Public meals require a broad perspective

Well-educated employees are needed within the municipality and region to work with public meals in different ways, both as a manager and in more strategic roles, says Maria Helmersson, who is a project manager in Hässleholm municipality.

The public meals, the food served daily in preschools, schools, and to the elderly around the municipalities, are close to Maria Helmersson's heart. In her professional life, she has worked with food and meals from different perspectives: as a developer, manager, and project manager.

– My driving force is caring for the meal guests. The food served to children and young people or to people in need of care should be the best possible.

"Today, more food is prepared from scratch than before, and in schools, food can be linked to both pedagogy and well-being."

She is currently leading a project within the municipality of Hässleholm, preparing the merger to form a coordinated organisation. This organisation will be responsible for the municipality's meals in education and care for children.

Prior to that, she worked as a manager and developer in Region Skåne and as a project manager in Agriculture and Food at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden).

In the years she has been active in the industry, the view of the public meal has changed. Above all, knowledge and awareness of sustainability and choice of ingredients has increased.

– Today, more food is prepared from scratch than before, and in schools, food can be linked to both pedagogy and well-being. In addition, the meals can be included in the municipalities' work with the sustainability goals set out in Agenda 2030.

"The ability to see the big picture is a skill needed in municipalities and regions."

For Maria Helmersson, the ideas are far from novel. In the mid-90s, she had environmental training at Mid Sweden University, which included ecology and economics, but also food engineering. The connection between food and sustainability caught her interest and she eventually went for a degree in nutrition science.

Over the years, Maria Helmersson has been in contact with Kristianstad University, and she welcomes the investment in continuing professional development at master’s level in the field of Food and Meal Science.

– Hopefully, this will give students a broader perspective on the industry. For those who want to work with meals in the public sector, a broad perspective is a must. The ability to see the big picture is a skill needed in municipalities and regions. 

She describes how the work with the public meal consists of many parts and a number of factors to consider, such as finances, health, logistics, and sustainability. Along the way, many people and professions are involved.

– It is therefore necessary to find a structure in the complexity to produce good data and make wise decisions. It needs to work all the way to the plate and the person who will be eating.

Even if the end goal is the individual meal guest, the public meal can also be put in a larger societal perspective, says Maria Helmersson.

– Ultimately, it is a matter of equality and welfare, and of laying the foundation for better eating habits and health among the population.

Writer: Kerstin Weman Thornell
Photo: Emmy Helmersson