Healthy Lifestyle

Academia Film Olomouc, the largest European festival of popular-scientific films organized by the Palacký University Olomouc, aims to introduce the general public to the mysteries of science by presenting Czech and international films, lectures and panel discussions. In 2015 we became a partner of the Jubilee 50th annual festival. We were pleased to provide auspices of the program section (Un)Healthy Nutrition, because our Healthy Lifestyle foundation segment focuses primarily on nutrition and eating. Interesting films regarding the subjects of child obesity and foods of the future were shown in this particular segment. Truly Healthy School presented a panel discussion on the subject of nutrition in schools and building healthy eating habits in children. (April 14-19, 2015)

Institute for Support of Sustainable Distribution – a group of active young people, who care about how food is sold in today’s market, as well as how much packaging and waste is left behind us, came up with the idea of the packaging-free sale of quality healthy food. They aim to connect people who reject those consumer trends of “buy and throw out.” Statistics show such waste amounts to approximately 300 kg per Czech citizen, so the average three-member family produces a ton of waste per year. A majority of this is in the form of packaging.

Within the pilot phase of the project, packaging-free sales were tested in one shop in Prague. The goal of the group is to create best-practice examples for other active participants based on the currently ongoing study, with the aim of sparking the concept of packaging-free shops in the Czech Republic. Among other aspects, the study maps both technical and logistics solutions for packaging-free distribution of food in the Czech market environment. It particularly regards the meeting of hygienic regulations and food safety standards that arise from the legal regulations of the EU and Czech legislature.

The international conference BIOSUMMIT 2015 (September 2-3) hosted a meeting of entities from the area of ecological agriculture and sales of organic foods. Its goal was to initiate an exchange of opinions and experiences among key figures from the ranks of politicians, businesses, agricultural organizations and interest groups. Biosummit is the initial event of Organic Food Month.

The main subject was soil as the basis of human nutrition. The discussion segment of the conference was carried out in the spirit of the motto “Bio is not luxury”, introducing several successful projects from the practice. The first discussion highlighted 2015 as the International Year of Soil, as promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization. The second opened a dialog concerning the perception of BIO products as a readily available retail segment. The conference was organized under the auspices of the Minister of Agriculture, Marian Jurečka, and also focused on the EU Common Agriculture Policy.

Věra Doušová’s excitement and dedication to a good cause stands behind the Food Bank Prague project. She is the driving force behind the organization that provides food for those in need. It collects food and agriculture produce surpluses from donors (you can become a donor as well) and distributes them to people in need within Prague and Central Bohemia. Among her clients are facilities for children without parents, people in crisis, disadvantaged youth, the homeless and others in danger of social exclusion.

For example: in 2014, Food Bank Prague distributed nearly 169 tons of food, delivered to 10,000 people in need. The organization has suffered a long-term struggle for financial support and that’s why we want to help it focus on its central mission. Aside from distributing food to those in need, the Food Bank also raises awareness about wasting food.

A citizen initiative project has been launched as the result of dissatisfaction by a responsible parent and teacher, Bohuslav Sedláček, with the condition of today’s food in schools. The system of school cafeterias that operates within the Czech Republic is unique. However, we must pay critical attention to what is being passed on to children through food.

Undoubtedly, nutrition affects the health of children. The rising numbers of children suffering from obesity and other diseases caused by unhealthy nutrition are alarming. Truly Healthy School was inspired by a successful program operating in Great Britain and created a complex program that was fully integrated into the programs of the entire school within Czech conditions. The program’s aim is to create a culture that both values and enjoys food. It teaches where food comes from and how it’s created. It uses the subject of food as a method by which to make children’s time spent in school more attractive through the enjoyable experience of a school lunch, extending their education within class to practical experience in school gardens, visiting farms and offering cooking classes.

We hope the project’s motto, “Food! Health! Fun! In the school cafeteria? Great!” will soon become a reality.

A group of active volunteers from Save Food came to public notice by two events that raised awareness of the issue of wasting food: A Feast for a Thousand and One Thousand Kilos. This year they took on a mission to revitalize the tradition of gleaning in the Czech countryside. Their mission will again bring the unnecessary waste of food to public attention and highlight the options available for using surplus.

But mainly, they will connect both sides of this issue: those producing and those in need of food. Farmers will be able to donate part of their unharvested produce (or harvested surplus) that will find its way to those in need using the Food Bank. They are also seeking volunteers for gleaning. Do you wish to join* and help a good cause? Then why not focus on the subject of wasting food? According to statistics from the Organization for Nutrition and Agriculture, one third of all food produced in the world is either thrown away or destroyed. Should all this food be saved, it would feed approximately three billion people. In Europe alone, the waste per person per year amounts to between 96 and 119 kg!