About this article
Kitchen manager Niels and Chef Maja from Madskolen's school kitchen in Denmark chose to exchange disposable packaging for Verive's reusable meal boxes. They have been Multiline customers for years. Curious why? Watch the video or read on!
16 Jan 2024
5 min
Jet Kolkman
Cooking with a purpose
We visited Kitchen Manager Niels and Chef Maja in the school kitchen of Madskolen. Both have a great passion for their work. “We are a canteen that prepares school meals, but we do this together with the students. Every day, the students prepare food for approximately 220 fellow students of different levels: for young children who have just started school, to high school students and for students who are graduating,” Maja explains.
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No recipes are used at Madskolen. Instead, students learn to think independently and experiment with trying new things. “In the kitchen, the students work with their hands, and they do it together. “You are a team,” we tell them. No one is ready until everyone is ready,” says Maja. Maja and Niels see every day how cooking strengthens their school community. While chopping and cutting, conversations flow naturally and students learn to work together.
Benefits of reusable food packaging
Packing lunch dishes for hundreds of students every day in disposable containers with disposable cutlery led to large amounts of waste. It also turned out to be difficult for the students to properly separate the waste. “In addition to reducing waste, we use the reusable lunch boxes because it is much more fun to prepare lunch in them. The containers are sturdy, and it is also a lot more pleasant to eat: lunch stays warm and does not become soft or sticky in the PP meal containers from Verive!” says Maja enthusiastically.
“Students also learn to handle the things they can borrow properly. Instead of throwing everything away, they should pay attention to the lunch box, empty it and return it to the kitchen after use.”
Although many customers internationally are being urged to switch to reusable food packaging due to legislation, this is not yet the case in Denmark. Madskolen’s motivation is purely intrinsic. The fact that the school kitchen is a closed environment with on-site washing facilities made the switch to reusable packaging relatively easy.
Verive’s locally produced meal boxes
An important factor for Madskolen in choosing Verive meal boxes over other brands was the fact that they are produced in Europe. “It is important for us to know where the products we use come from. In addition, the quality is really good. The meal boxes close well, retain their shape – even when containing hot meals – and remain beautiful after several washes.” Madskolen opted for a personalized design, with the school logo printed on the reusable packaging.
Once these meal boxes have reached the end of their lifespan, they can easily be recycled in the regular, existing plastic waste streams. “I definitely recommend other kitchens, whether they are in a school or not, to invest in reusable food packaging,” smiles Maja.
Transparent advice from Multiline
When you consider food packaging in terms of sustainability, many factors influence it. And once you decide to switch from disposable packaging to reusable packaging, this also requires changes in your processes. Multiline’s Key Account Manager Søren Lauritzen has happily guided Madskolen in this transition. He has a close bond with the customer. “Kitchen manager Niels sees the children as they are, he ensures that the students who exhibit the most challenging behavior in class put a smile on their face in the kitchen,” he explains.
Madskolen’s kitchen manager Niels adds: “Søren has helped us enormously in the transition from disposable packaging to reusable packaging. I felt safe and supported during the decision-making process as he clearly explained the pros and cons of both food packaging systems. Søren’s transparency in sharing things I should pay attention to and be aware of helped me make the decision with confidence.”
Want to know more about Verive?
Whether you are based in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe, we can help you future-proof your food packaging and all associated processes. Contact us today to learn more about the options, or browse our latest catalog here.
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Jet Kolkman
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