Several plans are currently being considered by the government to prevent children from sitting in class on an empty stomach. According to figures from the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, the forecast for 2022 shows that an average of 2.3 children in a class of 25 live in poverty in the Netherlands. In total, this concerns 9.2% of children, amounting to 301,000 children.
The National School Breakfast and its partners have the system in place and can ensure that all children who need it, from the more than 6,500 primary schools in the Netherlands, are structurally provided with a healthy breakfast. The initiative plans to launch a platform at the end of this month where primary schools can register for a breakfast package. They are also calling on other parties that want to help to join the initiative.
“Teachers tell us that more and more children are going to school without breakfast because of the current economic climate. Children fall asleep in class and are unable to concentrate properly. Poverty brings shame with it, which means that some children feel too embarrassed to collect food from the Food Bank. By facilitating breakfast through schools, we can ensure that all children can start the day with a healthy breakfast,” says Sandra Pluim of the National School Breakfast.
Breakfast package
On the first day of the National School Breakfast, Monday morning, 7 November, the first breakfast package was symbolically presented to Member of Parliament Laurens Dassen. This breakfast package is put together according to the guidelines of the Wheel of Five, with healthy choices for every child. Together with Bakkerij ‘t Stoepje, the delivery of thousands of whole-wheat loaves, whole-wheat rolls and whole-wheat currant buns is being arranged. Various product partners are also contributing to the breakfast package.
Photo caption: Children from Zyp primary school symbolically presented the first breakfast package to Member of Parliament Laurens Dassen, after which the children fed the animals as the starting signal for the breakfast at Burgers’ Zoo.