USE SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE FRUITS, VEGETABLES

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- Targeting schools to promote local fruits and vegetables will bear fruit in more ways than one.

With schools being "fertile ground to promote fruits and vegetables", it is
a win-win situation, according to the Federation of Malaysian Consumers
Association (Fomca).

Its secretary-general, Muhammad Shaani Abdullah, said that such a move
would ensure that schoolchildren had access to nutritious food and the
suppliers, a
ready captive market.

The farmers, on the other hand, were looking at a long-term source of loyal
consumers when these children become adults, he added.

"This (regular intake of fruits and vegetables) would also help reduce, if
not eliminate, lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

"School authorites should give serious attention and get actively
involved in drawing up menus for canteens to include local fruits and
vegetables," said Shaani.

Currently, he noted, the public generally lacked fruits and vegetables in
their daily diet.

He also proposed that corporations and factories which operated canteens in
their premises should ensure their menu was nutrious and included local
fruits and vegetables.

In supporting the idea, Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee E.
Siong said this was something the society had been advocating for a long time.

Meanwhile, Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) is delighted with
the idea as it fitted well into its scheme of plan which was to inculate local
fruit eating habits in the young, especially those in urban areas.

Fama director-general Mohamed Shariff Abdul Aziz said the authority
found that children generally lacked interest in durians, rambutans, magosteens,
guava, duku and langsat, unlike their elders who loved these local fruits

He said, drawing up plans to promote such fruits in schools, was one of its
targets, adding that Fama was capable of supplying fresh fruits and vegetables
on a daily basis to meet local demand.

-- BERNAMA