1,000 meals a day, three kitchens for three schools, one legumery per restaurant, a regularly trained staff, the principle of a seasonal cuisine where the availability of products inspires the menus creation, the self-production of over 85% of vegetable needs year-round. Organic food is a program that is not limited to obtaining an organic label. If you add a big educational pinch with an adapted framework and a committed teaching staff, the magnificent agricultural landscape of the municipal farm, some various partnerships with various actors, the programming of long-term investments, etc., then you get a great food project of truly sustainable territory.
The introduction of bio was progressive. It started in 1999 with the purchase of organic beef following the mad cow crisis. The share of bio then amounts to only 4%. Then the threshold changed every year: 9.6% in 2008, 23% in 2009, 50% in 2010, 73.6% in January 2011 and… 100% organic since January 1st, 2012.

The sustainable restoration of Mouans-Sartoux would be nothing without the daily teams' involvement. By putting the profession of community cook in the food projectcanteens quickly grew to quality. From the order manager (who will pick his vegetables every day at Sébastien's place in the farm) to the chefs and kitchen chefs, the realization of the 100% organic menus becomes more than a goal: it's a party for taste, seasonality and sharing. Everything here is home made, from appetizer to dessert. Industrial additives, prefabricated sauces and other chemical products have no place. To achieve such results, the pace of work is more sustained than before, but good humor and a reaffirmed voluntarism within the teams make thecontagious enthusiasm among service staff, lunchtime supervisors and guests of course.

Without departing from the official nutritional recommendations (GEM-NCR) and PNNS (National Health Nutrition Program), the school restaurants of Mouans-Sartoux introduce nuances thatachieve satiety as the objectives of healthy eating . Mouans-Sartoux chose to reduce the share of meat products according to the formula "eat less meat for better meat". That's a way to increase the share of complete grain products combined with legumes, and massively introduce vegetables into the menus. Combined with the practice of sports activities and relaxation after the meal, these well-eating habits is in the future, in accordance with ecological Agenda 21 adopted by the city. High Council of Public Health recommend in early 2017 to revise certain eating habits by lowering the share of meat, bad fatty acids and processed products.

Limit food waste is a key to success. In four years, the average amount of food left on the plate has been reduced from 150 g (national average) to 32 g, without disrupting guests' appetite. To achieve this goal, series of daily weighings take place in the three school restaurants, with figures on tables, the involvement of children in sorting by themselves the different types of leftovers and the adaptation of portions - small, big- to everyone's appetite. These measures made it possible to gain financial benefits, about 20 cents per meal, the main lever to introduce 100% organic at constant budget. A meal costs € 2.04 per tray (cost of incoming food). This good figure is in line with the national average where organic products do not reach... 4% (Agence Bio 2017).
It is often forgotten that what is not consumed weighs on the order budgets while treatment of waste inflates the bill. The food remains of school restaurants go to vermicomposting station which makes the organic fertilizers of the municipal farm. The circle is complete.

In order to measure the impact of changes in practices, Mouans-Sartoux created theSustainable Restoration Observatory in 2012. This unprecedented structure brings together twice a year the city officers but also external partners whose expertise makes it possible to analyze changes in detail: The Regional Committee for Health Education (Cres Paca), the Departmental Committee for Health health education (Codes 06), the regional food service (Draaf Paca), the Un Plus Bio association, the Skema Business School of Sophia-Antipolis, the Côte d'Azur University, the ImmaTerra Inra Paca, the Pays de Grasse entrepreneurs' club and the Lascaux program. dont l'expertise permet d'analyser finement les évolutions : Le Comité régional d’éducation pour la santé (Cres Paca), le Comité départemental d’éducation pour la santé (Codes 06), le service régional de l’alimentation (Draaf Paca), l'association Un Plus Bio, la Skema Business School de Sophia-Antipolis, l'Université Côte d’Azur, la société ImmaTerra, l'Inra Paca, le Club des entrepreneurs du Pays de Grasse.

Periodically, thorough surveys are carried out among members using the catering service. This approach aims to actively involve citizens and provide valuable indicators on the changes to be made. In 2016, 85% of parents said they had changed their eating habits thanks to the ripple effect of the canteens. All survey results are available here.