10 Years of Nutrition Education: The “Pflanzen-Power” Campaign Reaches Thousands of Schoolchildren Nationwide
After the event, 73 percent of the children continue to cook plant-based meals at home
The “Pflanzen-Power” initiative is celebrating its 10th anniversary. This free educational program for schools, offered by the nutrition organization ProVeg and the statutory health insurance provider BKK ProVita, teaches the basics of a healthy, plant-based, and climate-friendly diet in a fun and hands-on way.
On September 21, 2016, the very first event took place at the Willy-Brandt Comprehensive School in Munich. Most recently, seventh-graders at the Bergkirchen Elementary and Middle School participated in an event featuring cooking workshops at the end of July. “From Soest to Basdorf to Kellinghusen: Children are excited about cooking together. This experience is bringing the ‘Pflanzen-Power’ campaign to schools nationwide,” explains project manager Lisa Banaditsch from the nutrition organization ProVeg.
Education Makes a Difference
The results of the nutrition education program are impressive. More than 5,000 children and teenagers have already cooked plant-based meals themselves as part of over 160 action days. In addition, a total of more than 13,000 students and educators have attended presentations.
And the concept is working, according to student surveys. More than 73 percent planned to eat dishes from the “Plant-Based, Simply Delicious” information brochure at home after the event day. Over 84 percent said they were open to having more plant-based dishes in their school meals. Over 89 percent said they wanted to tell their family or friends about the event day.
Practical Resources for Families and Institutional Kitchens
The brochure “Pflanzlich Einfach Lecker,” featuring simple, affordable, and quick-to-prepare recipes for families, has been part of the program since 2024. It also includes tips for healthy snacks and lunchboxes. Schoolchildren in participating classes each receive a brochure to take home. Another copy goes to the school library. To date, the “Pflanzen-Power” campaign has distributed approximately 6,900 printed copies. In addition, the brochure has been downloaded more than 9,700 times.
“Experience shows that families need simple ideas to try out what they’ve learned at home. Institutional kitchens, on the other hand, need foolproof recipes that go over well with children and teens,” emphasizes project manager Banaditsch. ProVeg provides the brochure “Plant-Based, Delicious, Easy to Make” for school caterers. The brochure, which features recipe ideas, has already been downloaded over 4,800 times.
Honored by the United Nations
At the COP24 World Climate Conference in 2018, the United Nations honored the “Pflanzen-Power” initiative, together with the KEEKS school kitchen project, with the United Nations Momentum for Change Award in the “Planetary Health” category. Banaditsch emphasizes: “Schools don’t have to walk the path toward sustainable food service alone. The ‘Pflanzen-Power’ initiative welcomes every institution that joins us on this journey.”
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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