PRIMARY school teachers from County Limerick recently joined forces with teaching colleagues from across the Mid West region for a Food Dudes presentation day at the Southcourt Hotel to celebrate the achievements of schools that have completed their four-year participation in the award-winning Food Dudes programme.
The four-year curriculum-linked programme includes a year of intervention, followed by three in-school Food Dudes Weeks, aimed at promoting health eating habits amongst children in primary schools.
The healthy eating programme encourages children to eat more fresh produce and is based on repeated tastings of fresh fruit and vegetables, rewards, and positive role models.
The Food Dudes presentation days provide teachers with an opportunity to network and feel part of a community of change. Ideas about ways in which the Food Dudes programme can be integrated into the curriculum and daily routines are shared, and peer to peer support is encouraged.
A new and improved Food Dudes programme is currently being rolled out in schools and includes new varieties of fruits and vegetables, additional tasting days, new eco-friendly rewards, as well as new teaching and learning materials for schools which include videos, recipes, and a range of bilingual activities.
The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme is managed by Bord Bia in Ireland and is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine with support from the European Union under the School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme.
More information about the Food Dudes Programme can be found at fooddudes.ie.
