The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in conjunction with Nestlé South Africa will today, officially launch the 2013 National Nutrition Week campaign at Molefe Mooke Primary School in Dilopye Village, Hammanskraal.
The launch forms part of the annual National Nutrition Week celebrations. This year, the DBE has fittingly chosen the theme, “Choose your portion with caution,” which resonates with the DBE’s priority of boosting quality learning and teaching through improving and maintaining learners’ health and well-being.
“Unfortunately many South Africans especially children eat too little of certain food groups like fruit and vegetables and rather prefer the cereal or starch or meat groups which is normally prepared by adding fat. Eating too much of these groups can lead to overweight which is associated with lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension,” said Ms Gugu Ndebele DDG: Social Mobilisation and Support Services.
At the launch, the DBE and Nestlé will hand over Nutrition Education Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) to educators and learners. Educators will receive Nutrition Education LTSM to help them facilitate learning programmes about good nutrition practices.
The DBE and Nestlé will host regular workshops for educators to share best methods of teaching about good nutrition practices. The partnership also includes Nutrition Education days which have been hosted at the Johannesburg Zoo since July 2012 which include a theatre production encouraging children to eat a balanced diet and live active lives.
The celebrations will also include the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme, which was first piloted in Gauteng and the North West provinces in 2012 and aims to promote healthy lifestyles through initiatives on good nutrition targeted at school going children between six and 12 years-old, food handlers, teachers and parents.
This partnership is in line with the Nestlé’s Creating Shared Value business philosophy which states that for a business to be successful in the long term, it needs to create value for the communities where it operates.
Nestlé South Africa’s Spokesperson, Ravi Pillay says: “Our partnership with the DBE has thus far proven that through collective shared actions, more can still be achieved in driving good nutrition and healthy lifestyle messages in the classroom set-up. At Nestlé, we are passionate about good nutrition and are committed to enhancing quality lifestyles and good eating habits amongst our school going children.”
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Elijah Mhlanga
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