Pupils across the State took part in healthy eating workshops yesterday as part of EU efforts to combat obesity.
To launch the European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking for Children, chefs Lorcan Cribbin of Bang Cafe and Peter Everett of Chapter One restaurant showed pupils from Rutland Street primary school in Dublin simple recipes and helped them prepare their own healthy lunch boxes.
Twenty other schools in Ireland held similar events in a joint initiative by the European Commission and Eurotoques (the European association of chefs) to "promote healthier eating habits in children by introducing them to the pleasures of simple, healthy cooking and of eating well".
While the day was meant to be fun, the message was serious, said the European Commission's representative in Dublin, Martin Territt, who noted that more than 300,000 children in Ireland were overweight or obese.
"As they become adults, they will be more susceptible to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, as well as a range of mental health problems.
"The European Commission has been charged with developing a health promotion programme for young children. Promoting a healthy lifestyle at an early age is known to yield the best results," he said.