Winning pupils show teens know healthy eating

AT a time when we’re bombarded with statistics about over-weight and unhealthy teenagers, one group of school-goers are educating their peers about the importance of healthy eating, food miles and organic produce.

More than 2,000 teenagers from around the country entered the Agri Aware Our Food — Your Way! competition, by effectively communicating the importance of healthy eating to their classmates. They had to identify foods produced in their area, interview local farmers and develop a menu based on locally-sourced ingredients.

Competition judge and nutritionist Paula Mee said: “Projects like this help students to gain an understanding of the role Irish farmers play in producing safe, nutritious food.

“I was particularly impressed by the many innovative ways the students chose to educate their peers about the importance of eating healthily.”

Agri Aware Chairman, Mairead Lavery said: “It is enlightening to witness young adults putting so much thought and effort into exploring locally-produced foods that will benefit their health. Based on the entries received we can see how precious our local food producers are in producing safe, quality produce.”

Eureka Secondary School in Meath and St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow were the overall winners and were treated to a demonstration by celebrity chef Neven Maguire in Dublin yesterday.

Chief Executive of Bord Bia Aidan Cotter said: “It is crucial to teach young adults about the importance of food choice.”