Written by Clémence Eugene, Communication Officer

In March 2022, we shared the news that the Evere canteen was working on being awarded the Good Food label by Brussels Environment, in October 2022 : it’s done!

We are very pleased to inform you that the Evere canteen has received the label which rewards the efforts made to support sustainable food. The Compass Team has been working hard and educating students on a daily basis about the need to take care of our planet and the role that food plays in this.

To understand the complexity of the project, we turned to the canteen manager.

How long did the process take? (to apply, follow-ups, etc)

The procedure is quite long because there are a lot of criteria to respect (workshops with the children, menu procedures, waste counting measures, statistics, Excel tables, satisfaction surveys with compulsory questions, etc.). It takes about 4 months to prepare properly. There is also an imposing administrative file to fill in.

How many “forks” has the canteen been awarded? (Three levels, like a star rating)

We compiled the file to obtain 1 fork, because to obtain a second fork, the criteria are even more rigorous, and it is more complicated to achieve with nursery and primary school children. We have obtained 1 fork for 3 years.

Do you have any future activities prepared for the children? (Preparing the menu with them, as done previously, or other?)

In the mandatory criteria mentioned above, there are at least 2 activities in interaction with the children.

Last year we did workshops on healthy snacks and highlighting seasonal vegetables. We also involved the P4 children in the development of the menus, did tastings with the children and more. The criteria are strict, e.g. the menus must have 2 Belgian fruits per week, 8 exclusively organic products, 80% of vegetables in season, 1 vegetarian meal per week, no industrial desserts (like biscuits, waffles, etc.) unless they are Fairtrade labelled and are occasional, etc.

The project requires a lot of involvement, rigour, and time. Indeed, the elements put in place to obtain the ‘forks’ must be maintained, or the label can be withdrawn; indeed, possible controls may be carried out by Brussels Environment. 

The setting up of the compost and the vegetable garden was an additional criteria that was also taken into account in the dossier. All these criteria and activities will have to be re-evaluated when the label is renewed in 2025.

We are very proud of the team and congratulate them for their daily involvement!