“Cook Your Own Potatoes”
Potato Council campaign supported by Olympic athlete
Known as ‘Britain’s greatest ever gymnast’ for her many medal successes, Beth has teamed up with Potato Council to support the Cook Your Own Potatoes (CYOP) project. The campaign aims to communicate the health benefits of potatoes to children and encourage them to cook healthy balanced meals featuring potatoes.
In the new competition, Key Stage 3 pupils (aged 11 -14) are being encouraged to design an eye-catching poster on the theme of ‘Potato Power: Food for Sport’. Pupils can choose to feature any sport in their poster, but they must illustrate how potatoes fit into a healthy, balanced diet. The prize is a workshop session with Beth Tweddle MBE when she will explain to the winning school how potatoes fit into her training regime.
Potato Council education coordinator, Sue Lawton, said; “We’re calling on industry to get involved and help make the competition a huge success by encouraging local secondary schools to enter. You can help to build awareness for the Cook Your Own Potatoes competition by passing on details to friends and family members or direct to schools in your area. Alternatively, encourage them to visit the website for a host of information.”
Set up in 2011, the CYOP project provides much needed support for Food Technology teachers. Designed specifically to encourage Key Stage 3 pupils, the initiative aims to equip children with good habits for life – not just in terms of eating a well-balanced diet but using good value nutritional ingredients such as potatoes to develop tasty meals.
“It is important that as an industry we continue to invest in youngsters by giving them potato-knowledge and cooking skills that they will continue to use into adulthood. Communicating positive messages to youngsters about potatoes through our One Voice initiative is key to ensuring they remain a staple on British plates. By uniting as an industry and speaking with ‘One Voice’ to spread clear, simple and consistent messages about our crop, potatoes will increasingly be seen as a good food by youngsters.” said Sue.
The One Voice initiative, which was launched at BP2013, calls on industry to work together to communicate positive messages about potatoes; namely that they are healthy, sustainable, versatile, affordable and an important contributor to the economy.
Please visit cyop.potato.org.uk for more information.