LOCAL NEWS - This week on Friday, 11 October, a high-ranking delegation from the Western Cape Government and members of ProVeg South Africa are visiting Uniondale for World Food Day to address crucial hunger, health and nutritional needs in the region.
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945.
The 2024 theme is the “Right to foods for a better life and a better future.” This outreach event comes during National Nutrition Week from 9 - 15 October.
The day’s programme includes briefings and talks at the Uniondale Town Hall and Sports Grounds by Dr Mogale Sebopetsa, Western Cape Head of Agriculture; Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape; Andrew Stroebel, Garden Route Mayor; Jackie von Brandis, George Mayor; and Donovan Will, Country Director of ProVeg SA.
Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape
The delegation will perform household, community and school site visits in the area including Dirk Boshoff Primary, Avontuur Primary and Haarlem Primary. A sampling of plant-based foods will be provided to attendees at the Uniondale Sports Grounds.
ProVeg will be distributing 4 000 interactive educational booklets about plant-based nutrition to primary school learners.
Wikus Engelbrecht (ProVeg Communications Manager), says while globally we have high rates of childhood overweight and obesity, we also have one in four South African children under five years affected by stunting.
Stunting is a medical condition that robs children of reaching their full potential and makes them more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes and other nutrition-related diseases as adults.
“It’s not just the youth who need more awareness of the South African guidelines for healthy eating. Parents, educators and employers will all benefit from focusing on these healthy eating principles, particularly in rural and remote areas where food insecurity and malnutrition are commonplace,” Engelbrecht says.
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