Get involved
ISMD aims to encourage children and young people around the world (with support from their teachers) to connect and talk to each other about the food they eat and the role that it plays in their lives.
It is up to each individual country, school and classroom to take part in whatever way works best for them.
The next International School Meals Day (ISMD) will be on Thursday 14 March 2024.
It will be the 12th ISMD, with the theme to be announced soon.Click here to download an ISMD2023 resource pack – with activities, social media assets, posters and more!
Click here to see highlights from ISMD 2023 and find out more on the ‘shared practice’ page.
In the run-up to the day, school staff encouraged young people to think about and discuss their favourite foods and meals in the way that best suited their particular learning environment. The main thing is to celebrate the rich diversity of recipes that is sure to exist in every classroom.
If you’d like recipe inspiration, download the ISMD 2018 international My Food cookbook, with the winning recipes from our competition.
For details on how to connect with teachers and classrooms around the world visit global school/education platforms like British Councils Schools Online.
Follow us on Twitter @IntSchoolMeals, #ISMD2023 to keep up to date on ISMD 2023!
Who can get involved and what you can do
Schools, organisations, government bodies, catering companies and anyone with an interest or involvement in promoting healthy eating are encouraged to get involved.
Why not:
- Have an International Menu Day
- Run food taster (tasting) sessions or other fun food activities
- Host cooking activities with an international theme
- Provide career and skills activities for senior pupils and students
- Plan visits to farms, supermarkets or shops, community gardens or allotments to learn about growing, producing and selling food
- Plan visits to local religious establishments or community groups that would be willing to talk about food in relation to their faith or activities
- If off-site visits aren’t an option, invite people from the above settings to come and talk about what they do
- Hold fundraising activities for charities to support school feeding programmes in developing countries
- Incorporate global citizenship, food culture and healthy eating into classroom learning
- Run seminars, workshops or events related to food traditions, ceremonies or celebrations
- Connect across the globe – connect classrooms and twin your school through established international education links
- Highlight food innovations, provided to schools
- Research and publish information related to school foods and the benefits of healthy eating.
These are just some ideas of how to get involved. We would love to hear about any more ideas you might have.