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The Department of Health will tomorrow (April 25) celebrate the annual Joyful Fruit Day to engage schools in organising various fun activities in April (designated as Joyful Fruit Month) to help students develop the habit of eating fruit.
The theme of this year's Joyful Fruit Day is "FruitĄDWe Like!", which aims to build students' liking for fruit both in school and at home with a view to promoting health. This year's activities mainly target three groups, namely pre-primary institutions, primary and special schools, and secondary schools.
For pre-primary institutions, school-based fruit parties are organised for children, who are also encouraged to develop the habit of eating an adequate amount of fruit every day through the Fruit Diary Card Award Scheme.
In primary and special schools, the "FruitĄDWe Like!" greeting card colouring contest and the Vote for My Favourite Fruit activity have been organised in addition to school-based fruit parties to echo with this year's theme.
As regards secondary schools, the Creative Fruity Venture - School Fruit Promotion Project has been launched. Under the supervision of teachers, secondary students organise school-based activities to boost fruit consumption among school staff and students.
Increasing scientific evidence has shown that eating fruit is conducive to good health. Daily consumption of adequate amounts of fruit can prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. However, local surveys have shown that barely half of local primary students eat fruit twice a day or more.
Hence, the Department of Health urges people from all walks of life to support Joyful Fruit Day. With immediate effect, they are advised to develop a habit of taking two or more servings of fruit every day to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Children under 6 years of age may consume half this amount. Parents have a particularly important role in supporting children to develop the habit of eating fruit by working closely with schools.
Organised for the sixth year since 2007, Joyful Fruit Day has witnessed an increasingly overwhelming response. The number of participating schools has increased from 362 in the first year to a record high of more than 1,190 this year, with the involvement of nearly 480,000 students. To add fun to this year's fruit eating drive, the Department of Health has specially constructed an online map of participating schools.
Joyful Fruit Day is one of the annual events under the EatSmart@school.hk Campaign, which is co-organised by the Department of Health, Education Bureau, Committee on Home-School Co-operation, Hong Kong Education City and Hong Kong College of Cardiology, and supported by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Radio Television Hong Kong, World Cancer Research Fund Hong Kong and Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations in all districts of Hong Kong.
More information on the EatSmart@school.hk Campaign and the 2012 Joyful Fruit Day event is available at the Department of Health's thematic website for the EatSmart@school.hk Campaign (school.eatsmart.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:41
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