Don welcomes British Heart Foundation's Food4Thought Campaign

4.26.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 4th Oct 2006

Bath's MP, Don Foster today welcomed the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) Food4Thought campaign, which is aimed at exposing the hidden salt, fat and sugar lurking in common foods, so children can better understand the potential damage it's doing to their hearts and health.

At the heart of Food4Thought is an advertising campaign depicting a young girl drinking from a bottle of cooking oil with the caption 'What goes into crisps goes into you'. As part of the campaign, education packs, in the shape of giant burger boxes, containing resources to help children better understand what foods are good for their health, are being sent to classrooms around the UK.

A 2004 report revealed that only 13% of boys and 12% of girls across the UK reported eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, and 10% reported eating no portions of fruit or vegetables in the previous day.

A new report for the BHF shows that half of 8 to 15-year-olds across the UK eat at least a bag of crisps a day and almost one in five eat crisps twice a day or more. And the case for practical cooking skills in schools is supported by the fact that 37% of UK youngsters aren't confident peeling a vegetable.

Supporting the BHF's campaign, Don said

"Fighting obesity is one of today's key public health challenges. The work of organisations like the BHF is vital in ensuring that young people are equipped to make informed choices about healthy eating and living.

"Here in Bath I'm pleased to say that a number of steps are being taken to educate children about the importance of healthy eating, particularly in terms of the meals provided in schools. Where possible school catering services use locally sourced food and a number of initiatives are in place to promote healthy eating."