Federal Government wants healthier snacks in private schools.
Schools will receive the "Healthy School Canteens" manual; the goal is to reduce obesity among young people; 30% of children aged 5 to 9 are overweight.
Agência Brasil – A partnership between the federal government and the National Federation of Private Schools seeks to bring guidelines for healthier eating habits to private school cafeterias across the country.
According to the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, the agreement should benefit more than 6,7 million high school and primary school students. Starting today (4), schools will receive a kind of manual, called Healthy School Canteens, promoting healthy eating.
"Part of eating habits are built in the family, at home, but part of these habits are built within the school. Combining these two actions, these two spaces, is crucial to reducing obesity and overweight among children and adolescents," said the minister.
Data from the ministry indicates that 30% of children aged 5 to 9, for example, are overweight. Among teenagers, the rate reaches 21%. Developing healthy eating habits in these age groups, according to Padilha, is an important measure in the attempt to prevent a future generation of obese adults.
The president of the National Federation of Private Schools, Amábile Pacios, reported that 40 private educational institutions are expected to participate in the partnership. The expectation is that at least half of them will begin the initiatives in the coming months.
“It’s very smart to start this obesity prevention campaign with younger people. They are in school to learn,” he said. “If a child incorporates healthy eating habits into their daily life, this will accompany them into adulthood and wherever they are – shopping malls, stadiums, parties,” he added.
She pointed out that poor nutrition provided by the school can negatively impact students' learning, due to fatigue, lack of motivation resulting from slow digestion, and reduced willingness to participate in activities.
For Amábile, it will also be necessary to implement re-education actions aimed at managers and employees who work with school canteens. “The project's approach is not punitive or restrictive, it's educational. That's what we believe in – creating a framework of values in which children can make their own choices.”