Nutritional implications of organic conversion in large scale food service: Preliminary results from Core Organic research

Summary

The discussion about nutritional advantages of organic consumption has traditionally focused on the properties of the food it self. Studies have shown however that change of consumption patterns towards organic food seems to
induce changed dietary patterns. The current research was a part of the iPOPY study and was conducted to investigate if such changes can be found in school food settings. In other words does organic food schemes at school and related
curricular activities help to create environments that are supportive for healthier eating among children? The research was carried out among school food
coordinators in public schools in Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Italy. A questionnaire was adapted to fit the different languages and food cultures in the
countries. The data suggest that schools with organic supply tend to develop organisational environments that a more supportive for healthy eating than their
non organic counterparts. However the results were only significant for Denmark and Italy. In Germany results were significant in some cases whereas for Finland
there were no differences or results were contradictory. The findings suggest the changes in school food services seems to be driven by different agendas but that
awareness raising on nutrition and sustainability issues seems to be an important feature of many change processes. Findings also suggest that the two agendas although separated in the scientific literature is more integrated in the everyday life perspective of school practitioners.