FRESH IS BEST! A LESSON FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Today Mary Porter, Member for Ginninderra, launched the Most of a Fresh Food Market Tour Manual whilst touring the Fresh Food Markets at Belconnen with students from Macquarie Primary School.

“This is one way to give children an interactive and exciting learning experience about all types of fresh produce, but particularly about fruit and vegetables,” Ms Porter, said today.

“The Manual will provide ACT preschool and primary school teachers, their students and market tour operators with relevant and consistent information to get the most out of a school excursion to a fresh food market as well as learn about fresh food in the classroom.”

“We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is good for us. Some children, and some adults, I might add, are not eating enough fruit and many of us are not eating enough vegetables.

“The ACT Chief Health Officer’s Report from 2008 provided evidence that the consumption of energy dense, processed foods featured prominently in many children’s diets. It is the high consumption of these foods with high carbohydrate levels or high sugar-level foods such as sweets and soft-drinks, on a regular basis that can lead to children developing long-term chronic diseases as a result of being overweight or obese.”

Ms Porter said all ACT Government and non-Government preschools and primary schools would receive a copy of the Manual before the beginning of Term 3, 2009. Teachers would also be able to access the Manual online.

The Manual is an initiative of ACT Health’s Go for 2&5® fruit and vegetable campaign in partnership with Nutrition Australia; the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets; and Department of Education and Training (DET).

“I’d like to thank Marie Efkapidis and the Belconnen Markets for their strong support of the campaign,” Ms Porter said.