At the end of the 2024–2025 school year, according to the factsheet, 1,792 v(s)o and mbo locations offered food and drinks. Of these, 70.4% (1,261 school locations) were actively working to make their school canteens healthier and more sustainable. In addition, half of all schools signed the Ambition Statement. In doing so, they demonstrate their commitment to a healthier and more sustainable food environment based on the Guidelines for Food Environments in Schools.
At the start of the 2023–2024 school year, 64.9% of school locations were actively working to make their school canteens healthier and more sustainable. Over two school years, this represents an increase of 5.5%. In addition, more schools consider a healthy school canteen important for their young people (2023: 85.7%, compared with 2025: 88.6%). The percentage of school locations unfamiliar with the Guidelines for Food Environments in Schools has also decreased, from 9.8% to 6.4%.
Sustainable results through years of commitment
The number of schools working structurally on a healthy school canteen continues to rise. On 1 September 2025, 1,234 v(s)o and mbo school locations with food and drink facilities had achieved a School Canteen Scale at some point. Two years earlier (reference date 1 September 2023), this figure was 1,057 school locations: an increase of 177 unique school locations that had achieved a School Canteen Scale at some point. Schools could achieve such a Scale if their school canteen complied with the Guidelines for Food Environments in Schools drawn up by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. The 2024–2025 school year was the final year in which School Canteen Scales were awarded.
The results show that the years of commitment by the Food Environment Advisers have had a long-lasting effect. Their guidance has led to greater knowledge of the Guidelines for Food Environments in Schools, greater involvement from schools, and a growing awareness of the importance of a healthy and sustainable food environment for young people. From the 2025–2026 school year onwards, these advisers will no longer visit schools. The movement that has been set in motion is firmly established and will continue to have an impact. More and more schools are taking responsibility themselves for making healthy and sustainable choices the obvious choice for their pupils and students.