On 17 November 2023, local TASS member ECF Saint Too Canaan College (STCC) held an event on the topic of sustainable school food supported by TASS and KIN. The event was presented by the TASS Student Ambassadors at STCC alongside other student members of the Green School Committee led by teacher and sustainability lead, Owen Tam.

The purpose of the event was to highlight the importance of sustainable school food, one of TASS’s focus areas, demonstrate the feasibility of sustainable school food through a tasting session with KIN, and showcase the role of students and parents in making this implementation. The event was attended by over 200 students, teachers and parents of the STCC community. Keep reading to find out how it went…

The day commenced with an assembly in which Principal Lee signed the Sustainable Schools Charter in front of the whole school following an inaugural speech by Anthony Dixon, formally welcoming STCC as a Founding Member of The Alliance, and the second local member school in Hong Kong.

TASS Student Ambassadors from Chinese International School (CIS), who were involved in organising the first student-led Sustainable School Food Summit, visited STCC to share their experiences reviewing the sustainability of their school lunches at CIS, and offered insights into how the current school lunches in Hong Kong can be improved.

Following a speech by Matthew Reid, Co-Founder of KIN, detailing KINs demonstration of a sustainable school lunch, students at STCC were served a dish of Braised Organic Beef Ragu, Mushroom and KIN Egg with Steamed Rice in biodegradable containers.

The dish was a big hit with students and parents, busting the myths that “sustainable school food is too boring and students won’t like it”, or “it’s too expensive”, or that “it can’t be done at scale in Hong Kong”.  Despite being aware of the sustainability aspects of the lunch, students hailed taste as the number one factor they liked the most about it.

When surveyed after the event, 88% of parents and 61% of students  agreed or strongly agreed that they would like to see more sustainable dishes, like the one served at the event, offered by their school.

We were so thrilled to have been a part of this event – the first of its kind at a local school in Hong Kong – and hope to see many more in the future.

Let’s get #sustainableschoollunches!

Photos by ECF Saint Too Canaan College and Jake Morton (TASS)