************************************************************
The Department of Health (DH) today (December 28) organised a nutritional cooking workshop for chefs to equip them with the skills and knowledge to prepare healthy lunchboxes that will help children adopt a healthy eating habit.
The workshop is one of the activities under the department's "EatSmart@school.hk" campaign, through which participants gain a better understanding of the nutritional requirements of school children aged six to twelve and learn how to develop and modify recipes to prepare healthier lunchboxes.
A total of 60 participants from 23 school lunch suppliers and school canteens attended the workshop.
A spokesman for the department said that a healthy, balanced school lunch could help to prevent diseases in children, including obesity and related health problems. The latest figures by the DH revealed that the obesity rate for primary school students has increased from 19.4% in 2005/06 school year to 20.2% in 2006/07.
"In preparing lunch, chefs stand in the frontline in the selection of ingredients, design of recipes and method of cooking. It is of paramount importance for them to know how to prepare tasty and healthy meals for children to develop a healthy eating habit," the spokesman said.
He added that parents also played a critically important role in promoting healthy eating for their children.
"To empower parents with knowledge and skills about nutrition, a series of publicity programmes on television, radio and printed media will be launched from January 2008," the spokesman said.
In addition, the department has recently revised the "Nutritional Guidelines on School Lunch for Primary School Students". The guidelines aim to set a benchmark for the nutritional quality of lunches prepared for children and to ensure that they are served a nutritionally balanced school lunch that promotes optimal growth.
The guidelines are now available from the campaign's thematic website: http://school.eatsmart.gov.hk.
The "EatSmart@school.hk" campaign was launched with the support of the Education Bureau, the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, School Headmasters'/Headmistresses' Associations and other professional organisations in the 2006/07 academic year to cultivate healthy eating practices among children to help them grow healthily and learn effectively.
Ends/Friday, December 28, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:31
NNNN
