Education expands the healthy eating program to 51 schools

VALENCIA (EP). The Department of Education, Universities and Employment has expanded the experimental program ‘Healthy and sustainable eating’ to a total of 51 educational centers to promote the educational inclusion of the most vulnerable students.

This program is developed through the General Directorate of Educational Innovation and has among its objectives the incorporation of healthy eating habits that are respectful of the environment, the Generalitat reported in a statement.

For this purpose, the Ministry has allocated a total of 382,500 euros, which during this year will be distributed among 51 Early Childhood and Primary Education centers, owned by the Generalitat, nine centers more than the previous year. These centers also participate in the PROA+ program, aimed at reducing school dropouts.

Each of these 51 schools participating in the initiative will have 7,500 euros to program promotion and awareness activities aimed at improving the eating habits of students, within the patterns of the Mediterranean diet associated with local and seasonal products.

The program also contemplates the possibility of offering healthy foods as an example of this type of diet.

In addition to facilitating healthy eating for students, this program offers them training on nutrition and a healthy and sustainable diet. This activity takes place during the first half of the school day, with a minimum of 30 minutes of teaching activity.

With the aim of improving regular class attendance of students from the most needy families and reducing absenteeism percentages, the program seeks the involvement of their families and the educational centers themselves and offers them specific training to address success of this problem and achieve a good inclusive climate.

In this line of work, the General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Inclusion also collaborates with the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries during this school year through the ‘Program to promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables and milk and dairy products’ in the schools.

The program consists of the distribution of these foods along with other actions, such as the organization of informative sessions and talks; delivery of informative or educational material; contests; games and prizes; attendance at audiovisual animations and plays.