From 4 to 6 November 2026, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact will bring together cities in Rotterdam for the Training for Cities: School Meals as a Catalyst for Behavioural Change and Climate Action.
The training is organised within the framework of the Cities Feeding the Future Initiative of the School Meals Coalition. It is promoted with the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Food and Eurocities, in collaboration with the city of Vantaa, in synergy with the CLEVERFOOD and Healthy Wave projects. The initiative is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
The training will focus on how behavioural strategies can support healthier and more sustainable food choices in school canteens, with particular attention to plant-rich diets. Participants will explore how behavioural insights, menu design, and food presentation can influence children’s food choices and contribute to healthier and more sustainable diets.
The three-day programme will combine technical presentations, interactive workshops, and peer exchange. Cities will have the opportunity to discuss common challenges, exchange practical and replicable solutions, and explore strategies that can be implemented in their own contexts.
Learning from cities and experts
The first day, on 4 November, will open with presentations from participating cities on their challenges and good practices in school meals. The core of the day will be a technical session led by Edwina Hughes from the World Resources Institute (WRI), exploring behavioural change in food environments and introducing the WRI Food Policy Toolkit. Building on this, participating cities will join an interactive workshop focusing on policy actions that could drive behavioural change in school food environments.
On 5 November, participants will join the “Healthy Wave” Final Conference. The programme will include contributions from the European Commission and the SchoolFood4Change project, followed by a panel discussion on rethinking healthy school meals. In the afternoon, parallel sessions will address local school food policy, early childhood education and care, and child poverty.
The final day, 6 November, will connect the training with ongoing European policy and research work on food and school meals. The programme will include the Eurocities Working Group Food meeting, updates from the Urban Agenda Partnership on Food, EU policy updates, and a presentation by Aurora Perez-Cornago from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, followed by the completion of the interactive hands-on work started on the first day. Field visits are planned for the afternoon.
Registration
The training is aimed at representatives and practitioners from cities working on school meals, catering, food policy, and public procurement. Registration is open until Friday, 16 October 2026.
