No croquette or cheese soufflé for lunch, but a healthy meal with plenty of vegetables. Secondary school students from the Oranje Nassau College Clauslaan (ONC) in Zoetermeer can now pull this from a mobile snack wall. Together with the social enterprise TommyTomato, the Province of South Holland is working on a healthy lunch in secondary schools.

‘Youth is our future,’ says deputy for Health & Welfare Mariëtte van Leeuwen. ‘Unfortunately, young people see too little around them how attractive and tasty healthy eating can be. A snack wall arouses curiosity: you think of a greasy bite, but this wall is actually full of good things. This way, you cleverly entice young people and we eat healthily together.’

Healthy nutrition is essential for good health. In South Holland, 1 in 7 children and more than half of adults struggle with overweight – which increases the risk of diseases. The sooner young people discover that healthy eating can also be tasty, the better. Yet, a healthy bite at secondary school is still far from a given. But offered in a snack wall at school, a meal full of vegetables is indeed popular.

Healthy choice as easiest choice

This was evident during a successful trial by TommyTomato (opens in new window) in collaboration with snack chain FEBO at a Rotterdam secondary school. Students enthusiastically pulled healthy lunches like Crazy Lentils, Wobbly Wok, or Smart Strands from the wall: nutritious, tasty, and quick. Thanks to support from the Province of South Holland, the snack wall is now also at the Oranje Nassau College Clauslaan in Zoetermeer.

The province actively works for available, affordable, and visible healthy food – especially in vulnerable neighborhoods. The goal: to make the healthy choice the easiest choice and to ensure a food-savvy generation: young people who enjoy healthy eating and know where it comes from – from our farmers, growers, and fishers.

Broad enthusiasm

There are plenty of reasons for the province to contribute to the placement of the mobile snack wall in a total of 6 South Holland schools. ‘Of course, there are many more schools in our province,’ emphasizes Mariëtte. ‘So I hereby call on other parties who also want to contribute to a healthy snack wall to make themselves known.’

Bas Turk, co-founder of TommyTomato, is pleased with the support from South Holland: ‘This way, together we take the next step to make young people vegetable eaters for life.’ Also, deputy director Rik Zwart of the Oranje Nassau College Clauslaan is enthusiastic: ‘Good nutrition helps students concentrate better, get through the day with more energy, and feel better in their skin. This positively influences their academic performance. The snack wall puts nutrition on the map as something you have control over.’

Next schools in sight

The snack wall will remain at the Oranje Nassau College Clauslaan for the next 4 weeks. After the summer, the Rotterdam Portus Meridiem will start with healthy meals at school. Other schools interested can register with TommyTomato (opens in new window).