“Bio für Kinder”

The pilot project

32 institutions changed successfully to organic food

Right from the start we were certain that it is possible to provide kids with organic food. Initiators and sponsors of the project are the Tollwood Festival and the Department of Environment and Health of the City of Munich. Nonetheless, we wondered what would happen when we started the pilot project in May 2006. We wanted to know which experiences the institutions would make during the process.

The institutions’ excitement was great but there was also the fear of additional costs. “Bio für Kinder” managed to convince companies in Munich to become sponsors. As such, they bore the extra costs for organic food during the “learning period” of two years. From 2006 to 2012 we had supported 32 very different day care centres to implement the usage of 100 per cent organic food.

• Whether big or small: starting with an institution for crisis intervention with nine children, to kindergartens and after-school care centres, to schools with 240 kids and youths
• Whether old or new: from the oldest day care centre in Munich to the newly opened institution
• In all parts of Munich: institutions in the Hasenbergl and Ramersdorf, Berg am Laim, the Westend or Maxvorstadt
• Municipal or private: municipal or private institutions, as well as institutions in combined ownership

The results were highly satisfactory. During the pilot phase from 2006 to 2012 660,000 organic meals had been served. All institutions switched to 100 per cent organic nutrition and kept the developed catering standard even after the end of the project. Organic food is a convincing factor and the additional costs are way less than the participants had feared.

The experiences from the pilot project show: The composition of the menu is the crucial aspect for a successful implementation. It has to be well calculated in terms of price, while at the same time being nutritionally balanced and tasty. If you know how – it is not rocket science! “Bio für Kinder” conducted coaching, cooking classes, trainings and practical days in order to create the knowledge needed within the institutions. Hence, we provide the several tools for institutions in Munich and elsewhere so that they can profit from the knowledge gained during the project.