From classrooms to kitchen: a comparative look at how European catering schools are now shaping a sustainable future

In the kitchens of tomorrow’s chefs, something new is cooking. It’s not just about flavours and techniques anymore, but it’s about our planet.

With this in mind, the Erasmus+ project Good Food – Sustainability in Catering Schools set out to discover how catering schools across Europe are teaching sustainability, and where more work is needed.

Project partners in Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands have completed an important preliminary research phase aimed at understanding how and to what extent sustainability topics are already integrated into the training of future chefs.

The team didn’t just collect numbers. They spoke with teachers, listened to students, and explored the school environments also assisting class activities. Through research, interviews and real-life observation a picture began to emerge: sustainability is on the table, but not in every recipe.

What we discovered:

In the Netherlands, at Koning Willem I College (KW1C), students show curiosity and enthusiasm, especially in practical lessons. In the hospitality programme of KW1C, the Dutch Cuisine principles are part of the curriculum, but students have not yet linked them to their own values. While they enjoy practical cooking lessons and see sustainable food as important for their future and careers, their current choices are driven more by convenience and trends. Teachers emphasize the need to stay connected to the industry, suggesting regular internships to remain up-to-date with professional developments. More broadly, the findings stress the importance of building intrinsic motivation among both students and teachers. Despite sustainability being part of KW1C’s mission, there remains a gap between policy and daily practice, with many staff unsure how to translate goals into action. To address this, a practical, cross-disciplinary module on “making change happen” will be designed to give both students and teachers the tools to turn awareness into daily practices, not only on food related subjects.
In Germany, at BSZ Ansbach, students are putting a lot of effort into sustainability topics. With a strong focus on waste reduction, recycling, and the use of seasonal, local ingredients, student-led initiatives, and the work of the environmental club, have driven creative projects such as school gardens, bottle recycling, and swap events. However, sustainability is not yet structurally embedded across all subjects and the wider school community. Teachers express a need for ready-to-use teaching materials, support from external experts, and more interdisciplinary cooperation. Yet, challenges remain: limited budgets, varying student skill levels and language barriers are some of the few obstacles that school must face. Future development through the GoodFood project should focus on creating easy-to-use and visually rich materials that promote practical action and student ownership. The focus now is on nurturing essential skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and responsibility. Opportunities include expanding vegetarian and vegan options in the canteen, forming stronger ties with local producers, and involving future employers in sustainability initiatives. A shift in teaching roles—from instructor to facilitator—is seen as essential to empower students to lead sustainable change.
In Spain, at Leioa Catering School, the Basque culture is deeply rooted and great importance is placed on local products. The school firmly believes that the way forward is sustainability in all aspects related to catering, and works with students on issues such as food waste. In fact, teachers have carried out a study on food waste at the school and have reduced the portions of bread, sugar and salt in the meals they serve. Moreover, the school also built strong bonds with the food bank, to which they donate any leftovers. The Leioa Catering School focuses on innovation and technology, where they are always striving to improve. This year, through the GoodFood project, they are looking to explore topics such as the importance of partnerships with local producers and seasonal products, areas that they tell us they would like to improve.
In Italy, the Istituto Mantegna shows how tradition can meet innovation. With a strong alliance with Slow Food, the school encourages good awareness among students, teachers, and management about food waste and sustainability. It promotes an entrepreneurial approach to empower future professionals to drive change. It pays close attention to cultural differences, and promotes the use of non-disposable products. But the journey is not over yet: sustainability education needs to be more practical and engaging, moving beyond just reducing food waste. Additionally, there is a need to focus more on healthy and balanced meals, reduce plastic use in labs, and improve visible communication about the Slow Food alliance within the school. Here, students and teachers are eager, and want to reach a more practical and systematic approach to bring sustainability to a higher level.

People involved in the change

Moreover, one of the main goals of the research was also to identify the key stakeholders in the transition toward sustainable education. Despite the country borders, four key actors stand at the core of the change:

Students, at the heart of the educational process and true agents of change;
Teachers, essential in delivering sustainable content and practices;
School management, crucial for implementing long-term and coherent sustainability policies;
Future workplaces, suppliers and food entrepreneurs, forming the bridge between education and the professional world.

What comes next

The data collected now serves as the foundation for developing the educational materials envisioned by the GoodFood project, including:

A methodological framework and a practical action framework that can be applied in any European catering school
Educational contents that address food sustainability from multiple perspectives: health, environment, ethics, culture, and waste
Teacher training resources, based on the train-the-trainer approach, aimed at promoting empowerment, awareness, and behavior change
Digital tools and resources to help integrate sustainability into both classroom and kitchen-lab activities.

The message is clear: European catering schools are ready for change. The GoodFood project now aims to provide concrete tools to schools, so that tomorrow’s chefs can become active change makers in their communities, contributing to a fairer, more ethical, and sustainable food system.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.