PEI Healthy Eating Alliance Recognized with Atlantic Award
The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance was recently recognized as the Atlantic region recipient of the Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award for the "School Healthy Eating Toolkit."
"The School Healthy Eating Toolkit is a nutrition resource manual to assist elementary schools as they implement nutrition policies," says Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Chair of UPEI's Department of Family and Nutritional Sciences and spokesperson for the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance. "Teams consisting of a parent, a teacher and an administrator from 17 schools from the Eastern School District, the Western School Board and the Commission scolaire de langue franand#231;aise, were consulted throughout the development process."
The School Healthy Eating Toolkit includes rationale for school nutrition policies, information on operating healthy school food programs, suggestions on healthier fundraising activities, helpful tips on delivering nutrition education and facts stressing the importance of physical activity. A copy of the Toolkit was provided to all elementary and consolidated schools in the Eastern School District and Western School Board on PEI.
The award ceremony took place during the Dietitians of Canada National Conference held in Halifax recently. PEI Healthy Eating Alliance members Mary Acorn, RD, MHSc, Charmaine Campbell, RD, and Jennifer Taylor, RD, PhD received the award on behalf of the Alliance.
"The Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award is a joint initiative between Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada and is meant to encourage and recognize collaborative efforts that help Canadians make informed choices about healthy eating and physical activity," says Helen Haresign, VP Development, Dietitians of Canada.
The Toolkit has been shared with many partners across Canada as there are an increasing number of initiatives to encourage healthy choices at schools and is available for download at: www.healthyeatingpei.ca. A French version of the Toolkit will be completed shortly and provided to all schools in the Commission scolaire de langue franand#231;aise.
The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance received funding from the PEI Department of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Diabetes Strategy with cooperation from the University of Prince Edward Island for the development of the School Healthy Eating Toolkit. Dr. Jennifer Taylor of UPEI was principal investigator.
The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance is a group of individuals, community organizations, educators and government departments who work together to improve the eating behaviours of Island children and youth through nutrition education and promotion, and through the creation of supportive environments for healthy eating.
