School Meals Can Improve Children’s Health

SUMMARY
- School meals can help promote healthy lifestyles among children
- Ajinomoto Vietnam Co., Ltd ("Ajinomoto Vietnam") deploys school meal project by means such as the software
- Next milestone in the school meal projects in Asian countrie

It is now widely known that school meals can promote health among school-age children. In Western countries, people are fully aware of the importance of healthy food options for school children. In France, for example, where lunch is the biggest meal of the day, we can find schools take quality déjeuner ( lunch) very seriously.

In Asia too, many schools provide lunches to their pupils. School meals are highly appreciated because they liberate guardians at home from the daily task of preparing lunches. In Vietnam, school meals are very popular because most parents work. However, school meals in Vietnam were considered not well-balanced when it came to nutrition. Also schools don’t have nutritionists who set menus properly.

With this in mind, Ajinomoto Vietnam started a project to supply menus for schools where children were suffering from malnutrition brought about by a lack of personnel in nutrition field and knowledge of nutritional science. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) in Japan is the parent company of Ajinomoto Vietnam, with a long history in the food business. Ajinomoto Co. also has a good relationship with dietitians; while at the same time boasts vast experience in providing menu to hospitals and food services.

“A major change in school meals in Vietnam was required,” says Hiroharu Motohashi, the current Deputy General Manager, Food Products Division at Ajinomoto Co. “Their school meals had shortcomings when it came to nutritional balance. There weren’t enough micronutrients, while we found a considerable amount of carbohydrates. Lipids, carbohydrates and proteins in food must be balanced and properly proportioned, especially for children.”