Ajinomoto inspires: To make every child see that “eating vegetables is a small matter”

The "Vegetable Buffet" initiative recently implemented in the School Meal Project initiated by Ajinomoto Vietnam has recorded positive signals, primary school students have been more proactive and enthusiastic about eating vegetables every day.

Everyone knows that green vegetables are rich in vitamins, fiber and countless nutrients necessary for children's development. However, many children are reluctant to eat vegetables because they are bland and less attractive than meat and fish dishes. Finding a way to make children voluntarily and love eating vegetables has become a problem that parents and schools are struggling with. In order to encourage children to eat more green vegetables, the School Meal Project has recently implemented many effective initiatives to promote children to eat vegetables.

Promote vegetable consumption at school and home

Having been involved with the School Meal Project for many years, Ajinomoto Vietnam understands the concerns and difficulties in boarding at primary schools. In addition to the nutritionally balanced menus from the School Meal Project Software, in order to encourage children to eat more green vegetables, Ajinomoto Vietnam has developed additional vegetable menus that meet the recommended nutritional needs. The company not only guides schools on how to prepare delicious vegetable menus for students' nutritious lunches, but also shares the menus with parents to apply at home. The initiative has recorded positive signals, students are more proactive and enthusiastic about eating vegetables every day.

Students are gradually forming the habit of eating vegetables every day in their school meals.

In particular, Ajinomoto Vietnam has also implemented the "Vegetable Buffet" model at schools so that students can choose their own vegetables for lunch, creating excitement and forming healthy eating habits. The model not only helps students eat a variety of foods, increase green vegetables in their diet, but also integrates nutrition education , trains them in queuing and self-service habits, thereby contributing to raising their awareness and behavioral culture. This effort not only changes students' lunches, but also lays the foundation for a healthier, more civilized generation.

The model of "vegetable buffet counter" at boarding schools under the School Meals Project

From the pilot model in Dong Thap, with initial positive results, the "Vegetable Buffet Counter" model was gradually expanded to the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ca Mau , Vinh Long...

Main contents of the School Meals Project

The School Meals Project was officially deployed to boarding primary schools nationwide since 2017 with close cooperation from the Ministry of Education and Training and the National Institute of Nutrition - Ministry of Health . Before 2023, the School Meals Project was mainly deployed in primary schools with on-site boarding kitchens, through 3 main contents.

The School Meals Project was initiated by Ajinomoto Vietnam in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training and the National Institute of Nutrition.

Firstly, Nutritionally Balanced Menu Building Software: Provides a bank of more than 360 rich dishes, built on the typical tastes of three regions, utilizing local ingredients and complying with the recommended nutritional standards of the Ministry of Health. This helps schools easily apply, providing delicious and nutritionally balanced meals.

Image of a nutritionally balanced menu built using the School Meal Project Software

Second, the "Three Minutes to Change Your Perception" Nutrition Education Program: This program helps students recognize the nutritional value and health benefits of food, thereby forming a love for food, especially vegetables and fruits, and building healthy eating habits. The educational videos also incorporate English vocabulary, making it easy for students to absorb.

Third, Model Boarding School Kitchen: This is a one-way kitchen model according to Japanese standards, ensuring strict food hygiene and safety from the stage of importing raw materials to completing the dish, while helping to optimize work and save time and labor for the school.

Realizing the practical effectiveness of the Project, from the end of 2023, Ajinomoto Vietnam has expanded the scope of the Project to schools that do not have a canteen or use a meal service. The close coordination between the Ministry of Education and Training, the Department of Education and Training of localities, primary schools and meal service providers has helped the Project spread strongly.

The School Meal Project is one of the typical initiatives that Ajinomoto Vietnam is implementing, aiming to realize the Company's Purpose of Existence: "Contributing to bringing health and happiness to the people and society of Vietnam through providing quality products and valuable initiatives based on the "Amino Science" ("AminoScience") platform". With models such as the "Vegetable Buffet", Ajinomoto Vietnam is demonstrating its efforts to continuously improve and introduce new initiatives to contribute to the nutritional development of Vietnamese people.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ajinomoto-khoi-nguon-cam-hung-de-moi-tre-em-deu-thay-an-rau-la-chuyen-nho-post1781175.tpo