Post-Growth Innovation Lab researcher Poonam Pandey gave a talk last week at the Institute of Development Studies, presenting her work on the Ecocomedores (ecological canteens) in Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands - one of the case studies of the European project SERIGO.
SERIGO is a European project that aims to enhance resilience, social inclusion, and well-being of vulnerable groups in European rural areas through innovative solutions driven by social economy actors. The project combines participatory research with case studies across several EU member states and produces policy recommendations around social inclusion in rural communities.
In her talk, Pandey focused on the Ecocomedores program, which has been running since 2010 with the aim of connecting local agroecological production with school canteen food. However, its development has faced significant challenges: limited interest from schools and ecological farmers has led to economic difficulties for producers and restricted access to ecological food in school canteens.
Drawing on interviews with policymakers, farmers, school chefs, and administrators, Pandey explores how each of these actors perceives the challenges of the program and what they consider essential for a good school lunch. The analysis points to the need for public policies to revisit some of the assumptions that currently shape these programs if a more sustainable and just school food system is to be achieved.