Who We Are: Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku
The Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku is a national expert organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of children and young people through food education. We help children and youth develop balanced eating habits, a positive relationship with food, and lasting food joy. Our mission is to support professionals and parents in food education and to help every child discover the joy of eating.
Our work is guided by four core values:
Food Joy, Scientific Knowledge, Participation, and Sustainable Well-being.
We base our activities on national nutrition guidelines and the Finnish early childhood education and school curricula. Ruukku is politically and religiously independent.
Our team consists of university-trained nutrition specialists with expertise in communication, pedagogy, and social marketing. Our work is also supported by a diverse board representing research, business, and education sectors.
Our target groups include food educators, professionals in food services and education, children, young people, and families. We carry out food education projects, organize courses, trainings, and events, and actively raise awareness of food education themes.
Food Education Trainings, Webinars, and Workshops
Ruukku offers expert-led training, webinars, and workshops on food education. Our approach combines strong scientific expertise with practical, hands-on methods—we understand the real-life challenges professionals face.
Tailored Trainings to Meet Your Needs
We tailor trainings to your needs, either in-person or online, and we are happy to collaborate on customized training programs. Contact us to design a training that suits your organization: Yhteystiedot
Developing School Meals and Food Education in Finland
Free school meals are a unique Finnish social innovation that has supported nutrition, well-being, and learning for nearly 80 years. In Finland, free school meals are provided from the first year of comprehensive school through the end of upper secondary education.
Ruukku plays an active role in developing both school meals and food education in schools. We are also open to international cooperation on this important topic.
Together with our partners, we have created tools for improving school meals and food education, including the Tasty School model and the nykytila.fi evaluation tool.
The Tasty School Model: Bringing Food Education to Every School
Tasty School is a comprehensive food education model for comprehensive school. It connects school meals with various subjects and brings together teachers, pupils, food service staff, and experts to promote food education. The goal is to find practical solutions, learn together, and build well-being through the joy of food.
The model is based on the Finnish national curriculum and school meal recommendations. The Tasty School website offers:
- Tools for planning and evaluating food education
- Ideas and materials for teaching and developing school meals
- Comprehensive online training for all primary school staff
Tasty School has been developed by Ruukku and the University of Eastern Finland, with funding from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Read more: maistuvakoulu.fi/en/ (Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.)
The Sapere Method: Sensory-Based Food Education
Sapere is a sensory-based method for food education. The word sapere comes from Latin, meaning ”to taste, to sense, to be brave.” Sapere method highlights the importance of the participant’s personal experience: every eater is a unique explorer on their food journey, and there is no right or wrong way to describe sensory experiences.
Through hands-on activities, Sapere encourages a natural and positive attitude towards food. Food is not simply ”good” or ”bad,” ”healthy” or ”unhealthy”—it is much more complex and diverse. This open approach helps children adopt more varied eating habits.
Research shows that the Sapere method can help children taste new foods more bravely, increase their intake of vegetables, and express their food experiences more vividly. We have collected scientific articles about Sapere on this web page (in Finnish).
In Finland, sensory-based food education is integrated into the national early childhood education curriculum and is highlighted in national school meal guidelines. Ruukku is an active member of the Sapere International Network (Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.).
Read more about Sapere on the web page of Sapere International. (Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.)