The Ministry of Climate and Energy invites participants to join the online webinar “Reducing Food Waste in School Kitchens at the Planning Stage” on 30 September at 14:30. The webinar will take place as part of the “Dialogue with Science” seminar series, which addresses current developments in the circular economy and waste management in Latvia.
Every day, several meals are prepared in school canteens, yet not all of the food prepared reaches students’ plates or is consumed. Ensuring high-quality catering services and reducing food waste starts even before the beginning of the school year – by planning catering services, developing procurement requirements and carefully organising food supplies, including cooperation with local food producers.
During the webinar, experts and practitioners will share their experience and discuss opportunities to reduce food waste within school catering systems while ensuring high-quality and sustainable services.
The webinar will be opened by Sandija Svarupa, an expert from the Ministry of Climate and Energy’s LIFE project “Waste To Resources Latvia”, who will present the latest project developments and the guidelines developed for reducing food waste in the HORECA sector and educational institutions.
Ingrīda Millere, representative of the Education Department of Riga City Municipality, will present approaches to sustainable procurement for the provision of catering services in educational institutions.
Mārtiņš Cimermanis, representative of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre, will introduce the opportunities offered by the “Novadu garša” platform for procuring locally produced food and promoting cooperation with Latvian producers and businesses.
Practical solutions for school catering will be presented by Jānis Meija, representative of FRISTAR Ltd. The company, which provides catering services at Jelgava Technology Secondary School, has received the title of “Best School Caterer in Latvia for the 2025/2026 School Year”. The presentation will provide practical insights into how to organise an efficient, high-quality catering service that meets the needs of students.
The webinar will be particularly useful for representatives of municipalities and educational institutions, school catering service providers, food procurement specialists, as well as anyone involved in the planning and organisation of school catering.
Participation in the webinar is free of charge. To register for the seminar, interested participants are invited to contact: sandija.svarupa@kem.gov.lv.
The event is organised within the framework of the LIFE Integrated Project “Waste To Resources Latvia – boosting regional sustainability and circularity by introducing the waste-to-resources concept” (LIFE20 IPE/LV/000014, LIFE Waste to Resources IP).
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