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Appetite For Life : Competition Winner

3/3/2010 12:00:00 AM

School children have joined in Blaenau Gwent’s Appetite for life healthy eating campaign – and Fit Fred is the winning entry in the competition to find a new healthy school meals mascot

A pupil from Bryngwyn Primary School with their colourful Fit Fred poster has won, joining Fit Fred in spreading the healthy eating message in all 35 primary and secondary schools in Blaenau Gwent will be: Medi the mushroom, Oscar the Orange, Liam the Lettuce and William the Watermelon.

The Blaenau Gwent Appetite for Life campaign is a partnership between schools, Blaenau Gwent Council’s catering team and the Welsh Assembly Government, to promote healthy eating for life among young people. We aim to:

• ** Increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables in pupils’ meals, along with other essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and calcium.
• ** Reduce the overall consumption of fat, sugar and salt in their diets, whilst keeping the food as attractive and wholesome as possible.

Healthy eating menus have been introduced in local schools and catering staff have been trained in cooking a wider range of meals with healthier methods of cookery.

New combination ovens are being installed in all schools across the Borough, helping to improve the nutritional content of school meals and the presentation of the food given.

Salad bars have been set up in over half of Blaenau Gwent Schools – and healthy eating tuck shops opened to discourage unhealthy snacks within school time.

The poster competition winners were presented with their prizes by the Mayor of Blaenau Gwent John Williams MBE JP. The winning entries will be used on all correspondence through Blaenau Gwent Catering and Appetite for Life in all the 35 schools.

“So many of our schools in BG are taking part in this campaign for healthy eating – it’s great to see. We all have to persuade people to eat healthily and that’s hard to do in these days of junk foods”.
- Coun. Williams

Appetite for life recognises that food provided at school, although important, forms only part of children and young people’s diets. At the same time, school provides an ideal environment to convey positive messages on healthy eating and to support them through appropriate behaviours.

Some of the other work being done within Blaenau Gwent with Appetite for life includes:

- Lunchtime supervisor training courses in nutrition
- Tasting sessions
- Cookery clubs
- Peer-led education
- Healthy snacks and lunch boxes within schools

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Hampton