25th May.,
2002
Survey Reveals Schools and Parents
Request for
More Vegetables and Inclusion of Fruit in School Lunches
(Hong Kong, 25 May 2002) A recent survey has revealed
a desire among parents and school administrators for
more healthy and hygienic lunches for students in Hong
Kong.
The survey, entitled "School Meals - How to Balance
Between Taste and Nutrition", was commissioned
by Hong Kong Gourmet Limited, a subsidiary of Vitasoy
International Holdings Limited, and conducted among
200 schools that were chosen by means of random sampling.
The objective of the survey was to understand issues
related to school meals and the opinions of parents
and administrators in that regard, with a view to promote
a balanced and healthy diet for school children.
Eight hundred questionnaires were distributed to those
schools in early May this year and 487 replied were
received from 144 schools, including 20 primary and
124 secondary. The response rate was 61%. The respondents
were school headmasters and teachers (55%) and parents
(28%). The remaining 17% did not identify themselves
in their replies.
It was found that about 60% school administrators and
parents regarded nutrition and hygiene as the key considerations
when choosing lunch suppliers for school children. The
majority of respondents thought a good lunch should
be balanced, hygienic and consisting of more vegetables,
less fried or deep-fried food and no MSG.
According to registered dietitian Priscilla Lau who
was the consultant of the survey, most students prefer
meat like steaks, chops or chicken drumsticks for lunch,
and their lunch is usually not balanced by an adequate
amount of vegetables.
Miss Lau said, "School is an ideal setting to promote
healthy eating to students. Taking healthy lunch at
school ensures students to have a healthy meal. It certainly
warrants review by the school authorities together with
parents, with a view to making improvement."
"According to the healthy eating principles, the
visual presentation of a balanced and healthy lunch
for students should be made up of 50% cereals, one-third
of vegetables and one-sixth of meat and fish, "
she said.
"It is interesting to note that more than half
of our respondents thought that there was not enough
vegetables for students and an overwhelming majority
of 80% of them hoped that fruit could be provided with
the lunch boxes. This is certainly an idea we should
explore," she added.
Miss Lau believes that joint efforts among schools,
families and caterers is important for promoting the
benefits of healthy diet at school and increasing students'
preference for healthy lunch boxes.
Mr David Kwan, General Manager of Hong Kong Gourmet
Limited, said, "Toeing the steps of Vitasoy, our
mission is to ensure a healthy diet for school children
by supplying fresh, nutritious, hygienic and tasty lunch
boxes. The results of the survey are very encouraging
because we can see a clear demand from schools and parents
for more balanced and healthy food for school children.
We are keen on promoting good eating habits among students
and working closely with the schools and parents to
provide more choices."
Equipped with an advanced and automated production system,
Hong Kong Gourmet Limited is a central kitchen facility
that supplies over 10,000 lunch boxes to primary and
secondary schools per day. It fully implements the Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards that
ensures the entire production process meets the strictest
standards of hygiene and safety. HACCP is a globally
recognised standard for food hygiene and safety.
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For more information, please contact:
Stella Lung
Public Relations Manager
Vitasoy International Holdings Limited
Tel: 2468 9644 Fax: 2465 1008
e-mail:pubrel@vitasoy.com
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