Discover the latest in food education at our international seminar in Helsinki. We will talk how to improve children’s nutrition in a sustainable way, ecologically, culturally and socially?  Engage with experts, educators, and enthusiasts as we explore innovative approaches to food education and school meals.

The two-day program includes a visit to a local school and school meal, seminars, workshops, dinner, and networking with Finnish and international guests. The program is organised together with the Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku, Sapere International, the Promokids Network, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

Date: October 3-4, 2024 
Location: Helsinki, Finland 

Target group: researchers, health care workers, nutritionists, educators, people working with food/nutrition/food education in NGOs and government.

Program

Thursday 3rd October

The program is organised by Finnish Society for Food Education together with Sapere International. Promokids network will have their own program during the day. The program in Thursday is primarily reserved for guests traveling from abroad. If space permits, Finnish experts are also welcome to attend.

Locations:
Valo Hotel & Work, Mannerheimintie 109
Vattuniemi School
Restaurant Lasipalatsi, Palmusali, Mannerheimintie 22-24

9 Join us for a coffee and a chat!

9.30 Welcome session, Valo Hotel & Work
Welcome & Agenda of the day
Introduction to Finnish school system and meals, Marjaana Manninen, special advisor, Finnish National Agency for Education
Sustainable school meals in Helsinki, Meri Mathlin, Sustainability Specialist, Palvelukeskus Helsinki
Travel to school

11-13 Visit to Vattuniemi primary school
We will observe the students lunch hour, have a school meal ourselves, visit lessons and classrooms, and hear presentations from the headmaster and teachers.

Travel to Valo Hotel and coffee break

14-16 Workshop: School meals as a learning environment

Presentations:

  • Learning over Lunch – experiences from the Danish SESAM programme linking classroom and canteen activities, professor Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, University of Copenhagen
  • School mealtimes as a pedagogical event: A conceptual framework
    PhD, Docent, Kristiina Janhonen, Senior Researcher, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
  • Tasty School − Feasible food education model for primary schools
    M.Sc. (Health Sci.), researcher Aija Laitinen
  • Situation of school feeding and SAPERE method implementation in Czech Republic
    Vladimír Čejna, Ph.D.


Workshop

18 Dinner together with Sapere and Promokids network in a restaurant in Restaurant Lasipalatsi
During dinner we will see a demonstration of a Japanese food education method by Junichiro Somei and Yaeko Kawaguchi

Friday 4th October

The program is organised by Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku together with Sapere International and Promokids Network and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

The program will also be streamed, except for the hands-on sensory-based food education session. The program won’t be recorded, but you will recieve a selection of slides after the seminar.

Location: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, Conference rooms J2 and 3.

Teams-links for online participants

Link to morning session and sessions A (digital tools) & D (food and community)
Join meeting here: Liity kokoukseen nyt

Link to session B: Sustainable and healthy school food around the world
Join meeting here: Liity kokoukseen nyt

Morning session 9-12.30

8.30 Registration and morning coffee

9.00 Welcome to THL, Director, prof. Otto Helve, Department of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL

Welcome words from organiser

  • Silja Varjonen, Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku
  • Promokids-network, Päivi Mäki, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
  • Sapere International, Stina Algotson, chair of board & Jason O’Rourke

Promoting children’s nutrition in the WHO European region: challenges and opportunities (online)
Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO Europe

Food Education: Bridging Sustainability and Health
Professor of Nutrition Maijaliisa Erkkola, University of Helsinki

10.30-11 Coffee break & materials on display

Enjoyment of food – using sensory-based food education to foster health and wellbeing in families
Anna S Olafsdottir, Professor in nutrition science University of Iceland and Professor in public health nutrition University of Uppsala, Sweden

TastEd the first 5 years
Jane Lockie, chair of TastEd
Fran Box, director of TastEd

Smart family – EU Best Practice from Finland
Bringing joy, motivation and encouragement to the lives of families with children
ECEC and food education specialist, Taina Sainio, Finnish Heart Association

12.30-1.30​ lunch

Afternoon sessions 1.30-4 pm

After lunch you can choose from two simultaneous sessions.

1.30-2.30 pm session

Session A: Digital tools in food education, room J2

Approaches and experiences to provoke and engage the new generations towards better and more healthy and sustainable eating habits
Consumer Behaviour Researcher Elena Santa Cruz, the new Foods department at AZTI

Online lessons as a tool to food education – How we’ve reached tens of thousands of children
Food education specialist, Aliisa Hyvönen, Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku

How the microbiome hero Vegemi can teach children about the link between fruit, veggies, and their health benefits
co-founder of Vegemi Tuulia Järvinen

Session B: Sustainable and healthy school food around the world, room J3

Healthy and sustainable school meals for all
senior adviser Heli Kuusipalo, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare

Optimization of school meals for health and sustainability – next steps
adjunct professor Liselotte Schäfer Elinder, Karolinska institutet

2.30-3 pm Networking & Materials on display

Sessions 3-4 pm

Session C: Sensory based food education – let’s play!, room J3  
This is a hands-on session where you will learn the basics of sapere method by playing with foods and your senses. We will show you how we have been using sensory based food education methods among children and families. Organized by Finnish Society for Food Education Ruukku

Session D: Food and community, room J2

What is the Place of Food in Schools? Findings from the ESRC School Meals Service: Past, Present- and Future?
Dr. Ellen Bishop, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Adapting to a New Food Environment: Ukrainian Families with Children in Finland
Dina Fedorova, Visiting researcher, University of Helsinki, Department of Food and Nutrition Science

16 – 16.30 Thank you words & coffee hour

Information

Registeration

Please note that we have separate registration forms for program on Thursday and for Friday. Thursday program is full, but you can still register for the session on Friday until September 15.
Register for Friday here. (Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.)

For the program on Thursday the maximum number of participants is 30 and for Friday 100.

Online streaming
We really hope to see you in Helsinki! There are plenty of opportunities for networking. In case you are not able to travel you can attend the online streaming for the sessions on Friday (excluding the hands-on food education session). You will receive the link to the streaming a few days before.

Cost of the seminar
Thursday 150 €. This includes program, transportation to school, school meal, afternoon coffee and dinner
Only Friday 0 €. The lunch is not included and costs approx. 15 euros in the restaurant.     

The invoice will be send by email on September 2024.

Accommodation
We suggest you book a room in Valo Hotel & Work, address Mannerheimintie 109. You’ll get a 15 % discount by using the code PROEVENT. The hotel is situated a walking distance from the seminar venue on Friday and approximately 30 minutes from Helsinki city center by bus. The hotel has cozy rooms and an excellent roof-top wellness area with saunas and pool https://valo.fi/hotel/ (Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.)

The event is financially supported by Alfred Kordelin foundation, Sapere International and Promokids network.