The ‘A Healthier Europe’ project arrives in schools for World Food Day

To mark World Food Day, broccoli, artichokes and strawberries, three foods linked to the Mediterranean diet,

were the focus of a children’s food workshop in which Year 3 pupils at the Reggio School in Madrid learned about the beneficial relationship between regular consumption of fruit and vegetables and the development of healthy lifestyle habits.

The action is part of the three-year campaign ‘A healthier Europe‘, co-financed by the European Union, whose ultimate objective is to increase the intake of fruit and vegetables in Spain, France and Germany, from the 350 grams per person per day consumed on average in Europe to the 400 grams recommended by the World Health Organization.

“The consumption of fruit and vegetables in Spain is low, we are only left with just two portions of the five that are recommended to eat daily,” child nutritionist Rebeca Pastor, in charge of giving this interactive session on World Food Day, explained to EFE, where she remarked that “only 3% of the child population complies with the five portions daily“.

For this reason, the initiative promoted by the associations +Broccoli, Artichoke of Spain and AOPn Fraises Framboises de France, focuses on nutritional education from childhood so that, from an early age, children develop healthy lifestyle habits in which local and quality products serve as the basis of their diet.

Learning by playing

Through questions, videos, games and activities with vegetables, the students of the Madrid center have learned in a “fun way” about the traceability of these foods and the multiple ways to incorporate them into their menus because, in Pastor’s opinion, they offer various textures, flavors and have nutritional qualities that “improve their digestive and immune system”.

“I didn’t know that broccoli and artichoke could be eaten raw,” said the 8-year-old student Vega, who eats between two and four pieces of fruit a day, while her classmate Martina has learned that fruit and vegetables “help your body more and give you more strength and energy.”

For her part, the head of communication at +Brócoli, María Ángeles Piné, highlighted its versatility: “Broccoli represents health and nutrition, artichoke has digestive qualities and strawberries provide the tasty counterpoint to the campaign; together they are an unstoppable team.”

Objective: To increase knowledge of fruits and vegetables

The initiative seeks to increase knowledge about European broccoli and artichoke in Spain and Germany, while in the French market it focuses on strawberries. The goal? Connect with more than 25.6 million consumers interested in healthy habits.