According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this 2022 food security has been in check. Pandemic, explosive increase in pathologies associated with food, climate change, rising prices, market volatility due to armed conflicts, inequality, among others, have only complicated access to proper nutrition.
So the year’s motto “LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND” takes on even more meaning if we want to build a sustainable world where everyone has regular access to enough food. One of the main strategies in Latin America is to take care of children’s nutrition from the preschool and school stages.
“If we start in early childhood, we can not only guarantee that children in our region have access to healthy food, but also their minds are awake”, explains Raúl Benítez, FAO Regional Representative.
Why school feeding is so important: What the science says
It is during childhood that eating habits are set, and if they are not established correctly, they will be very difficult to change. With proper eating routines and a healthy lifestyle, we will reduce the chances that the child may suffer from certain pathologies in adulthood. In addition, we will avoid nutritional disorders, anemia, overweight or obesity. Childhood is the stage of life where most changes occur, both physical and intellectual, and therein lies the importance of infant feeding.
Studies from the Mayo Clinic indicate that “it is recommended that the diet of the little ones be rich in cereals, fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated fats and salt. Although in less quantity, you should also consume eggs, dairy and fish. They also highlight, at school age “limiting the intake of red meat and derivatives, and incorporating water as an essential drink in daily meals, are other tips for children to follow a healthy and balanced diet.”
“Foods with empty calories such as sugar or industrial pastries should be restricted. They provide a lot of energy but few nutrients and can be harmful if taken in excess. In the short term they can cause cavities and in the not too distant future, overweight or obesity”, they add.
In Chile, a curious campaign by the renowned chef Carlo von Mühlenbrock is making people talk. The chef comments that he has carried out more than 6 months of observation in the different kitchens and establishments that he has visited from Arica to Chiloé, in which Grupo Delibest is present through the companies Fedir, Consorcio Merkén, Saludable and UTP Alimentos International.
Analyze the process from within
This experience has allowed her to know in detail how the preparations are made, the quality of the products and the daily work of thousands of food handlers who, with their dedication and effort, deliver dishes with a high nutritional value, rich and healthy, as she points out.
“I got to know the work of the food handlers and I had the opportunity to listen to them, and I was able to form my own opinion and perception, to later contribute with my experience in infant and healthy nutrition in the improvement of some preparations and also make visible their dedication and the pride that they feel for feeding the boys and girls of Chile”, details the chef, emphasizing that JUNAEB concessionaires, the State and especially the family must collaborate in school feeding.
Chef quality for boys and girls
With more than 25 years of experience, von Mühlenbrock explains that this observation stage considered a critical look at the gastronomic operation of the company, how food is handled and traceable, how cold chains work, the infrastructure conditions for cooking and the quality of facilities and raw materials, among other aspects.
After this observation period, the evaluation process began and, finally, the stage of recommendations and support to carry out the improvements. “We will work on the nutritional minutes (menus) to make the work of food handlers more efficient, contributing from the point of view of child nutrition, but also from the operational reality of school and kindergarten kitchens.”
Challenges to improve nutrition
The general manager of Delibest Chile, Julio Arocena adds that “our management is transmitted in the thousands of schools and kindergartens in which we deliver food and in this context we assume two great challenges: the first is to improve the food system itself and what we do every day so that children and adolescents like the preparations and improve their diet”.
And, “secondly, to ensure that parents and guardians and families, school directors, teachers and education assistants and the entire community know that the school feeding system works, and it works very well,” he said. .