School food is crucial for children’s eating habits and therefore their health. Yet the topic is of little interest to politicians in Austria. But parents could often do more to ensure that their children eat in a way that is good for them.
In any case, much later than other EU countries, Austria committed itself since last year through its National Action Plan to guarantee children a warm, healthy meal every school day. But almost nothing has happened. “The hat is on fire” when it comes to healthy nutrition, especially for schoolchildren, warned Volkshilfe, the association Zukunft Essen, the nutrition institute SIPCAN and the Children’s Rights Platform during a joint press conference on Monday.
Barely more than lip service from parties
Despite all the lip service from the parties about how important the issue is to them, a party broadcast of Zukunft Essen showed that they hardly want to follow up their words with actions. The FPÖ even believes that the issue has a “very low priority” in the next parliamentary term. The ÖVP is completely silent on the subject. But NEOS is also sceptical when it comes to legally binding minimum standards for school meals. Only the SPÖ and the Greens promise to guarantee an improvement.
Vienna is only average in Austrian statistics
But political will alone is not enough, as the example of Vienna shows: Although the federal capital has been committed to free meals in all-day compulsory schools since 2023, this is only average in the Austrian statistics of SIPCAN – or not at all. . Accordingly, there is no hot food at all in a third of schools in Vienna. This puts Vienna below average. In Upper Austria, children receive hot food in 85 percent of schools, in Burgenland even 92 percent.
In the schools where food is available, it is often scarce from a nutritional point of view: Vienna scores only an average of 36 percent of the supply that is classified as health-promoting. In Burgenland it is 55 percent, in Upper Austria at least 50 percent. In any case, 46 percent of the supply in Viennese schools consists exclusively of a school buffet, the rest is dominated by catering. Only 18 percent of Viennese schools cook, while the average in Austria is 31 percent.
‘Think outside the box’ when it comes to eating habits
However, parents are partly to blame for the situation, as the food offered at school in Vienna is only used by 17 percent of children, which is also well below the average of 31 percent. Manuel Schatzer from SIPCAN encourages children and parents to take advantage of healthy food offers and to “think outside the box” of what is offered at home. Elisabeth Schaffelhofer-Garcia Marquez from the Children’s Rights Network also believes that, in addition to all the calls to those responsible, families should also “start with themselves.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
