The statistics of the 'Flemish Institute for Healthy Living' show that many children are overweight. 5% of Flemish youngsters struggle with obesity. The cause of this is often to be found in the popularity of calorie-rich drinks, snacks and irregular and often unhealthy meals. In addition, more and more children come to school with empty lunch boxes because parents have no budget to buy food. Quite a task for schools to address SDG 2 in a discreet manner. Because every child has the right to a balanced and healthy meal. In this fact sheet, we look at the theme of healthy food and even examine the impact of our food on the climate.
Did you know that…
if you drink a soft drink every day, you increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 20%?
Food is a theme with many possibilities. You can talk about healthy sustainable organic food, the ecological footprint, fair trade, food miles, climate impact, water and waste policy ... In short, the theme lends itself perfectly to a broadening in many sub-themes. Food is also culture-bound. Each culture has its own individuality when it comes to food. Let this perhaps also be a starting point for students who come from a multicultural society. Introduce students to those other food cultures. Explore with them other vegetables and fruits, other dishes and other forms of eating. Have them go on an investigation to distinguish healthy from unhealthy food and drink. Let them look up where food comes from, how it grows. Let them look up the meaning of healthy food. Is healthy food also affordable? And is that healthy food also environmentally responsible?
The questions below may be exciting to explore.
About me
- Why do you eat and drink?
- Where does hunger and thirst come from?
- What signals does our body give then?
- What do you eat and drink in a day?
- Do you sometimes not eat or drink? Why/when is that?
- ...
About drinks
- What is the composition of soft drinks,fruit juices, bottled waters, drinking water,...?
- Why do soft drinks and some fruit juices taste sweet?
- Where does sugar come from? What types of sugars are there?
- Are there other products to make something sweet? Stevia, aspartame,...
- What is the origin of these products?
- What additives are still used in soft drinks?
- How do all these substances affect our health?
- What is the difference between bottled water and tap water? Do the water taste test.
- How much does bottled water cost on average per liter? How much does tap water cost?
- Which is best for the environment? Reusable bottle, bottled water, plastic bottle or tap water?
- Is potable water available everywhere?
- ...
About food
- What vegetables and fruits do you all like? And why? Make taste tests with fruits and vegetables that the students bring themselves. These often include ingredients from other countries.
- What does a healthy breakfast look like? Organize a healthy breakfast. Let the students do the shopping themselves, read the labels, pay, etc.
- What should be in a healthy meal? (See the food triangle from the Flemish Institute of Healthy Living)
- Where do the vegetables and fruits come from? (Exotic, indigenous fruit, local,...)
- Where does our food come from? Is it grown locally? Or does it travel many food miles? What is the impact of these food miles?
- How can we ensure that our carbon footprint remains as low as possible when making a meal?
- What does organic food mean? Can you give examples? What label are these products given? Are fruits and vegetables cultivated without pesticides and fertilizers? Pesticides affect not only the plant or fruit and human health, but also air and soil quality and biodiversity. Just think of the bee mortality.
- What does fair trade mean? Can you give examples? Is the food you buy fair trade? Which links in the food chain are involved and are they fairly rewarded?
- In what conditions is the meat or fish we eat grown? What food or medication is given to the animals? Where does the food that animals receive come from? In what conditions are these animals raised and slaughtered? What is the impact of meat on the climate?
- How is food waste addressed?
- How much water is needed to produce food?
About packaging
- What about packaging when purchasing this food? Why is packaging needed?
- What types of packaging exist?
- What materials are they made of?
- Where do these materials come from? (raw materials, countries,...)
- What happens to the waste from these types of packaging?
The pupils survey the consumption of drinks and the number of drinks containers (per class) and, based on this, in consultation with teachers and parents, work out actions to reduce packaging waste by x% and to increase the drinking of tap water.
The pupils map the food loss in the cafeteria and proceed to work on it according to ‘kostbare kost’. The students map the local producers. They look at which local producers can be addressed when organizing e.g.: the school party or other festivities...
- Do not underestimate your exemplary role as a teacher/educator! Pupils not only (in most cases) look up to you literally, but also figuratively. If the school decides on a policy of banning soft drinks and/or beverage containers (in the long run), set a good example and refrain from consuming soft drinks and beverage containers (during school hours).
- Parents and grandparents play an important role in making a success of the proposed actions. Involve them from the beginning, give them a say, let them help determine the goals.
- Possible MOS links: a doctor, a nutritionist, a chemist (teacher), wholefood and/or diet shops, intermunicipal waste companies, packaging-free shops (Leuven, Antwerp,
- Gent, ...), Hidrodoe, ...
- Formulate a specific, measurable and achievable (SMART) goal. Communicate this at the start of the project through all channels, evaluate actions regularly and adjust if necessary. Promise a MOS party if the set goal is achieved.
- Have the pupils explain their research, conclusions and proposals for action to the school management and/or school board. Dare to ask for clear commitment.
- Make the plans known within the school group (and/or other schools you are in contact with). Exchange experiences.
- Inform your local environmental and welfare services about the plans and results. Frame this within the climate and wellbeing narrative (CO2 reduction, health).
- Organize a moment at which you announce the plans and goals to the parents, the school population... in an entertaining way. Prepare yourself (or the pupils) well and substantiate with arguments.
- Organize a blind water tasting test for the school population during the school’s kick-off event, the school party, ...
- Organize cooking afternoons with parents of foreign origin. This way the children will also learn about other ingredients and eating habits.
- Have the pupils record measurement results in spreadsheets, tables and graphs, and visualize them with block towers, smileys, etc. so that even the youngest ones can understand.
- Design and create a measuring instrument with the pupils that vividly illustrates the progress in your energy saving.
- Go for a class competition (least packaging waste, healthiest class, ...). Offer a fun (non-material) reward (an excursion, longer breaks, ...).
- A (class) puppet and/or play is always useful to introduce the theme in a fun way. It is best to have these come back regularly so that the theme continues to live on in the school.
- Connect the showcase moment (an exhibit, a play, …) to e.g. the school’s open house, the school festival…
Just about everyone knows what recycling means (although sometimes it gets confused with reusing), but did you know about pre-cycling?
Meaning: preventing the need for recycling waste. Pre-cycling happens before anything is bought, considering how the product is packaged, transported, used and thrown away. Perhaps a new trend in our MOS schools?
One glass of regular soft drink contains around 26.5 grams of sugar. This is equivalent to approximately four and a half lumps of sugar. (Source: Coca-Cola)
Watch out!
Involve (grand)parents in the plans. However, be prepared for possible resistance and opposition. Conduct research beforehand, so that you know what you are talking about. Call in an (external) expert if necessary.
Golden tip!
Desperately looking for a theme for the annual school party, school play, overall spectacle ...? Stop searching! You just found the ultimate pitch! Take this project as an opportunity to write a scenario and small dialogues, to create props and a set, ... with the pupils.
- Overview of interesting websites on healthy food, drinks and waste prevention
- Safe tap waters at schools
- Interesting background information on sugars in soft drinks
- An overview of and background information on/for municipalities that (want to) implement a health policy
- ovam.be: The Openbare Vlaamse Afvalmaatschappij (Public Waste Agency of Flanders)
- A shocking video on the impact of plastics on birds
- A short clip on the journey of a plastic bag
- Interesting background reading on beverage packaging. Attention: tap water is not included in this
- Flemish Institute for Healthy Living
- Everything about Sustainable Food
- The impact of food on the climate: Climate Mindmap
- Precious Food
- KaMOShibai story: The pineapple boat (about sustainable food), Red the lunchbox (about using the lunch box and heaving a healthy lunch), The queen’s little room (about water use) , Alida (about climate refugees)
- Action-card: soup with balls