How do you teach children the secret of healthy eating? You teach them to cook of course! That was the thinking behind a special Nestlé event for kids which took place on International Chefs Day on October 20th.
Nestlé partnered with the World Association of Chefs Societies for International Chefs Day to educate kids around the world about the importance of healthy eating. The goal was to expose kids to the culinary profession while teaching them good eating habits for life.
“Nestlé Professional was proud to offer culinary expertise and together with our Nestlé Healthy Kids programme, we partnered with the World Association of Chefs Societies to make this event possible,” says Nestlé Corporate Communications Manager Denise d’Abadie, “Our Nestlé Healthy Kids Champions, the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality Institute, Nestlé Professional managers, our employee-volunteers and our in-house nutritionist all teamed up to make this an unforgettable event for the children.”
Themed “Foods for Healthy Heroes,” the focus of the day was on communicating the ‘superpowers’ of healthy foods. “We wanted to show the children how good foods can keep them strong, healthy and feeling like the superheroes they love!” says d’Abadie, “For example, our Brutus Banana superhero taught the kids about all the vitamins and minerals, like manganese, magnesium and B-vitamins, in the fabulous banana.”
Nestlé hosted 50 children from two of the primary schools involved in our Healthy Kids Programme as well as some of our employee’s children. Activities ranged from a Push Up Challenge to general knowledge and memory quizzes, but for most of the children the highlight of the day was the opportunity to team up with trained chefs to prepare fun and healthy dishes, like Professor A’s Steam Cooked Turkey Breast with Agent Fibre’s Brown Rice; Super O’s Oats with Strawberries and Brutus Banana’s Berry Boosting Smoothies.
About International Chefs Day
- Organised by the World Association of Chefs Sociétés (World Chefs), International Chefs Day is celebrated by more than 10 million chefs around the world. Chefs engage with their communities, to honour their profession, and share the pleasure of cooking.
Nestlé Healthy Kids: Quick Facts
- Nestlé Healthy Kids celebrates its sixth Anniversary this year. In just six years the programme has reached 4,000 children and 2,500 parents!
- The Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme promotes children’s nutrition, health and wellbeing by helping kids understand the role that nutrition plays in their lives, through a focus on nutrition education and physical education.
- Nestlé Healthy Kids is a school education programme geared towards children aged 6 to 12 years. It’s part of a global Nestlé strategy of education, communication and social mobilisation initiative launched in 2008.
- The three-year primary school programme teaches children how to live a healthy lifestyle in a practical and simple way. Supported by workbooks, materials, lectures and training for teachers, the programme moves kids towards a diet and lifestyle that will safeguard their health and that of their families
- Today, Nestlé Healthy Kids is in 10 schools across Trinidad and Tobago: Belmont Government Primary School, Sacred Heart Girls R.C School, St. Joseph Girls R.C School, Mafeking Government Primary School, St. Monica’s Preparatory School, The University School, Dinsley Government Primary School, Curepe Presbyterian School, Dunross Preparatory School and Macaulay Government School.