The start of school also coincides with the return of students to school canteen tables, and therefore good nutritional education also depends on what is served to young students. In this sense, the collective meal can represent an important opportunity for nutritional education, and the activity of the ASL Toscana sud est in the field of school catering aims to verify the safety of food and the adequacy of nutritional intake. In Italy, it is estimated that in the last 25 years the percentage of overweight and obese boys and girls has tripled, with significant negative effects of a physical and psycho-social nature. Nicola Vigiani, director of the Public Hygiene and Nutrition department of the ASL explains that “In Tuscany, 7% of boys and girls are obese, while 17% are overweight. Education on proper nutrition therefore becomes an important tool to promote healthy growth and avoid consequences on health in adulthood”.
In short, the collective meal at school represents an important opportunity for food education, during which students learn to eat correctly and behave appropriately at the table.
“If this is true for all age groups – continues Dr. Vigiani -, in developmental age a balanced diet is also the prerequisite for healthy growth. In the context of school catering, the food plan must be developed according to scientifically validated nutritional principles and must be varied and appetizing”.
The activity of the ASL in the field of school catering is represented by the synergic work between the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Operating Units and the Dietetics Operating Unit of the Department of Technical Health Professions, Rehabilitation and Prevention, with the aim of verifying the safety of food from a hygienic-health point of view and the adequacy of nutritional intake.
“A correct diet – says Gloria Turi, director of the Professional Dietetics Operations Unit – starts with breakfast eaten at home, which must be complete and varied from a nutritional point of view. Snacks with moderate and digestible portions should be promoted, based on fresh fruit, whole yogurt, fruit smoothies prepared with milk, a small sandwich with cheese, with oil, with tomato or with jam. Sugary drinks or beverages and fruit juices should be excluded in favor of water”.
