Local pupils in the central city of Da Nang will soon benefit from healthy balanced diets and better physical fitness thanks to a school meals project launched in the locality on October 3.

The project, realised by the Da Nang Department of Education and Training in coordination with the National Institute of Nutrition and the Ajinomoto Vietnam Company, aims at providing standardised menus for pupils at local primary semi-boarding schools in line with the institute’s standards. It also wants to persuade pupils about the value of a good diet.

School nutrition serves as an important factor in the development of children’s physical strength and intelligence, according to experts.

Da Nang is the second locality in Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City to deploy the project funded by the Ajinomoto Vietnam Company. Now 102 primary schools, including 76 boarding schools, are covered by the scheme.

According to UNICEF, one-third of Vietnamese children under the age of 5 are stunted as a result of malnutrition.

Projects like this have helped improve the younger generations’ physique.-VNA