With 1.9 million students eating in school cafeterias (including about 900,000 in preschools), the Manifesto for Nutrition Education in Preschools and Schools has been launched. Promoted by Coldiretti, together with Filiera Italia and the Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMP), it aims to promote healthy eating habits and protect children’s health, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life, which are crucial for their future development.
The eating habits formed between the ages of 0 and 3 can have a decisive influence on the prevention of many diseases, and the Manifesto is a concrete 5-point commitment to restore to future generations the right to good, natural, fair, safe, and guaranteed food. The first is a national strategy against childhood obesity with a plan agreed upon by ministries, regions, and schools, supported by Coldiretti and FIMP to ensure healthy food supply chains starting from the first 1,000 days of life. An educational pact is also needed between schools, families, pediatricians, and farmers to promote sustainable food models. Locally sourced food in school cafeterias and daycare centers, prioritizing Italian supply chains over cost-cutting measures. Junk food must be banned from vending machines in schools and public buildings, to be replaced by fresh local products through new regulations. Nutrition education programs should be included in the curriculum starting in preschool, with cafeterias serving as learning spaces for families as well.
An approach that primarily addresses the needs of families. According to the latest Censis/Coldiretti Report, 86% of Italians believe that school cafeterias should primarily use fresh, local, and seasonal products, and a similar percentage (83%) supports the idea of legally banning so-called ultra-processed foods from school cafeterias, following the example of what has been done in California. Moreover, the quality of food in school menus receives a passing grade from only one in three parents (34%) among those who express an opinion, while 46% rate it as adequate. But the remaining 20% reject it.
Producing healthy and sustainable food to protect the health of consumers—starting with the youngest members of the population—has always been ingrained in the DNA of Coldiretti farmers, so much so that more than twenty-five years ago we signed a genuine Consumer Pact based on the desire to promote a business model in harmony with nature and the laws that govern it, and to defend Italy from threats to environmental and food safety – emphasized Giorgio Polegato, President of Coldiretti Treviso, echoing the words of Coldiretti’s Secretary General, Vincenzo Gesmundo – This is the starting point for all our battles, from transparency on labels to upholding the principle of reciprocity, by halting imports of products that do not comply with our own rules. Let’s not forget that we continue to import wheat treated with glyphosate, a carcinogenic substance that ends up in our pasta and even in breast milk, and that multinationals have tried for years to falsely pass off as harmless.
We want to build a healthier future for our children, starting with food education – adds Polegato, echoing Ettore Prandini, national president of Coldiretti – Conscious eating is the first step toward prevention and respect for health, the environment, and the country’s agricultural economy. For this reason, with the memorandum of understanding signed today with Filiera Italia and FIMP, we aim for high-quality school meals in daycare centers and schools, featuring locally sourced food, an end to junk food, and educational programs starting from the earliest years of life. It is a concrete commitment to combat childhood obesity and guarantee the new generations the right to good, natural, fair, safe, and reliable food.
A child is not a small adult: in the early years of life, the body is much more vulnerable to contaminants in food because the kidneys and liver are not yet fully mature, and, relative to body weight, children consume larger amounts of food than adults – explains Ruggiero Francavilla, Full Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Bari Aldo Moro – Scientific literature highlights how early exposure to chemicals can affect, for example, neurodevelopment: a study conducted in the United States estimated that pesticides, in the child population, could lead to a loss of approximately 17 million IQ points. This is why it is essential to pay the utmost attention to nutrition in daycare centers, where children aged 0–3—the most vulnerable age group—consume many of their daily meals.
Our goal is to promote the Italian agri-food supply chain dedicated to infant food, a sector that includes approximately 1,500 companies – states Luigi Cimmino Caserta, Head of Institutional Affairs at NewPrinces-Plasmon – In fact, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Filiera Italia, Coldiretti, and MASAF, committing us to sourcing raw materials made in Italy. We want to continue on this path, promoting proper nutrition and the Mediterranean diet from early childhood onward. The manifesto being signed today is another valuable step toward achieving this goal. Those who purchase Made in Italy baby food are not just choosing a brand, but the result of a sustainable Italian supply chain.
We want to restore to the younger generations the right to food that is good, natural, fair, safe, and guaranteed – states Luigi Nigri, National Vice President of FIMP. – The data on childhood obesity in Italy are alarming, but the main concern is the future harm linked to contaminants and toxins present in foods originating from countries with inadequate quality controls. The use of local, seasonal food guaranteed by a short supply chain in cafeterias—especially in those of daycare centers attended by children aged 0–3—is essential: cafeterias must become educational tools, prioritizing quality over mere cost savings.
When we talk about proper nutrition for children, school meals are a fundamental tool within early childhood education services – notes Antonio D’Avino, National President of FIMP. – Promoting a food culture inspired by the Mediterranean Diet and highlighting local products means helping young children develop healthy habits from the very start. This is why it is important to prioritize fresh, high-quality, and preferably local foods, while limiting the consumption of snacks that are excessively high in sugar. With this manifesto, FIMP stands alongside Coldiretti to reinforce these principles from the earliest years of life, so that health and proper nutrition become an integral part of children’s development.
Treviso, March 17, 2026
