Why is evidence important in the study of food& nutrition literacy, learning and health in children foodscapes ?: . Presentation at "Innovation , learning, sustainability and competence to act" . Opening of school feeding scheme LOMA - local food on Nymarksminde School - A New Nordic School in Svendborg Kommune, Monday 21 October 2013

Description

Why is AAU-MENU involved, when school food at the School of Nymark is to be developed? And isn’t the university just another “spielverderber” to slow down things with their never ending talk about theories and evidence ? On the contrary. Firstly, LOMA is much more than simple meals. Unlike other schools that in many cases settle for much less with ready cooked meals, LOMA is much more ambitious. It is a good example of a solution that we scientists like to refer to as meaningful and coherent foodscapes. It involve not only the food, but dimensions of learning, health and social innovation that the act of procurement, planning , serving and eating can bring about if it is approached in the right way. So when the school of Nymark in Svendborg a few years ago outlined the initial plans to establish a canteen and a production kitchen where students were to be included in food production and where the students were to develop food & nutrition literacy through pedagogical and didactic processes we began to listen very intense. In particular my colleague Dorte Ruge, who are PhD students were quick to seize the opportunity to develop proper research around the case of LOM . At AAU-MENU we are deeply involved in research on food and dining at the school and know how important evidence and detailed protocols for research and evaluation is. Therefore we soon became involved in the LOMA with the idea to create something new. An approach based on the principles of a Whole School Approach and which emphasizes the importance not only of healthy food but just as much the learning that potentially can evolve around it. We have been very pleased with the cooperation Svendborg Kommune, Nymark school has invited AAU MENU and UCL to engage in. We believe that the key innovations have greater chances to develop and succeed when they are created in partnership with concerned actors. As a participant in international networks like EUPHA, FOOD LINKS and COST actions such as the one on Urban Gardening we will refer to LOMA and already it has attracted international interest and we are quite proud that we today have a representative of the University Barcelona which are doing research on childrens foodscapes. I amsure that we together can contribute to the advancement of the emerging foodscape studies (FSS). We believe that LOMA has great potential to set the standard for future foodscape at school especially when we are talking food literacy, learning and health in children foodscapes. Therefore, I wish municipality and school congratulations with LOMA and we are looking forward to an exciting future cooperation

Period	21 Oct 2013
Held at	Unknown external organisation