Lithuanian schools buy canteen food directly from local farmers
Several schools in southern Lithuania now cook their own meals and buy vegetables, eggs and meat from local farmers. Headteachers say the approach has brought children back to school canteens.
Several schools in southern Lithuania are dropping outsourced catering and preparing meals themselves, buying produce directly from local farmers. The schools want children to get fresh, high-quality food in their canteens. The approach is known as a short food supply chain: vegetables, eggs and meat reach the school from nearby farms.
Experience in the schools
Alma Burbaitė, headteacher of Šeštokai School in the Lazdijai district in southern Lithuania, says the model has brought children back from the shops to the school canteen. According to her, pupils eat locally grown fresh food prepared in a way similar to home cooking. The school buys turkey and other poultry, vegetables and fruit.
Simnas Gymnasium in the Alytus district also uses this model, purchasing fruit and vegetables directly from local farmers. This lets the school take children's preferences into account, and pupils choose which vegetables go on their plates. Head chef Eglutė Kilikevičienė tries to make seasonal soups from farmers' vegetables to get children used to eating soup. Laimutė Jarmalavičienė, headteacher of the gymnasium, stresses that children should get to know this food and understand it is high-quality, full of vitamins and healthy.
Plans and oversight
Daugai Vladas Mironas Gymnasium is preparing to start providing meals independently next year. Renovating its canteen will cost around €300,000. Giedrė Volungevičienė, head of the Education Department at Alytus District Municipality, says the aim is for one more school to switch to self-catering each year, since this ensures better-quality meals.
Farmer Mindaugas Anušauskas has supplied vegetables to educational institutions for several years. The produce must meet higher nutritional standards and is regularly inspected by the State Food and Veterinary Service. He says inspectors now come in person, check invoices, trace the supply chain through the system, visit the fields, and take samples of vegetables and cabbages, which are sent to Vilnius for testing.
