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Supporting healthy eating
Schools are a key environment where to teach large groups of children of all social classes about healthy eating and thus instil positive dietary behaviours. Charmaine Gauci, superintendent of public health, discusses the food procurement guidelines for schools.
Childhood and adolescence are periods of development when establishing healthy diet and lifestyle habits is essential. Many parents find difficulty in providing healthy food to their kids due to various issues including taste concerns, resistance from children, limitations on how to make food healthy and yet still tasty and colourful enough to be interesting for kids, and the competing marketing of unhealthy food. Here health authorities come to the rescue to support parents through school initiatives.
The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity especially in children is a major public health issue in most developed countries, including in Europe, as well as in developing countries.
The European Association for the Study of Obesity has estimated that out of a total of 74 million school-age children in the EU, some 12-16 million are affected by overweight (including 3-4.5 million affected by obesity). This public health issue similarly affects Malta with approximately 40 per cent of school-aged children being overweight or obese.
Considering the amount of time that children spend at school, as well as the fact that in many European countries students consume at least one daily main meal or a snack there, schools are an ideal environment for supporting healthy behaviours. Schools are a key environment to teach large groups of children of all social classes about healthy eating and thus instil positive dietary behaviours, which children can follow throughout their lives.
Eating healthily at school not only ensures meeting the immediate dietary needs of the children but also reinforces their healthy eating knowledge and behaviour. Hence, it is vitally important that the food being served or sold in schools complies with principles of good nutrition.
Additionally, school meals offer a unique opportunity for children to develop their palates and learn to appreciate different types of foods compatible with health. As messages learned and behaviours formed in school may be taken home, targeting this age group is not only relevant for defining healthy lifestyles for the entire lifespan of the children but also to reach out to the entire family and community.
Many EU member states have school food policies and guidelines in place to define healthy diets and nutritious food offerings. The same applies for Malta whereby the Whole of School Approach to Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition and Physical activity launched in 2015, outlines areas to enhance nutrition and defines what food categories are allowed in schools and those which are not. This was based on the guidelines for healthy eating.
Eating healthily at school not only ensures meeting the immediate dietary needs of the children but also reinforces their healthy eating knowledge and behaviour. Hence, it is vitally important that the food being served or sold in schools complies with principles of good nutrition.
Additionally, school meals offer a unique opportunity for children to develop their palates and learn to appreciate different types of foods compatible with health. As messages learned and behaviours formed in school may be taken home, targeting this age group is not only relevant for defining healthy lifestyles for the entire lifespan of the children but also to reach out to the entire family and community.
Many EU member states have school food policies and guidelines in place to define healthy diets and nutritious food offerings. The same applies for Malta whereby the Whole of School Approach to Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition and Physical activity launched in 2015, outlines areas to enhance nutrition and defines what food categories are allowed in schools and those which are not. This was based on the guidelines for healthy eating.
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