Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Data from the World Resources Institute presented on World Food Day: Milan is the most sustainable out of 38 areas examined, for the equivalent of 940 million meals a year

Milan, October 16 2020 – In five years, by acting on school menus, Milan has managed to reduce CO equivalent emissions by 20%.₂. This is the best result achieved not only at a local level, but also at a European and international level, among the 38 members of the 'Cool food pledge' initiative, all collective catering entities that prepare a total of 940 million meals a year.

This is certified by the authoritative international research center World Resources Institute which, through the international initiative, analyzes every year the food purchases of school canteens in Milan, as well as large company canteens such as those of Ikea, Bloomberg, Nestlè, Morgan Stanley , World Bank, Hilton Hotels, Max Burger, hospital canteens in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and university canteens such as Harvard and Pittsburgh.

“Today, on the occasion of World Food Day, we are celebrating a great result – comments the deputy mayor with responsibility for Food policy Anna Scavuzzo –, achieved thanks to the intense work we have done on school menus with Milano Catering. The Municipality of Milan has developed a Food policy as a legacy of Expo, aimed at improving access to healthy and sustainable food. By monitoring food policy actions, it was possible to certify a 5% reduction in CO emissions in 20 years₂ of school canteen menus. An exciting goal and a working method that we want to propose to the city's collective catering to reduce emissions from Milan's food system."

“Milan catering is implementing the Food policy every day through a virtuous path that has allowed it to guarantee a healthy, good, fair and sustainable meal – states the President of Milan catering Bernardo Notarangelo –, the continuous innovation and research in the menus has allowed us allowed to develop tasty recipes with environmentally friendly ingredients. Among the main changes introduced are carrot pie, turkey stew and soy sauce for lasagne and pasta, dishes appreciated by children and young people who receive the Municipality's school lunch service every day".

Milan was the first city to join the program - followed by Toronto, Copenhagen and Ghent -, for which all members committed to reducing emissions from their menus by 25% by 2030, starting with data analysis of 2015. Milan is therefore confirming itself as the most sustainable, having managed in just 5 years to reduce environmental impacts better than other cities, members in Europe and also among all international participants, with only 5,92 kilos of CO₂ every 1.000 kcal cooked, against a European average of 10 kilos of CO₂ and internationally of approximately 25 kilos of CO₂.

“Starting from 2015, the city of Milan has taken a virtuous path towards innovative food systems, which have guaranteed better access to healthy diets – comments the Nutrition Director of the World Health Organization Francesco Branca –: a very encouraging example of how the intervention on food supply can be a driver of change. We recognize the food policy of the city of Milan as a practice to be promoted, shared and replicated in other contexts both nationally and globally."

Thanks to the commitment of Milano Catering, which distributes 85.000 meals every day, menus have been developed that are increasingly oriented towards the balance between health, quality and sustainability. Between 2015 and 2019, a series of innovations and changes were introduced that made it possible to achieve this result: from the 'Mid-morning fruit' programme, which is now active in 50% of primary schools and which has allowed the improvement of children's eating habits and the reduction of waste, to the choice of shapes and colors for menus which not only make them more pleasant for the little ones, but which also provide alternative nutrients which are fundamental for their health. And again, from the preparation of the dishes, which in all 26 cooking centers takes place with steam in the oven, to the use of water from the municipal water supply, up to the removal of plastic bottles.

Furthermore, again from 2015 to 2019, a progressive increase in organic purchases was introduced: eggs, pasta, wholemeal bread (once a week and one week a month), fruit, carrots (which have also become the side dish in several recipes) , apple muffins, fair trade bananas. The menu has also progressively changed through the increase in plant-based products and foods, the reduction of red meat (beef and pork), which has been replaced by legumes, poultry and eggs, and the elimination of added salts for kindergartens.

“Thanks to the Food policy promoted by the Municipality of Milan and the Cariplo Foundation – declares Giovanni Fosti, President of the Cariplo Foundation –, we have improved the food offer in Milan's schools. The issue of children's nutrition is very close to our hearts because it constitutes one of the first conditions for equality, education and the creation of opportunities. School and school canteens are in fact one of the strongest tools for offering all children the opportunity to have healthier food and nutritional education. The data emerging from the study demonstrate that, in addition to the educational and health value, improving nutrition also has an important environmental impact".