BNF programme to teach role of food manufacturers

By Laurence Gibbons

- Last updated on GMT

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has today (June 3) launched a week–long programme to educate children on the role food and drink manufacturers play in the production of their food.

The BNF’s Healthy Eating Week will educate 1.3M children from over 3,000 schools and nurseries on the provenance of food, labelling, the retailer’s role, healthy eating and cooking.

In this exclusive video for FoodManufacture.co.uk, Roy Ballam, education programme manager at BNF, said: “It is really important that children understand where their food comes from … and how it's reared or caught, but also how it's produced and processed.”

Greater nutritional education

Ballam also revealed why he believed there was a demand for greater nutritional education within schools and what impact the Healthy Eating Week would have on schools for the other 51 weeks of the year.

The campaign would enable key nutritional messages to be taught, from a trusted resource, in a way that is interesting and relevant to children of all ages, he added.

To provide schools and nurseries with focus, each day will have two themes – one for the morning and one for the afternoon.

The themes are based around the Department of Health’s eatwell plate, and its eight tips for healthy eating.

An example of themed days from the BNF are: 

  • Monday: Eat well!  Fruit and vegetables
  • Tuesday: Eat breakfast!  Bread, potatoes, rice, pasta …
  • Wednesday: Drink up!  Milk and dairy foods
  • Thursday:  Be active!  Meat, fish, eggs, beans …
  • Friday:  Keep in balance!  Health for life!

Meanwhile, a BNF survey​ published today revealed that children think fish fingers come from chicken and their poor eating habits.

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