1,249 school canteens use organic

(ANSA) - Milan, October 1 - Some 1,249 school canteens served meals prepared using organic produce in 2014, with a rise of 43% in four years, the national federation of agricultural cooperatives and agri-food Fedagri-Confcooperative said Thursday.
    The northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna topped the chart respectively with 224, 192 and 172 canteens serving organic products. In total 1.2 million school meals were served each day that contained at least some organic foods.
    In 290 canteens at least 70% of the raw materials used in food preparation were organically grown. "The trend is certainly positive, but much more can be done to increase the use of organic produce in school canteens and collective catering generally," said the Agri-food cooperatives alliance's organic sector coordinator Andrea Bertoldi.
    "If you consider that over 10 million Italians regularly lunch out each day it is clear how important it is also to provide healthy and quality food outside the home," he added.