Discussing improving the stature and physical strength of the young generation

The International Scientific Conference on School Nutrition 2025 - For a Healthy Vietnam, For Vietnamese Stature has just been jointly organized. A very meaningful event in the context of human development issues, especially the stature and physical strength of the young generation, which are the top strategic concerns of the country.

The vision and important orientations on this issue have been deeply expressed in the article “The Future for the Rising Generation” by General Secretary To Lam , which clearly points out the challenges and urgent goals, and emphasizes an orientational point of view: Intelligence alone is not enough, “healthy physique and strong character are also indispensable conditions” for the young generation to adapt and compete in the global environment.

Therefore, for the future of the rising generation, a workshop was held to discuss improving the stature and physical strength of the young generation.

Breakthrough solutions needed for school nutrition

If we consider that "intelligence alone is not enough" and "physical health" is also very important, then clearly, the problem is to create a breakthrough in taking care of the stature and physical strength of the working generation.

“We need a strategic push. And that breakthrough front is schools, because school age - especially the period from 2 to 12 years old - is the 'golden period' for comprehensive intervention in nutrition and exercise, creating lifelong changes,” Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc emphasized the role of school nutrition.

The international scientific conference on school nutrition was held, chaired by Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission Nguyen Trong Nghia.

Sharing the same view, Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition (Ministry of Health) shared about a reality that Vietnam is still facing, which is that there is still a situation of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, overweight, obesity in children... And therefore, a school meal model, ensuring proper nutrition combined with increasing physical activity for Vietnamese children, pupils and students, is necessary.

Even from a professional perspective, Professor Tran Thanh Duong has proposed synchronous solutions for nutrition issues, including school meals. “It is necessary to issue standards for school meals, research and advise on legalizing nutrition regulations, ensuring that school meals operate according to the set goals, based on the results of scientific cross-sectional research from the school meal pilot model,” said Professor Tran Thanh Duong.

In fact, in recent times, the school meal model has been piloted in many localities across the country, with the support of TH Group. The results have been positive, even being evaluated as a “comprehensive, revolutionary solution” and “the most successful experimental model” with specific results considered a combination of solid scientific and practical evidence.

However, as the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society believes, there are still "gaps" in legal documents directly regulating school nutrition. Specifically, there is no comprehensive document regulating school nutrition to ensure that this work is implemented in a comprehensive, synchronous and effective manner. Some important tasks such as developing a unified set of school nutrition standards have not been issued, leading to a lack of a solid legal basis for organizing and supervising implementation...

“Vietnam needs to improve its institutions and policies, considering investment in nutrition as investment in development. It is time for us to have a comprehensive legal framework and strong enough policies to develop the stature and physical strength of the young generation,” said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc.

School Nutrition Law: The Time Is Ripe

Not only in Vietnam, the story of school nutrition is of special interest to countries around the world.

Many domestic and foreign experts attended the workshop, sharing experiences on school nutrition around the world.

Prof. Nakamura Teiji, President of the Japan Nutrition Society, when sharing at the Conference, explained why Japan has been successful in improving diet and nutrition.

There are two main reasons. First, Japan considers nutrition an urgent challenge and has implemented its own national policies to address it. Second, Japan focuses on training a team of professionals, nutritionists, with the capacity to play a core role in implementing nutrition improvement policies.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zhuifeng Guo also shared China's drastic experience in implementing school nutrition policies. "When the law changes school meals from 'optional' to 'mandatory', it not only changes the height and weight of children, but also establishes a fair standard and develops the potential of society," Mr. Zhuifeng Guo emphasized.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in its presentation to the Workshop also affirmed: "Legalizing school nutrition is a global trend."

International experiences are certainly useful for Vietnam. According to Dr. Le Thai Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health, currently, a number of regulations related to school nutrition will be changed from "recommended" to "mandatory" when included in the Law on Disease Prevention. The Ministry of Health is making efforts to complete the draft law and report to the Government for submission to the National Assembly for consideration.

Thus, the contents on school nutrition in the Law on Disease Prevention will be the first bricks towards a comprehensive law on school nutrition, mobilizing the participation of the entire system, becoming an effective legal tool, bringing school nutrition into order and standards nationwide.

However, the necessary step is still to build a School Nutrition Law.

From the perspective of an enterprise that initiated and accompanied the Government and ministries to implement the National School Nutrition Programs, Labor Hero Thai Huong, Founder of TH Group, emphasized that "the opportunity has come, the strategic vision has come from the call" of the leader to affirm that there is a need for a School Nutrition Law.

Labor Hero Thai Huong, Founder of Thai Huong Group, affirmed her commitment to accompany the Government in taking care of people's health, especially the young generation.

“Let each school meal and each glass of fresh milk not only nourish the body, but also ignite the aspirations and will to rise of the Vietnamese people,” Labor Hero Thai Huong affirmed and said that, together with other genuine enterprises, TH Group continues to be ready to join the Party and State in taking care of people's health.

"The School Nutrition Law is ripe," Deputy Minister of Education and Training Le Tan Dung also affirmed.

Concluding and directing the Workshop, Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission Nguyen Trong Nghia emphasized that the recommendations at the Workshop are an important basis for relevant ministries, departments and branches to advise and develop policies.

“It is necessary to focus on researching, consulting, building and perfecting a comprehensive policy framework on nutrition, contributing to the successful implementation of the Party and State's policies and guidelines on health care, human resource development, and improving the quality of life of the people, especially the young generation,” said Nguyen Trong Nghia, Head of the Central Propaganda and Education Commission.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ban-chuyen-nang-cao-tam-voc-va-the-luc-cua-the-he-tre-d360174.html