The Republic of Slovenia represents a good example of cooperation between different interested parties. Namely, in 2006, the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia gathered beekeepers, professional institutions in the field of agriculture, local communities and schools to join the organization of breakfast with honey in kindergartens and primary schools. The Beekeeping Association of Slovenia called it the Honey Breakfast and still organizes it every third Friday in November.
Until 2011, the Honey Breakfast included honey as the main ingredient. At the initiative of the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia, the Honey Breakfast grew into the Traditional Slovenian Breakfast, adopted at the national level. Honey was joined by other foodstuffs produced in Slovenia, namely bread, milk, butter and apples.
The goal of the project is to teach children, youth and the general public about the importance of breakfast, beekeeping and agriculture, and therefore also about the meaning and benefits of locally produced food. The traditional breakfast on the day of the event has spread beyond the framework of the school system to companies, public and private institutions, etc. On the day of the event, various accompanying activities are held in schools on the topic of healthy nutrition, beekeeping, agriculture and World Bee Day.
Based on good practice in Slovenia, which we wanted to transfer beyond the borders of Slovenia, the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia initiated the European Honey Breakfast in 2014. Although the proposal did not receive the signatures of the majority of the members of the European Parliament, the Honey Breakfast is held in many countries, both in the EU and outside it. Every year, more and more supporters join this campaign, and Slovenian embassies around the world are especially active.
Last year, the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia, together with other partners in agriculture, submitted an initiative to the Government to turn the Day of Slovenian Food into the Week of Slovenian Food. The week has not yet been officially declared, but the local organizations of beekeepers and farmers and their cooperatives have decided to promote the week themselves this year.
The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Belgrade, together with the Children’s Cultural Center, organizes a honey breakfast for children and a workshop on the topic of bees and other pollinators for food production. Also, in this context, a honey breakfast and a lecture on the importance of bees for the diplomatic corps will be organized.
We invite you to enjoy a honey breakfast together with us on the third Friday in November, i.e. November 17, and thus join the many supporters of the European Honey Breakfast and devote your attention to eating locally produced food, following the practice in Slovenia. Let the food you eat contain honey, as this will remind us of the importance of bees and other pollinators to food production.
By holding the Honey Breakfast, we draw attention to the importance of preserving nature and the environment and the importance of bees, which are necessary for a better world, a world without hunger!
More information:
A video on what a world without bees would look like:
European Honey Breakfast and the World Bee Day:
European Initiative Honey Breakfast: