BioCity Vienna is international model for healthy nutrition

At the SALIMA 2008 International Food Fairs in the Moravian city of Brno this March, the capital of Austria, Vienna, presented itself as a model of healthy organic meals in public institutions.

As part of the accompanying programme for SALIMA 2008 in Brno, a conference took place on organic foods in the public sector. Provincial assembly representative Sonja Kato presented the successful Viennese concept of serving organic meals in schools, kindergartens and hospitals.

Vienna’s pioneering role in organic foods

“As a key account, the City of Vienna can have a positive impact on both the price and the quality of food, far more so than individual consumers”, explained Sonja Kato, member of the Vienna Provincial Parliament, in Brno. In just a few years, she said, Vienna had succeeded in exceeding the EU goal of making 30 per cent of the meals served in kindergartens organic. “In 2006, the percentage of organic ingredients in kindergarten meals was already as high as 50 per cent”, said Kato. Ninety one per cent of milk is organic milk. “The menus didn’t even have to be changed much, which accounts for the huge success of the programme with children”, Kato continued. Organic means in particular that foods are free of preservatives, artificial colouring and glutamates. The City of Vienna is helping improve the quality of food not just by being a major buyer of organic foods; as a municipality and province it is also Austria’s second largest organic farmer.

Vienna: healthy organic foods affordable for all

As Ms Kato went on to explain, in the ninety Viennese day-schools, the percentage of organic foods in meals is now at least 30 per cent. Over the next few years, this will rise to 50 per cent. Price is also a strong argument in favour of this concept. According to Sonja Kato, “In Viennese institutions, organic meals are not something that only wealthy families can afford.” Rather, they are affordable for everyone. “We have not increased the prices at all in kindergartens”, Sonja Kato continued. “For just three euros per school meal, we can guarantee high-quality, organic meals for everyone!” In hospitals too, where healthy meals are extremely important to recovery, organic meals are making a strong showing. In Vienna’s hospitals, about 30 per cent of ingredients for meals come from organic farms. In the case of bread, that figure is already one hundred percent, said Viennese representative Sonja Kato.

Vienna as an international model

Considerable interest in the talk given by the Viennese delegate also bore out the fact that Vienna is a role model for other countries and cities. Ms Kato answered questions from interested participants from a wide variety of countries, ranging from the Czech Republic and Great Britain to Denmark. The organizer, Tom Václavík of Green Marketing, was also impressed. “We hope that as many Czech cities as possible will catch up with Vienna”, he said in response to the Viennese presentation. “It is very encouraging to know that there is no additional cost to the families of the students”, said Joanna Collins from the British initiative Food for Life Partnership.

Excellent attendance and the large number of foreign experts from five countries at the conference “Organic food in public catering” in Brno also showed that there is considerable interest in this topic.

Summary based on media reaction: Healthy meals, especially for children and the sick, are extremely important and becoming even more so. In many of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, however, cost is still the primary issue. As a result, millions of children in Europe are still being given unhealthy meals. Vienna has shown that with organic foods not only can this change, but it can be cost-effective. This is the good news both for concerned parents and for politicians who want to offer healthy meals to children and the sick in their cities.

Links

SALIMA International Food Fairs www.natuerlich.wien.at “Organic meals in schools” initiative