MUFPP & ASEAN Summer School

29 Lug 2024

On the 23-26 July 2024 took place the MUFPP & ASEAN Summer School hosted by Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) of Bandung.

The summer school is part of the broader project Spreading Experiences and Knowledge on School Meals Programmes in ASEAN Cities, which has the aim to increase the capacity of city officers and member states from ASEAN countries to develop school meals programmes and policies that can multiply positive health, environmental, economic and social outcomes in local communities. By building on the needs and priorities of ASEAN cities and member states, the project increases opportunities for capacity building and city-to-city exchange within the MUFPP community, that can support ASEAN mayors and city officers in maximising the transformative potential of school meals for local food systems transformation.

The project is promoted by the Municipality of Milan – Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, ASEAN, supported by Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) and the Municipality of Bandung within the Cities Feeding the Future Initiative, and funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The project aligns with ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2021-2025), and in the framework of the ASEAN-Italy Development Partnership: Practical Cooperation Areas (2022-2026), by aligning with measure 18, measure 39 and measure 54. By building on the sharing of best practices from other MUFPP signatory cities in ASEAN, the project is supported by a broad range of strategic partners of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact.

Moving from the idea that cities and local governments are the governance unit practically implementing school meals programmes and governing their operative functioning, the summer school represents the core moment of the project, targeting city officers responsible for school meals programmes from all ASEAN countries.

Summer school attendees have been engaged into a 4 days of discussion, covering different topics relevant for school meals programmes, facilitating the knowledge sharing and exchanges.

Technical sessions from international experts have been complemented with dedicated interactive sessions to exploit the acquired knowledge using a group approach. In each session, participants have been invited to use the MUFPP Food Policy Tools developed within the Horizon 2020 Food Trails projects, with the aim to support them in the development of their project work proposal. A set of cities have been showcased to serve as concrete inspiration for similar contexts. Finally, a field visit to school meals programmes and related initiatives has been organised to offer hands-on experience to participants.

The first day presented the international and national status of ongoing initiatives, policies and activities on school meals programmes, presenting the work of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2021-2025), the School Meals Coalition and the Cities Feeding the Future initiative. During the update of the status of the MUFPP in Asia Pacific, 5 new signatory cities have been welcomed in the network: Chiang Rai (Thailand), Lang Son (Vietnam), Manado (Indonesia), Muaro Jambi (Indonesia), Phnom Penh (Cambodia).

The second day has been dedicated to nutritional guidelines & procurement practices, exploring aspects of nutrition, safety and hygiene, and the key importance of public food procurement for menu design. Attendees had the chance to hear best practices from cities like Singapore, Bandung and Bangkok, to deep dive on the topic. An interactive session on menu designing supported participants to reflect on their current menu planning and understand ways to improve it.

Day 3 focused entirely on monitoring systems and educational activities as two key aspects of the school meals programme of cities. Different methods for collecting data and monitoring the sustainability of school meals programmes were presented, showcasing international and local tools to be used. Educational activities were also explored as lever to generate multiple returns on social and economic dimensions. The day offered also the opportunity to have a field visit in one of Bandung’s schools to experience a healthy canteen best practice.

Day 4 was all dedicated to the importance of fostering stakeholders’ participation and engagement when talking about school meals programmes. After hearing about experts’ presentations, participating cities had the chance to work on their local context, mapping the stakeholders involved in their school meals discussion.