The role of school cafeterias as a tool for promoting food education was the central theme explored by the students of the Master’s program Food & Society, in collaboration with Best4Food. Thanks to the collaboration with the Comune di Milano — particularly the office responsible for Food Policy — the students had the opportunity to visit Milano Ristorazione and delve deeper into this important case study, engaging directly with professionals who work every day in school catering, sustainability, and food education.

It was a hands-on experience aimed at understanding how food can become not only nourishment, but also culture, inclusion, and education. This learning journey was further enriched by a visit to Sogemi, Milan’s agri-food market, where students explored firsthand how one of the city’s strategic food-system hubs operates: from the organization of the market’s four sectors to the management of food flows, and the role of the Food Policy department of the Comune di Milano in innovating the urban food system.

The students also examined how wholesale price monitoring works in the fruit, vegetable, and fishery sectors, working directly with data and analyzing indicators such as weekly and annual price variations. This practical and interdisciplinary activity enabled them to connect sustainability, economics, logistics, and food policies, providing essential tools for understanding the transformations shaping contemporary food systems.

For those who will be called upon to design, manage, and innovate the food systems of the future, experiences like this represent far more than a simple visit: they are valuable opportunities to interpret the complexity of food through data, territories, and people.

For more information about the Master’s program: Cibo e Società: politiche e pratiche dei sistemi agro-alimentari | Bicocca Academy