Food as important as ABC

Bitter grade for school meals: Not enough!

Cooking should not only be given the right importance at home.

(Bild: JenkoAtaman/stock.adobe.com)

Alarm on the scales! A third of our children and young people are already overweight and lack nutrients. A recent survey of 5,000 schoolchildren by the association "Land schafft Leben" and the Federal Pupils' Union clearly shows that this problem could and should be counteracted in the classroom.

Our young people lack a balanced diet in the school canteen and there is also little mention of healthy eating in the curriculum. So if we want to be a healthier society, we need to start with our children's diet.

There are two huge levers for this at school: on the one hand, daily meals and, on the other, nutrition education in the classroom. At the moment, much of this is based on the voluntary commitment of schools, but that is not enough. A clear political framework is needed - nationwide.

(Bild: Land schafft Leben, Krone KREATIV)

Nutrition and cooking as important as the ABCs
"The school of tomorrow should be a place where a healthy lifestyle is taught," appeals Marius Hladik to those responsible. It is high time that affordable healthy food is offered in all schools. And that all pupils learn more about the effects of their diet on their body and mind, the climate, the environment and how to handle food.

Hannes Royer (left) and Maria Fanninger from the "Land schafft Leben" association brought the two federal student representatives Marius Hladik and Lorenz Baumgartner on board.

(Bild: Christian Hoppe)

This demand is underpinned by the new survey, as the young people would like to see changes to the curriculum as soon as possible. Subjects such as cooking should be a fixed item on the timetable - in all types of school, from grammar schools to vocational institutions. A whopping 46% of pupils expressed this wish - and what may surprise many - young men are also very interested in it.

The survey shows that children are very interested in healthy food. This is why this must also be incorporated into lessons in the future.

Hannes Royer und Maria Fanninger, Verein „Land schafft Leben“

Bild: Christian Hoppe

"So what are we waiting for?" asks Maria Fanninger, who has been researching and analyzing all of these topics in detail together with Hannes Royer and her association "Land schafft Leben" for over ten years. "We are on the trail of food" is how Royer sums it up.

Almost half of all pupils want to learn to cook
The ball is in the court of the Ministry of Health and Education, and the survey results from our schools clearly show that almost half of the pupils surveyed not only want to learn how to cook, but also want to find out more about health and nutrition. Animal welfare, agriculture, food waste and climate are also among the topics that a particularly large number of respondents would like to learn more about in class.

A whopping 87% would like to learn more from their teachers about how nutrition affects physical health. Perhaps the coming generations will actually achieve a change of heart here, which will ensure that they stay fit and even benefit them in retirement.

After all, we Austrians receive a maximum of "sufficient" in the "healthy life years" grading. On average, we only spend 61 healthy years. By comparison, in Italy we spend a good seven years more! Being overweight not only puts a strain on our bodies, but also on our already ailing healthcare system. We should therefore respond quickly to our children's smart wishes and give them a greater appetite for school.