Miss World Vietnam 2019 Luong Thuy Linh (second row, fifth, R) at the event in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: VNA) The food systems in East Asia and the Pacific, knownfor its diverse and vibrant food culture, is changing rapidly, according toUNICEF.
Traditional healthy fresh food diets are beingreplaced by an increasing consumption of highly processed ‘junk’ food and drinkfull of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
Given this, UNICEF has been working closely withgovernments and partners to introduce policies and legislation to curb theincrease in marketing of unhealthy food and drink, such as bans on advertisingand sale of unhealthy foods in and around schools, clear front-of-pack nutritionlabelling, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages amongst others.
To further promote the need for healthier foodenvironments, UNICEF is supporting the “Fix My Food” campaign led by youngpeople to raise awareness of the need to create healthier food environments inChina, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Mongolia, SolomonIslands, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Young people, together with celebrities andinfluencers from these eight countries were part of a two-day co-creation “FixMy Food” workshop in Bangkok - brainstorming ideas and identifying potentialpartners to help roll out the campaign in their respective countries inFebruary.
Linh was part of the co-creation workshop andlaunch event.
“I strongly believe in healthy eating and healthylifestyles and have joined this campaign with the hope that together we will beable to change our failing food system. We need to ensure that people,especially children and young people, have the opportunity and the right tomake healthy food choices, wherever they are, at home, in and around schools,and in their communities,” said Linh.
With the young people leading the “Fix My Food”campaign and support from celebrities and influencers, UNICEF hopes to createawareness on the impact of the changing food environment in the lives of girlsand boys and the urgent need for governments, the private sector and civilsociety to take collective action to build a healthier food environment acrossthe region.
As part of UNICEF’s work to mobilise and empoweryoung people to take action, this initiative will be implemented in the eightparticipating countries and will be supported by UNICEF country offices andpartners./.
VNA
