Eat them to defeat them!

Friday 28 February 2020

The children will become the heroes in a new campaign being rolled out across schools in Guernsey, encouraging young people to change their view on vegetables.

The national Veg Power initiative is asking children to 'Eat them to defeat them!', focusing on a different vegetable each week for the next six weeks.

Locally, the Health Improvement Commission is working with 13 early years settings, five schools and a range of catering and retail outlets to promote the campaign.

"Children have been given packs which they can work through with their parents," explained Community Nutritionist, Alex Kosmas. "The packs contain a reward chart, so once they've been involved in an activity with parent around veg, which could be chopping broccoli for a food they're going to make or mashing up some peas or using the broccoli sticks as brushes to paint with, they are rewarded with a sticker. Once they've received a sticker for each of the areas on the chart they can have a bigger reward.

Pictured: Alex Kosmas.

"The idea is that they'll use a non-food reward, so they might go for a trip to the park or they might go and do some activity that they enjoy."

The recent Young People's Survey found that around 60% of primary school students and 70% of secondary school pupils aren't getting the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day. It also indicated that fruit is more popular than vegetables in these age groups.

"The campaign was set up after they went and spoke to a load of children," Mr Kosmas continued. "What the children were saying was 'we don't really like veg', 'veg is disgusting', 'veg can be boring and bland' etc. So, what they said is 'we would like to see us being the heroes in this campaign'. They're eating the veg to defeat them. Vegetables are these beings that come from underground and the children need to help the adults to defeat them!"

Schools have been given 'power packs' filled with teaching and assembly resources, which can be used throughout the six week campaign.

One Guernsey school getting involved is Le Rondin, which launched the initiative this week, with a focus on carrots to begin with.

Pictured: Veg Power poster.

"A lot of the children have an opportunity through this campaign to try vegetables that they maybe haven't tried before," said Key Stage 1 Lead at Le Rondin, Karen Turley.

"There is going to be range of activities like tasting sessions and having the opportunity to cook some of the vegetables as well. For example with the carrots, we can taste them and explore the texture, whether it's bitter or sweet, crunch or smooth and look at the colour.

"In addition to the tasting, we're going to get them to do colouring activities, maybe try to represent the vegetables through dough and other malleable materials as well.

"There's lots of opportunities within school to try and extend this and heighten their awareness of vegetables and promoting the whole idea of tasting something that they maybe haven't before."

Any businesses or organisations interested in getting involved in the campaign can do so by contacting Mr Kosmas via alex.kosmas@healthimprovement.gg.

Pictured top: Le Rondin students Paizlee, Amelia, Ollie, Harry and Katie.