As a new academic year begins in Stella Cilento, schools in the small town have agreed to offer bread and extra virgin olive oil to local students as an afternoon snack.
“Kids are going back to school and we are glad to give them the opportunity to experience, throughout this year, a healthy and tasty improvement in their food habits,” Francesco Massanova, the mayor of the 700-person village, told Olive Oil Times.
The idea for parents to visit the classrooms of nursery and elementary students in order to prepare the traditional snack came after these students helped to harvest olives from trees owned by the town.
“It all started when we decided to harvest the olives in the municipality owned groves, involving the children in picking fruits,” Massanova said.
With the help of some local millers, the students obtained 40 liters of good extra virgin olive oil, which parents proposed to use as part of a bi-weekly snack for the young students. The town liked the idea and agreed to supply the bread.
“The children are happy and prefer ‘pane e olio’, bread and olive oil, to junk food,” Massanova said.
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