The stats about global health are alarming!
- Pre-COVID, lifespan was on the decline. During COVID children’s obesity increased and in some countries, it doubled!
- Sugar consumption has gone up.
- Processed food has gone up. Today, more than 50% of children’s calories are ultra-processed. In the US it is about 67%. This is a child’s health crisis.
- In some countries, 25% of adolescents have prediabetes a condition we used to think only affected adults.
- The US spent $3.800.000.000.000 on healthcare and over 75% of that has to do with processed food-related diseases. We are not addressing the problem the right way and instead of focusing on the root, we focus on the end game using pills and medical interventions.
- From a climate perspective, about 25% of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Climate change has accelerated and excessive heatwaves are affecting most parts of the world. Climate change is underfunded. Today about 2% of philanthropic global giving goes to fighting climate change.
Healthy habits development should start early. We want to make sure people have access to and knowledge of real food early on. What better platform to do that than at school?
Schools are the largest restaurant chain in every country in the world. In Greece, they serve more than 140.000.000 a year and in the US, they serve 5.000.000.000 a year. Not only they are serving a high volume but also, they are serving our most important, most vulnerable population: our children.
Our whole goal is to help kids learn to love healthy food. Our motivation was “how do we give kids access to food as medicine early on so that they avoid life-threatening diseases and can expand their lifespans?”
We have a 3-pronged approach: We do monitoring, awareness building, and offer a core program where we offer nutritious meals.
There will be social pressure and hesitancy. The naysayers will say that children are a tough crowd, they are tough critics, and they won’t eat healthy foods. You really have to understand the students’ psychology to make this work.
- Make it a priority.
- Make it fun.
- Make it colorful and do it together, even if for just a couple of meals a week.
- Turn on the music.
- Use social media videos.
Whether it’s in a school lunch setting or a snack at home, food makes us all become more alive.
In general, children might eat something or be more likely to eat something if it’s going viral on TikTok or if there’s great music playing, and the chef is really fun and engaging about it.
School lunches are key to a kid having a happy day at school and not being in the doctor’s or nurse’s office. It really matters to them, and it gives them a boost. It’s similar to good books or working breaks on a school bus. Students are reporting that they feel better after eating healthier food. Kids understand that food can help them feel better and perform better in sports.
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Mandoulides Schools
