Lyon’s canteens are going green. Last week, the municipality of EELV of Lyon presented its new offer for school restaurants in the city, proposed from the beginning of the 2022 school year. On the program: 50% organic products, 50% local products and, above all, an increase in the vegetarian offer . The City has indeed committed itself to offer a 100% vegetarian alternative to the students of the municipality on a daily basis. explanation.
From September 2022, the 129 school canteens in Lyon will serve two different menus to their guests, as reported 20 minutes† The first is called “Petit Bouchon”, referring to traditional restaurants in Lyon. It offers a meat dish on the first day of the week, then meat or fish on the second day and finally two vegetarian meals. The second menu “Young shoot” is completely vegetarian. This offer “is in favor of the use of foods such as grains and legumes, whose production is more climate-friendly, with a significantly reduced CO2 impact”, indicates the city of Lyon. The protein intake will be ensured by preparations based on vegetable proteins, eggs and dairy products.
Families will be able to choose between these two proposals, or a “mixed” option, from the next registrations that will take place in the spring.
On the menu, organic and local
The reform carried out by the municipal team of Grégory Doucet wants to “reconcile food quality and environmental quality”† The 26,500 meals served daily in the canteens will therefore contain 50% organic products and 50% of the offer will be local, 20 Minutes indicates. In addition to offering a daily vegetarian alternative to its students, the Lyon municipality specifies that: “Canteen managers are made aware of the nutritional value of a plant-based kitchen and support children in educating healthy, varied and high-quality food”† The municipality has also set itself the goal of having 100% organic and seasonal products in canteens by 2026.
For social justice reasons, the city says these menu changes “will have no impact on costs for families.” The municipality has also promised to bear the additional costs of the menus of up to 4 million euros, reports Lyon Mago†
Awareness “from field to plate”
At the heart of these changes is the desire to educate young people “from field to plate”. This also requires an educational project to be set up to train tomorrow’s consumers in the challenges of sustainable, healthy and responsible nutrition. “We believe it is essential to explain to children why organic is better for health, why local is better for economic life. (…) We want to take them to farms, to fields, to explain to them the problems of food waste, sorting, recovery of bio-waste…”explains Stéphanie Léger, Deputy Mayor for Education and quoted by 20 minutes†
The city of Lyon is therefore committed to a healthier, plant-based and ecological diet. Does your canteen not offer a daily vegetarian option? To find out how to apply for and obtain this choice, read our article on the subject by clicking here.