The new program aims to promote the health and well-being of the municipality's children and young people, to be gradually implemented throughout the 2026/2027 school year. PAPAS seeks to better understand the nutritional status and eating habits of the school population, develop food education actions, and closely monitor the school meal service.
Schools play a crucial role in establishing healthy eating habits, serving as a privileged space to inform, listen to students, involve families, and promote more conscious choices. In its first year, a priority will be monitoring students' nutritional status and eating habits, with the possibility of anthropometric assessments and questionnaires, subject to informed consent from guardians.
The PAPAS Annual Activity Plan includes various initiatives tailored to different educational levels, such as Food Education Sessions, 'Flavors of the World' to value cultural diversity, 'PAPAS Celebrates', 'Full Cup' to encourage school milk consumption, 'Today We Choose!' for student participation in menu selection, School Meal Satisfaction Assessment, 'Less Waste, More Future' to reduce food waste, 'From Kitchen to Plate' to showcase meal preparation behind the scenes, and the 'NutriInfo' section.
Student participation is central to PAPAS, with activities like 'Today We Choose!' allowing them to submit proposals and contribute to menu improvements. The program also monitors meal satisfaction, tracks waste, and values the kitchen's work. Collected information will be analyzed to identify improvement opportunities, and an execution report will be compiled.
The implementation of PAPAS results from the collaboration between the Municipality of Alpiarça, the José Relvas School Group, the company responsible for the school meal service, teachers, operational assistants, families, and other educational community partners. Technical coordination and monitoring will be handled by the Municipality's nutritionist, Cláudia Ribeiro, in conjunction with the Education Department.
By presenting PAPAS on World Food Day, the Municipality of Alpiarça reinforces its commitment to promoting health, food education, school community participation, and the continuous improvement of meals served to the municipality's children and young people, thus caring for their future.
