On 29 and 30 July 2026, Daugavpils University hosted the launch event for EDUFOOD BSR, a project under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. Partners from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania began working together to improve school catering services through the SAPERE sensory food education method.

Project No. #S040, “Educational Food Innovation for Healthier Habits and a Greener Baltic Sea Region”, acronym EDUFOOD BSR, addresses a very practical issue in the everyday life of schools: how can we help children accept healthier and more varied meals when new food initially seems unfamiliar?

This issue is particularly important in primary school. Pupils in Grades 1–4 often need more time, repeated positive experiences and adult support to accept new tastes, smells, foods and dishes. If a child is unfamiliar with a food or does not understand how it smells, tastes or looks, it often remains uneaten. In school catering, this means not only food left uneaten, but also a challenge for municipalities, schools and catering providers: how can school meals be made more familiar, understandable and acceptable to children?

At the heart of the EDUFOOD BSR project is the SAPERE method—a sensory food education approach that helps children explore food through their senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. It is not a method designed to persuade children to “eat everything”. Its purpose is to create a safe environment that encourages curiosity, where children are free to explore, compare, describe sensations, ask questions and gradually become more open to new flavours.

During the launch event at Daugavpils University, the partners not only discussed the project work plan but also experienced the SAPERE method first-hand. The masterclass was led by representatives of the Estonian partners, the Association of Municipalities of Tartu County and Meelte Kool (School of the Senses), which provides methodological support for SAPERE within the project. The practical exercises enabled the partners to view school meals from a child’s perspective—not merely in terms of nutrients or menus, but as an experience shaped by smell, colour, texture, sound, atmosphere and conversation at the table.

Municipalities and schools need practical tools and models for cooperation that help children accept new foods while reducing food waste. Therefore, during the project, the SAPERE method will be adapted to the needs of schools and municipalities in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Planned activities include training for teachers and school catering professionals, pilot activities in schools, and the development of practical materials for municipalities.

The key contribution of EDUFOOD BSR will extend beyond individual school sessions to strengthening municipal capacity. The project will help build closer cooperation among those who shape children’s eating experiences at school every day—teachers, cooks, catering providers, school leaders and municipal specialists. Such cooperation is especially important because school catering is not merely a technical service. It is part of children’s daily lives, health, habits and attitudes towards food.

By the end of the project, a Transnational SAPERE Toolkit for Municipalities will be developed, bringing together methods tested in the project, practical examples and recommendations for improving school catering systems. The toolkit will be designed for use by other schools and municipalities across the Baltic Sea Region, helping to make school catering services more responsive, educational and sustainable.

The EDUFOOD BSR partnership comprises Daugavpils University, the Municipality of Ludza County, the Association of Municipalities of Tartu County, Klaipeda University and the Association “Klaipeda Region”. Daugavpils University is the lead partner. The partnership combines the experience of universities, municipalities and regional organisations to transfer and adapt the SAPERE approach to the everyday context of school catering in the Baltic States.

The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027.

More information:
Daugavpils University project page: https://du.lv/project/partikas-izglitibas-inovacijas-veseligakiem-paradumiem-un-ilgtspejigakam-baltijas-juras-regionam/
Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme website: https://interreg-baltic.eu/
EDUFOOD BSR project website: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/edufood-bsr/
Official website of the European Union: https://european-union.europa.eu/

Contact person:
Aļona Peinere
Project Manager, Daugavpils University
Email: alona.peinere@du.lv

This article has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Daugavpils University and under no circumstances can be regarded as reflecting the official position of the European Union.