Stephanie Fsadni visits a school to learn more about initiatives being taken to promote healthy eating and reduce food waste among young students.

‘Eating responsibly’ is a theme nowadays familiar with primary and secondary schoolchildren. Long gone are the days when they could indulge in cheesecakes, cakes and soft drinks at school tuck shops or bring sugary sweet treats to school from home. Children are becoming more concerned about their food as they learn about the importance of eating fresh, healthy and local produce for their own well-being and that of the planet.

In view of higher rates of obesity and related health problems, the government has long embarked on initiatives to promote healthy eating at schools, such as the Food and Veg Scheme, through which fresh food and vegetables are distributed across schools, and Ekoskola initiatives which are generating awareness about the importance of a greener earth.

St Monica School in Gżira wholly partakes in such initiatives. Last year the school applied for Ekoskola’s green flag, an international certification based on international quality criteria for education for sustainable development (ESD).

The school was already awarded this recognition twice but this year it is focusing on promoting healthy eating and reducing food waste. It presented an action plan at an Ekoskola conference in October and to enact the plan, the Ekoskola link teachers discussed it with the school’s Ekoskola committee, which is made up of 25 to 30 Grade 3 to Form 5 students.

“As part of the action plan, we held educative talks for students and teachers,” explains Joyce Kirkop, a biology teacher and one of the Ekoskola link teachers at St Monica.

“Through the HSBC Catch the Drop Campaign, we also received funds to set up a roof garden, where we could grow ‘simple’ crops like cherry tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, peas and herbs.”

The school received many tips and information for this project from the LifeMedGreenRoof project at the University of Malta, which is studying the performance of green roofs in the local context to ascertain how these can contribute towards meeting energy and environmental targets.

The school’s own green roof is in the final stages of construction. In the meantime, the students are planting a number of seeds in pots in order to replant them in the actual garden at a later stage. Children have been asked to collect smoothie cups to recycle them and use as pots for this plant nursery.

Such projects are introducing children to the concepts of organic farming, roof gardens and farming in general.

Children nowadays are so detached from rural life that some of them have no idea where crops come from

“Children nowadays are so detached from rural life that some of them have no idea where crops come from,” Kirkop points out. “At least, in this way, they have become aware of the process that leads to finding fruit and vegetables at the supermarket .”

“They take a deep interest in the subject and ask all sorts of questions. For example, we’ve had children asking if you can grow a peach tree in a pot.”

Primary school teacher Rachel Bonnett, who is the other Ekoskola link teacher at St Monica, added: “Primary schoolchildren are especially enthusiastic about the fact that they can go home and teach their parents about what they should eat and not.”

But the students are preoccupied with other more universal matters too.

“Secondary schoolchildren are particularly concerned with earth,” claims Kirkop. “They take the environment’s situation very seriously and ask ‘why is this happening?’, ‘what can we do about it?’. They feel they have to do something.”

“They are also aware, for example, that it didn’t rain a lot this year, even primary schoolchildren,” continues Bonnett.

Children are becoming more interested in the food they eat and their nutritional properties.Children are becoming more interested in the food they eat and their nutritional properties.

The school took on board other initiatives to promote a greener and healthier world.

“We encourage children to bring healthy snacks as often as possible. They also bring their own cutlery and their food is packed in lunch boxes which are reusable, and therefore avoid generating unnecessary waste.”

The tuck shops also prepare healthy snacks such as bread rolls, salads and wraps. One would still find sausage rolls but, for example, instead of sausage, local meat is used. Pizza is prepared in-house with fresh, local produce, thus reducing food miles – an issue children also learn about at school.

Students can also buy ‘half-portions’, so if they do not feel like eating a lot, they would not be wasting food.

There is also a food vending machine on the school premises which is not to be used during school hours.

“Some children unfortunately do not have breakfast before school and others stay for after-school activities, so they can buy from the machine when the tuck shop is closed. Besides healthy food, it has no sodas, just water and juices,” says Kirkop.

Through the cooperation of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), the school holds various fundraising activities in which healthy eating is promoted.

On Sunday, the school is organising a Family Fun Day and Responsible Living Day from 10am to 5pm. Pre-grade to Grade 6 children had to prepare a project or chart each on themes ranging from the Mediterranean diet; food miles; the palm oil issue; the unequal distribution of food in the world and reducing meat consumption.

In cooperation with the Home Economics teachers, students are preparing healthy snacks such as smoothies and simple recipes to encourage parents to cook healthy food. They are also to distribute a USB – thus saving paper – with healthy recipes and tips to do with leftover food.

For more information, visit the Ekoskola St Monica School Gżira.

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