June 30, 2007
Keywords: Newsletter
Food education is one response to the threats to food traditions. In the preamble of the Basic Law on Food Education, enacted in June 2005, food education is considered a fundamental aspect of living, along with intellectual, moral and physical education. The text states that food education should promote learning about and the selection of healthy foods, and help citizens to have healthy diets.
The law encourages actions such as (1) preservation of the best aspects of traditional food culture, (2) appreciation of food production in harmony with the environment, (3) revitalization of rural communities engaged in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and (4) improvement of food self-sufficiency. Mr. Yukio Hattori, President of Hattori Nutrition College and a proponent of the law, has been promoting food education in three areas: food selection ability, table manners, and global food issues.
Proponents say that people must pay more attention to and learn about their diets in order to solve problems related to food safety, misinformation, an overdependence on food imports, an increase in lifestyle related diseases, and so on. They say that food education should be boosted in a national effort to promote physical and mental health. This requires cooperation among families, schools and local communities as well as between rural producers and urban consumers who value the traditional food culture.
To improve the situation, MEXT came up with the "Early to Bed, Early to Rise plus Breakfast" publicity campaign as part of its food education efforts, believing that this would help children develop healthy and regular lifestyles. In 2006, a national council was established to promote this campaign on a private-sector basis. The council has been conducting promoting awareness throughout the nation, aiming to create momentum in society to support family education through efforts by the whole community.
The "Tokushima Miso Soup Project" at Ichiba Elementary School was launched to cope with the growing number of children who could not concentrate in morning classes because they skipped breakfast or stayed up late the previous night. Under the project, teachers use traditional Japanese miso soup, which is familiar to children, as a means to draw their attention to food, communities, and the environment. The school conducted this project in collaboration with two other schools in the prefecture. By studying miso soup, students became aware of the importance of having breakfast, and developed an appreciation for their community. They also enjoyed "eco-cooking" using locally produced food in season. Their study then evolved into discussions about the issue of food self-sufficiency.
In the first semester of 2006, the school children researched what ingredients are used for miso soup and then prepared their own miso, or fermented soybean paste. In the second semester, they cooked special miso soup using the handmade miso and locally produced food. As a preparation for the cooking, they studied seasonal foods, and noticed that many of the seasonal food items are now available at any time of year, regardless of the season. This was a cue to look at various factors behind food supplies, such as advances in cultivation techniques, advanced cooling and freezing technologies, and increasing imports. They also discussed issues of local consumption of local products and the environment, based on the results of their 2005 program in which they cooked noodles, to practice the concept of local consumption of local products. In this noodle program, the school invited a representative of the Regional Agricultural Administration Office to talk about the current situation of food self-sufficiency in Japan, and the viability of local consumption of local products. Children learned about the risks of overdependence on imported foods. When asked their impressions, their comments were telling: "We'll be in trouble if food imports stopped suddenly." "Imported food has environmental impacts in producing countries." "Food security is something to think about."
At the end of October, Ichiba Elementary School received soup stock made by students of Shishikui Elementary School, and good wakame seaweed from Naruto-higashi Elementary School. These schools are partners in an educational exchange program. Using the miso paste made in the first semester, students of Ichiba Elementary School prepared miso soup just like their ancestors had done, using local seasonal foods and ingredients they had obtained through trade, as well as homemade ingredients. In a sense, the students experienced a traditional way of life. They discovered that there is nothing quite like the aroma from a newly-opened barrel of handmade miso paste.
In the third semester, students learned about their community's seasonal vegetables. Mr. Fujimoto thinks that since miso soup is universal in Japan (with regional variations), it would be an excellent tool for an educational exchange program across the country. He is proposing to expand the miso soup project nationwide based on its success in Tokushima Prefecture.
The campaign "Early to Bed, Early to Rise plus Breakfast" produced a number of positive results: children became more attentive in classes; their parents' rhythm of daily life and physical fitness improved; and people spent more time with their families, building closer relationships with their neighbors.
Since its establishment in 1957, Heiwado, a general retail chain with 94 stores (headquarters in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture), has been promoting various food education initiatives to encourage healthy diets for mind and body. As a food distributor the company considers these activities as part of its corporate social responsibility.
According to its website and social and environmental report, Heiwado established a committee for the promotion of food education, and in May 2006 declared on its website that it would promote hands-on food education activities with the aim of promoting safe food and healthy living for customers.
Heiwado's activities include (1) encouraging people to eat daily more than five dishes of vegetables and more than 200 grams of fruit; (2) disseminating information to improve diets, in collaboration with food manufacturers; (3) increasing each year the ratio of locally-produced vegetables at stores, in order to promote the local consumption of local products; and (4) revitalizing traditions by publishing booklets about nutrition, traditional Japanese cuisine, and food culture.
Food and diet are intimately connected to our daily lives. Everyone could benefit by reflecting on our diet and paying more attention to what we eat each day. And consideration of our own communities and planet will also lead us toward environmentally-friendly diets. This article has reported on some of the trends and initiatives happening in Japan. We hope it will inspire others around the world to support the idea of food education.
(Written by Eiko Yukawa)