is required,\u2019 he said. \u2018The intervention is justified by its benefits going forward, including in terms of reducing future medical expenditure.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, back in Leuven,\u0026nbsp;Berghmans emphasised how a little imagination can help children overcome resistance to healthier meals and even ultimately embrace them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe said that, at one of the Belgian schools taking part in SchoolFood4Change, pupils willing to try a meal they frown on receive a gold-coloured spoon as a recognition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Especially for the younger children, this is a game changer,\u2019\u0026nbsp;Berghmans said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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