Healthy snacks for 360,000 children: Lower Saxony focuses on nutrition!

Healthy snacks for 360,000 children: Lower Saxony focuses on nutrition!

A big step for healthy eating in Lower Saxony: from the next school year, over 360,000 children will benefit from a comprehensive EU school program. That's around 30,000 more than last year! A total of 1,578 schools and 1,031 daycare centers are taking part in this program, which has been combining the previous initiatives on school fruit, vegetables and milk since 2017. The goal is clear: the early promotion of healthy eating with regionally and seasonally produced food. star reports that Nutrition Minister Miriam Staudte particularly emphasizes the importance of a healthy and sustainable diet from childhood onwards.

With a budget of around 7.2 million euros, around 4 million of which come from state funds, the program is financed by the EU and the state of Lower Saxony. The participating institutions include primary and special schools, daycare centers, school kindergartens and secondary schools. A broad-based commitment that can make a real difference for many schools and daycare centers!

Food and education go hand in hand

But what exactly does healthy eating look like in schools? This is where the catering options come into play. Pupils deal with the topic of “food and drink” both in class and through various catering options. In Lower Saxony, not only snacks and drinks are offered through kiosks, vending machines and cafeterias; The combination of lessons and catering is also becoming more important. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Education emphasizes that this is crucial for children's motivation and performance.

At a time when many students spend up to nine hours a day at school, adequate meals are an essential part of everyday school life. Children's educational opportunities should not only be promoted in the classroom, but also through a healthy diet. Finally, there is an increasing lack of skills in households when it comes to healthy eating, which means that many children come to school without breakfast. This often has detrimental effects on concentration and behavior in class.

A look at the numbers and goals

Loud the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture The EU school program is an important part of curbing obesity and unhealthy diets among children. From the 2023/2024 school year onwards, 220.8 million euros per year will be available to promote fruit, vegetables and dairy products.

• Ziele des Programms:
• Erhöhung des Verzehrs von geförderten Lebensmitteln
• Förderung der Akzeptanz für Obst, Gemüse und Milch
• Pädagogische Maßnahmen wie Unterrichtseinheiten und Bauernhofbesuche

The positive feedback and evaluations in recent years show that programs like these actually help to increase the consumption of healthy foods. It remains to be hoped that the new measures will also have a lasting effect in Lower Saxony and that the children can grow up healthy and happy.