On the 10th of November, 800 students from the Joseph Roumanille secondary school in Avignon took part in an annual cross-country race organized by the school's principal and teachers. Upon request from the school, the Interfel PACA committee (created this summer) organized an awareness-raising campaign at the event, about the benefits of consuming fresh fruit and vegetables regularly, through fun and educational activities set up by a dietician from Interfel. The Interprofessional hopes that the students will then pass on the message within their family.
Raising awareness, informing and educating consumers
“Raising awareness, informing and educating” was the theme of the event, which took the form of “fun workshops”. Although slogans such as “Eat and move” and “5 fruit and vegetables a day” are now well known to the general public, fruit and vegetable consumption among young people remains insufficient: 349.19 g/person/day on average, whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends more than 400 g/d to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and type-2 diabetes. At the request of the school principal, Interfel PACA organized a day to raise awareness about the importance of eating fruit and vegetables. “The event was organized as part of the European Fruit and Vegetables program in schools. The younger generation consumes less fruit and vegetables than the older Baby Boomer or X&Y generations, which is why the Interprofession is now aiming its communication campaign at this audience.”
Funded by the European Union (32.7 million € [35.7 million USD] a year), programs such as “Fruit and Vegetables at School” or “Milk and Dairy Products at School” support the distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables and/or milk and dairy products to primary and secondary school pupils. This distribution is accompanied by educational measures designed to promote healthier eating habits among pupils, and improving their knowledge of agricultural and agri-food products and sectors.
Apples in the spotlight
Secondary school pupils were able to (re)discover apples through tastings and quizzes designed to explain the various tastes, flavors, varieties and ways to cook apples. “We chose to focus on apples because they are in season, and we are also in a region that produces a lot of apples.” According to Jérôme Androdias, “there is still a lot of work to be done. The majority of school children define apples as green, yellow and red, without knowing the varieties. Surprisingly, although young consumers tend to prefer sweet apples, “the Chanteclair variety was a big hit!”
“Getting people to eat more fruit and vegetables everyday is a major challenge. In order to achieve this goal, the European program enables school catering managers to take charge of purchasing. Municipalities, departmental councils and regional councils can therefore be key players and levers in this approach.”
For more information:
Jérôme Androdias
Délégué Régional
Interfel - Comité régional PACA
Maison de l’Agriculture –Bâtiment B
Site Agroparc - TSA 18437
97 Chemin des Meinajaries 84912 Avignon
Phone: 06 59 51 93 26
[email protected]