Press Dossier 5 a day Association (Spain)

Transcription

1 5 al día Press Dossier 5 a day Association (Spain)

2 INDEX 1 What is 5 a day? 5 a day in the world 5 a day in Spain 2 Our message Why is it necessary to eat 5 a day? 5 a day objectives 3 5 a day activities Events and conferences Educational Program Campaigns and other activities 5 a day communication and media 4 Who we are The members The Scientific Committee 6 5 a day awards

3 1. WHAT IS 5 A DAY? 5 a day in the world 5 a day is a global movement that promotes the consumption of fruits and vegetables. It was born in the USA in 1989, as a response to the bad eating habits, that included a significant decrease of the consumption of fruits and vegetables that translated into a higher risk of suffering from different serious diseases. Nowadays, 5 a day exists in more than 40 countries in all the five continents, which means it is the largest fruits and vegetables promotion strategy. 5 a day works in the same line of important forums and organizations all around the world, who show their support to the Association and its project: -World Health Organisation (WHO) -Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) -European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) -European Union (EU) 5 a day in Spain In Spain, the autonomous company that runs this initiative since 2000 is 5 a day Association for the Promotion of the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables. It is a national non profit Association integrated by the different stages of the fruit and vegetable production process: wholesalers, production, trade, origin and distribution companies and services. Many members of the scientific and medical community are also part of it. 5 a day works in the same line of some prestigious Spanish organizations: -Spanish Ministry of Rural and Marine Environment (MARM) -Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption (MSC) -Spanish ministry of Education and Science (MEC) -National Sports Council (CSD) -Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) -Regional Governments -Spanish Association against Cancer (AECC) -Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC) -Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO) -Spanish Association of Dieticians-Nutritionists (AEDN) 3

4 2. OUR MESSAGE Why is it necessary to eat 5 a day? The WHO recommends to eat at least 5 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, to guarantee a healthy diet. It is very important to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables and pay attention to this distribution: EXAMPLES 1 PORTION OF FRUITS 1 PORTION OF VEGETABLES 1 medium-sized piece of fruit 1 plate of cooked vegetables 1 big slice of melon, watermelon or pineapple 2-3 pieces of apricots, plums, tangerines, figs, medlars 1 cup of strawberries, cherries, grapes, blackberries 1 plate of varied salad 1 eggplant, zucchini, cucumber or big tomato 2 little carrots, 8 mushrooms or 2 mediumsized artichoke 4

5 Fruits and vegetables contain many essential nutrients for the body: they are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, water and a large variety of antioxidants. Moreover, they do not have cholesterol, and their calorie contribution is very low. In order to prevent the most common chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer), both WHO and FAO recommend a low-fat diet, with a little amount of sodium and added sugars and rich in fruits and vegetables, whole cereals (bread, pasta, rice) and vegetables, as well as an active lifestyle. Consuming at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day provides enormous health benefits to all ages. They are crucial to children s development (it is proved that they increase their school performance, especially when they eat them for breakfast), and also reduces the risk of childhood obesity. For adults, fruits and vegetables contribute to a better quality of life and longevity, and improve the health of older people as well. Furthermore, it helps the fetus to develop properly in the case of pregnant woman. 5 a day objectives PROMOTING THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE EATING HABITS ENCOURAGING THE CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES INCREASING THE CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES According to FAO, Spain is one of the countries that are under the minimum charge of fruits and vegetables, despite that it is the first producer of them in the European Union. Although Spanish, Italian and Greeks consume more fruits and vegetables than the other Europeans, our Association fights to achieve that all the population reaches the minimum daily quantity of 600 g. CREATING HEALTHY EATING HABITS Making society understand that this recommendation represents a direct health benefit is essential to get them used to applying it daily. We realize how important establishing these habits in all age groups is, especially among children and young people. SPREADING OUR MESSAGE TO THE WHOLE SOCIETY Keeping the society informed about the benefits of consumption of fruits and vegetables is essential. We try that our message reaches effectively children and young people, because of their traditional reluctance to consume these kind of foods and because we think they are the future consumers. 5

6 3. 5 A DAY ACTIVITIES Events and conferences 6

7 Educational Program The purpose of this program is to spread the importance of eating 5 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables a day to the largest possible number of children, parents and educational centres. That is why 5 a day Educational Program was born. This project is available to all schools that prove that they care about children s diet, and agree with the commitment of applying the Pedagogical Program and add fruits and vegetables in their daily menus. - THE PEDAGOGICAL PROGRAM Consists of different pedagogical guides (1 each week) adapted to the different ages and teacher s availability (from 10 minutes to half an hour). Activities and information contained in the cards are also adapted to the different years, from 5 to 12 years old children. This program is available in 4 different languages (Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician). Guides are divided into three different types: teacher guide, theory guide and additional material guide. - PRODUCT CARDS Teachers also have 72 descriptive cards of fruits and vegetables for each age group, that allow children and teachers to have a reference support and additional working material. 7

8 - 5 A DAY MAGAZINE Every center that joins the Educational Program receives two annual magazines for each student. The magazine contains many activities, games and information related to fruits and vegetables. The objective is to educate children into healthy food habits in a funny and playful way. - WEB PAGE In the web page schools can download the educational material, and also a very wide range of games and activities that children usually like very much. - NUTRITIONAL ADVICE Nutricional advice is also offered to schools in order to help them to prepare healthy menus, clear their doubts and support additional activities. 8

9 Campaigns and other activities - CAMPAIGN FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE AGRICULTURE, FISHING AND FOOD MINISTRY OF SPAIN In order to complete its daily work, 5 a day carried out a 3 years long campaign (from 2004 to 2007), with the collaboration of the European Union and the Agriculture, Fishing and Food Ministry of Spain. During this time, many promoting actions were executed along the country, especially focused in children and young people. This campaign laid the foundations of the current actions of the Association: the Educational Program, information spreading, advertisement in press, radio and TV and shop and article promotions. - OTHER ACTIVITIES A wide range of additional activities, as talks and workshops, are carried out by the Association. These activities are meant for all ages and social sectors: housewifes, older people, children In these activities, information about the benefits of fruits and vegetables is given while fun activities and games are carried out. Some examples are Healthy Breakfast campaign, fruits and vegetables brochettes, juices and macedoines workshops or Show Cookings. Taller de brochetas 9

10 5 a day communication and media 5 a day Communication Department produces daily interesting information. This information reaches proffesionals, media and general public in different ways: - News about nutrition, health or activities of the sector in 5 a day web pages: Corporative page for members and press General public and schools page - Frequent press releases and periodic appearance in media. - Monthly Newsletters to the members, containing news about the fruit and vegetable sector and interviews to people related with health and diet. - Brochures, posters and dossiers designed to spread the 5 a day message. - Promotion in shops, containers and labels. Newsletter 5 a day frontpage 10

11 4. WHO WE ARE The members 5 a day Association is formed by entities that collaborate spreading its message. Production, trade and distribution companies are allowed to be Proffesional Members. Civil Services, media and other associations can be Collaborating Members. Members are represented by the Boards of Directors, democraticly chosen every two years in he General Assembly. The members of the Board of Directors hold a meeting every two months to make decisions about all the actions developed by the Association and to expose new ideas. The General Members Assembly takes place once a year. At the same time, we hold the 5 a day Proffesional Day, open to all sector professional sector. The Scientific Committee The Scientific Committee was created as an Council Service regarding all the actions related to food, nutrition and dietetics carried out by 5 a day. It is composed by recognised scientists linked to food sciences and nutrition. Members of the Scientific Committee advise the Board of Directors about the scientific subjects, answer the enquires of the members, schools and consumers, revise the school menus and supervise all the information generated by 5 a day. In 2007, during the I European Conference, they presented the Head Document. This document established the nutritional, technologic and legal requirements that a product related to fruits or vegetables must fulfill to be considered as a portion of fresh fruits or vegetables. Piece of a Scientific Comité study about a school menu 11

12 6. 5 A DAY AWARDS Considering that 5 a day carries out an important social work, it has been awarded with the following prizes: -2005: FOODS OF SPAIN AWARD This prize is awarded to the best agricultural promotional action in Spain by the Agriculture, Fishing and Food Ministry of Spain. The jury, composed by gastronomy, communication and promotion experts, awarded this prize to the 5 a day campaign on account of the development of an imaginative and varied campaign that uses a huge amount of means to reach their public : BEST PROMOTING ADVERTISEMENT USE (bronze award) The prize was awarded by the Spanish Association of Promotional Marketing Agencies. The jury appreciated the creativity, and clearness of 5 a day message : EUROAGRO FRUITS APPRECIATION AWARD Euroagro awarded this prize to 5 a day due to its work helping to strengthen the fruit and vegetable sector by promoting the consumption of fresh products. 12

13 For further information: Phone: (0034) Fax: (0034) Ctra. Villaverde-Vallecas, km 3800 Mercamadrid - Zona Comercial - Local C , Madrid (Spain) / 13