Members' network forum - March 2026
Silja Varjonen and Aliisa Hyvönen introduced the Sapere approach in the Finnish context, including what allows sensory food education to flourish in Finland, as well as some of the challenges.
Ruukku, the Finnish Society for Food Education has led the way in the practice and development of the Sapere approach in Finland, a country renowned for its excellent and longstanding universal free school meal provision
Silja Varjonen, the out-going Director of Ruuku, has grown the organisation over the past 8 years, increasing the the joy of eating and sustainable well-being in Finland.
She is also a nutritionist, and has been member of the Sabere Aisbl board for 4 years. She is now a project manager at the Finnish ‘Food Academy for decision-makers’.
I’n her free time she likes to tend her small allotment and pick berries and mushrooms with her two children – and she’s always up to throw parties for friends and family!
Aliisa Hyvönen is the new Director at Ruukku. By background a nutritionist focusing on food education, she has been working at Ruukku on food education projects focusing on school-aged children since 2020.
Previously she has gained experience in food education in an intervention study targeting elderly people’s protein intake and while collecting her master’s thesis data on Ugandan caregivers’ perceptions and practices of complementary feeding.
In her freetime she has actively lead children’s scout groups, where the activities can range from baking buns in a kitchen to learning to keep up the campfire when camping in winter.
Members' network forum - November 2025
Helena Buckley: TastEd, UK
Updates on the school ambassador programme of TasteEd, the UK charity for sensory food education.
A former teaching assistant with a masters in the Anthropology of Food, Helena believes that changing our food system can solve the interwoven issues of environmental health, human health and inequality – and this starts with education.
Tan Mei Wan: the Rasa project, Singapore
Mei Wan formally trained as a food engineer and started her career as a pastry chef. She most recently worked in the food tech and sustainability space. The rasa project www.rasaproject.com is a grassroots initiative started in Singapore, empowering educators and families with sensory food workshops starting in preschools.
Vladimír Čejna: Sapere method in Czech & Slovak Republic
Vladimir works in research & development at Savencia Fromage & Dairy, and is involved in modern production technologies and the functional and nutritional properties of products. Vladimir is dedicated to promoting the SAPERE method in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and in 2024 published a SAPERE manual in the Czech language.
Helsinki Food Education Symposium 2024
The Finnish Association for Food Education Ruukku, together with Sapere International and the PromoKids network, organised an international food education event in October 2024.
The Helsinki Food Education Symposium brought together over 70 participants from 18 countries. The two-day symposium explored a wide range of topics, including the development of school meals, digital tools for food education, and strategies for preventing childhood obesity.
In addition to the seminar, international guests had the opportunity to experience a Finnish school lunch firsthand during a visit to a local primary school. Participants also took part in workshops on current food education themes, engaged in hands-on Sapere activities, and networked during a dinner featuring Japanese food education.
Feedback from the event was positive:
“My knowledge of how school meals and food education works across different European countries has massively increased, I particularly loved the school visit”
“There is potential in food education that is not in use yet!”
“The main goal of a Food Educator is not to make children eat well. The main goal is to make children want to eat well.”
You can explore the detailed program and keynote speakers at Ruukku’s website: https://ruokakasvatus.fi/helsinki-food-education-symposium/
SAPERE e-conference 2022
SAPERE symposium 2019
