Healthy food education for 17.000 children in The Hague

Type: People
Topic: Humanity
Topic: Impact
Publication date: 28 Feb 2025

TommyTomato The Hague receives grant from European Regional Development Fund

TommyTomato The Hague received an European Grant to improve access to healthy food for Children in multiple areas in The Hague. More than 17.000 children will benefit from this grant to get access to better food, cooking lessons and food education.

Jeen Budding, hub manager TommyTomato The Hague "TommyTomato The Hague gives children the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy choices, now and in the future. We deliver a healthy lunch, packed with vegetables, to primary schools. This is healthy and also helps children to concentrate at school. We wish that for all children. By working together with schools, parents and local partners, we ensure that healthy food becomes the norm in The Hague."

European Regional Development Fund

Thanks to the support of the European Regional Development Fund, Opportunities for West programme and the collaboration with the Municipality of The Hague alongside GGD Haaglanden, TommyTomato succeeded to open their branch in The Hague. They focuse on improving the living environment and opportunities for vulnerable neighbourhoods. Their mission is to promote health in children’s lives, by delivering nutritious meals to schools and providing them a healthy lifestyle.

The hub should reach no less than 75% of all primary schools in the GTI area (Metropolitan Densification Areas) in The Hague, and thus, getting children in The Hague to eat more vegetables. Furthermore, involving parents and the wider community into their mission is another goal of TommyTomato.

Hilbert Bredemeijer, alderman for education, youth, sport and services for the City of The Hague. "Every child deserves access to healthy and nutritious food. With this support, we are taking an important step towards ensuring that children in The Hague can enjoy better meals, cooking lessons, and food education. This initiative is not just about food—it’s about giving our children the foundation for a healthier future. I am proud that, together with TommyTomato, we are making this possible for so many families in our city."

Not to forget that the TommyTomato hubs also offer workplaces to people who experience a distance to the labour market, such as refugees, migrants or people with disabilities. 

Thanks to the European Regional Development Fund’s Opportunities for West programme, they have opened their location in The Hague and already taught 26 cooking and nutrition classes and told 93 classes about the benefits of vegetables. 2.337 children ate 93.480 lunches, all in the period from November 2023 to October 2024.

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