October 10, 2021: The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) concluded the “School Lunch Box” program which was held in cooperation with Apparel Group.

The program is a part of back-to-school activities aimed at providing parents with the necessary skills to prepare healthy meals for their children, to and avoid high-calorie meals.

The “School Lunch Box” program was implemented across regional shopping malls, including City Centre Zahia, Bawadi Mall, Deerfield Town Square, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mirdiff City Centre, The Dubai Mall, Ajman City Centre, Mushrif Mall and Diera City Centre. This initiative falls within the awareness program carried out by MoHAP's Health Promotion Department. The objective is to promote health awareness amongst children by teaching them grocery shopping skills, whilst highlighting the importance of healthy food. 

This comes as part of the Ministry of Health’s tireless effort to achieve the National Agenda Index for the UAE Vision 2021 to reduce the prevalence of obesity amongst children and adolescents.

to raise awareness about the importance of choosing healthy ingredients when preparing the school lunch box, the program included two virtual educational training courses that provided support for 305 parents.

In addition, 10,000 recipe booklets and lunch box packing guides were distributed to raise awareness on the ministry's social media platforms. The objective is to help individuals make smart choices about the healthy nutritional value of their children's school lunch bag.

Promoting healthy eating practices among children
'The program is part of the interactive awareness activities that aim to promote healthy eating patterns and behaviors among children. The program has successfully achieved its sought-after objectives and the community members’ reaction was positive. Confidence is instilled within the activities organized by the Ministry of Health to promote a healthy lifestyle,' said HE Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector.
Al-Rand highlighted the ministry's ongoing efforts to achieve its strategic goal of promoting the importance of sustaining a healthy lifestyle. The outcome of awareness and prevention programs aim to prevent diseases and help improve quality of life.

Outstanding experience igniting spirit of challenge
Nouf Khamis Al Ali, Deputy Director, Health Promotion Department, said the program has yielded positive results, and we will be keen to evaluate and update activities to maintain their continuity in the future.

 Al Ali highlighted the importance of educating our community to improve healthy food consumption amongst our community. Learning how to prepare healthy lunch box meals will help us establish healthy eating habits. Junk food is harmful as it causes inflammation, and poses multiple health risks to children, adolescents, and adults.

It was a useful and fun experience, noted Dr Nouf, adding: 'The program ignited the spirit of challenge, and competition to benefit children. In addition, children are provided the appropriate physical and mental health education to practice their favorite sports and hobbies, thus improving their educational attainment.
The program's interactive electronic competition saw broad participation from parents and children, encouraging community members to prepare health-conscious meals for the school lunch box.

Over 200 school lunch boxes were also distributed in HEMA and The Children's Place retail stores across shopping malls in the UAE. The boxes included healthy recipes, and measuring tools, while the closing ceremony of the program saw the winners being honored from Apparel Group. The results were published on the ministry’s social media platforms. 

Founder & Chairwoman of Apparel Group, Sima Ganwani Ved, said: 'As part of our commitment and responsibility towards creating a better quality of life for our future generation, it's our duty to ensure the well-being of our children. We are delighted to be a part of of this campaign and encourage community members to implement healthy and sustainable habits, starting with choosing healthier meals for their children.”