FOOD EDUCATION: FROM INSTITUTIONS TO BUSINESSES, INITIATIVES DEDICATED TO THE NEW GENERATIONS ARE MULTIPYLING, SO THEY LEARN HEALTHY EATING HABITS, RESPECTING FOOD AND NOT WASTING

The importance of educating young people to a healthy relationship with food has become political: the "First Lady" Michelle Obama is carrying on the battle against obesity and has made a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet her flag, while in Italy the Ministry of Education has indicated in its "School Decree", the proposals put forward by the Ministry of Agriculture, to insert new initiatives in order to "strengthen the existing nutrition education programs, which aim to convey to our children the importance of a balanced diet and habits for a healthy lifestyle", explained the Minister Nunzia De Girolamo.

A healthy approach to food can only come from educating the new generations, and the Minister is well aware of this fact. There is still a long way to go from proposals, intentions and the actual application of these principles.
The intentions are definitely the right ones and the proposals absolutely positive, but so far only the private sector has brought forth the best real, pragmatic and substantial projects. Italy is full of good examples; the most recent one comes from one of the most important wine companies in Italy, Marchesi Antinori that brought the project “Education to Taste” to the schools in the Chianti area in Tuscany.
The aim of the project is to educate the children to relate to the land where they were born and raised, taking them from the school room to the school vegetable garden where the children themselves learn to plant, grow and harvest fruits and vegetables, the staple food, which in addition to appreciating they learn to respect.
Furthermore, every year, as the depressing numbers of FAO tell us, we could feed the poorest part of the world with all the food that ends up in the trash. This trend has changed with the crisis, but needs to be supported through teaching and by example: it has taken us back a few decades, when "you did not throw anything away" and in the last 5 years there has been a 25% drop in food waste.

The reduction of waste is perhaps the only positive aspect of the crisis and it has led Italians to pay greater attention to shopping expenses, but also to preparing food and using leftovers. However, Italian families throw away almost 5 million tons of food each year, says the Italian farmers association Coldiretti. It is an ethical problem that affects the economy and the environment as well as the negative impact of waste, which needs to be addressed both in advanced and developing countries.