Commissioner Kyprianou to promote healthy eating to European children

Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou will take part in the “European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking” on November 8, an initiative with events in several European countries aimed at teaching children the pleasure and benefits of a healthy diet.

This event, which has been co-organised by the European Commission and the European Chefs’ Association (Euro-toques), will involve top-level chefs meeting with school children (either in schools or restaurants) to explain to them in a fun way how to cook and eat healthily.

Commissioner Kyprianou will visit the European School in Ixelles, Brussels, where 60 children of various nationalities will participate in workshop demonstrations on how to prepare nutritious, balanced and tasty meals.

Similar workshops with national chefs will also take place in several other European countries. Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem, with nearly 22 million overweight or obese children in Europe today. In addition to the health and social problems that obesity can cause for children, there are also serious long-term consequences, as obese children generally remain obese in adulthood. This puts them at high risk for serious conditions such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and certain types of cancer. The European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking is part of the Commission’s broader campaign to tackle obesity and encourage EU citizens to choose a balanced lifestyle.