‘It brought kids back to canteens’: Lithuanian schools source food directly from farmers

Schools are choosing to prepare meals themselves rather than buy catering services, aiming to ensure children receive fresh, high-quality food in their canteens. They are adopting a short food supply chain model, buying vegetables, eggs and meat from local farmers.

“This has brought children back from the shops to the school canteen. That is the most important thing. The children eat food grown here, fresh food that is prepared in a way similar to how their mothers cook at home,” says Alma Burbaitė, headteacher of Šeštokai School.

The school in the southern Lazdijai district prepares meals for children itself, buying turkey and other poultry, vegetables and fruit from local farmers.

Simnas Gymnasium in the southern Alytus district has also been using this model, purchasing fruit and vegetables directly from local farmers. This allows the school to respond to children’s preferences, while pupils can choose which vegetables they want to put on their plates.

“I try to make seasonal soup using vegetables from farmers and get the children used to eating soup,” says Eglutė Kilikevičienė, the head chef.

“The most important thing is that children get to know this food and understand that it is high-quality, full of vitamins and, above all, healthy,” says Laimutė Jarmalavičienė, headteacher of Simnas Gymnasium.

Daugai Vladas Mironas Gymnasium is also preparing to start providing meals independently next year. Renovating its canteen will cost around €300,000.

“Our vision is for one more school to switch to self-catering each year, because this allows us to ensure better-quality meals,” says Giedrė Volungevičienė, head of the Education Department at Alytus District Municipality.

Farmer Mindaugas Anušauskas has been supplying vegetables to educational institutions for several years.

The produce must meet higher nutritional standards and is regularly inspected by the State Food and Veterinary Service.

“They come out themselves now. They check the invoices, follow the supply chain through the system, visit the fields, take samples of the vegetables and cabbages, send them to Vilnius and test them,” says Anušauskas.