Ecocentre – Information Centre for Organic Products

is a non-profit-making association with 450 members. The members are representatives from all parts of the food-chain. Ekocentrum works with information, education and counselling about sustainable organic food, mainly to the restaurant and catering sector.

Goals for organic food

Sweden has a national goal for organic production. It has been to reach 20 % organic field production 2005. It was fulfilled so now there is a proposal for 15 % certified organic field production in 2010.

Sweden has also a national goal for organic consumption in public caterings. The goal was set by the government in maj 2006. It is 25 % organic food in public catering in 2010.

Many municipalities and local authorities have set their own goals ie: to serve 5%, 25%... or some products always organic in their canteens*. One city in Sweden, Malmö, has a vision to serve 100 % organic food in their schools. They serve 35 000 meals per day. In august 2006 they had reached 25 %. The average use of organic products in the catering sector is approximately 2,5 %. 

*In Sweden the municipality is obligated to serve free lunches in schools and preschools.  

Ekocentrum has investigated the market regarding organic food in community catering every second year. The 20 best municipalities are presented in a ranking list, the so called “Ekomatsligan”. We are just now doing a new investigation. The results will be presented in October this year.

Organic food in catering

A short presentation of Ecocenters work: 

“Organic in public kitchen”

Organic food in public catering: community- and state-owned catering, ie: preschools, schools, hospitals. Ekocentrum has been running this project since 2002, with a minor change 2005. 

The project consists of tree parts:

o        Education mainly for kitchen-stuff: five half-days about sustainability, especially in their kitchens, and how to afford the often more expensive organic products. We cook organic dishes – and eat them. The participants make their own plan of action. The fifth day we discuss how to proceed.

o        Counselling: Ekocentrum helps municipalities and kitchens to start with organic food and we help them to solve initial problems.

o        Cooperation meetings: In close cooperation with involved stakeholders we help them to solve problems that are connected to organic food in public catering. We also arrange meetings with the stakeholders to discuss how to start or how to proceed with the organic food in the canteens and restaurants.

“Organic recipes and menus at the web”

Experiences from the project “Organic kitchen” led to a new project: www.ekomatsedeln.se . The website is built on an optimal model (the so called S.M.A.R.T.-model that has been developed by “Tillämpad Näringslära”, a division of the Stockholm county council) for nutritional balanced, aged adapted and sustainable diet in kindergartens, schools and caterings with incorporation of organic food.

The website offers four services:

1. Chancing an ordinary recipe to at S.M.A.R.T.-recipe. I.e. less meat, more vegetables, and more beans. The suggested recipe is nutritional calculated and adapted to the target group. Presumably it will be the same cost for the recipe even if you change all the ingredients to organic.

2. Nutritional calculation. You can make nutritional calculations on your own recipes.

3. Suggestions of optimal week menues with recipes that are nutritional balanced, aged adapted and sustainable with incorporation of organic food for kindergartens, schools and caterings.

4. A bank with lunch-recipes that are nutritional balanced, aged adapted and sustainable diet in kindergartens, schools and caterings with incorporation of organic food. For the moment we have 100 recipes. We are extending the amount and the aim is to continuate the process to continuously renew the recipes and keep the website alive.

The plan is to open the website for visitors in June next year. Its already possible to visit the website. If you want to do that I will send you the link.

Organic food in commercial restaurants

This project, called “Restaurang Eko”, started with an attitude research among the chefs. It points at: high-class restaurants are more interested in organic food – and local food – than ordinary restaurants.  

Ekocentrum cooperates with some high-class restaurants that serve as models to others. The project also direct to the food service sector because it is important and run by a few, big companies. 

We cooperate with a restaurant guide for gourmets. The book “White Guide” is a presentation of all restaurants for gourmets in Sweden. We have a ranking list and a price for the best organic high-class restaurant. 

We frequently write articles in the main professional journal.

Marketing of organic high quality products towards restaurants

Ekocentrum has just been granted an EU-project. The aim is to market organic high quality products towards restaurants in Sweden and also make the EU organic logo well known among restaurants in Sweden.

We are planning for a bus tour round the country, events and exhibitions. The project will run for two years. It will start in October this year.

Organic assortment guide

Ekocentrum runs since many years an assortment guide for the catering sector “Sortimentsguiden”, both in print and at the website.

It has been renewed and is now presented at a new website. It is divided regionally to suit the commercial restaurants.

www.sortimentsguiden.se