School feeding in Germany and Japan: a comparison
- 16.09.2008
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- Redaktion
Part 2: The Japanese school feeding system
Volker Peinelt and Miki Kurokawa, Mönchengladbach
In part 1 of this article, we described the extensive quality assurance system for meals in Japan. In addition, the Japanese carry out a variety of activities to attempt to enhance the attractiveness of the meals and the pupils’ emotional bond to the food. The daily communal meals are a component of the overall teaching concept.There are many special occasions, such as festivals or sporting events, which are systematically linked to the planning of the meals. The pupils are actively involved in serving food and the parents are integrated by sharing meals. There is always a small party at the end of the year at which the pupils thank the kitchen staff for their work.
While Japan has a highly developed but very expensive concept for school meals, Germany has hardly started. However, we do not have to copy the Japanese to achieve a system of high quality. We could have an “uncoupled” system, combining low costs with high quality. In any case, this would necessitate legally binding instructions and adequate financial support.
Keywords: school feeding, quality standards, catering systems, food culture
Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 09/08 ab Seite 528.
