B5-2 Matjungelen - an activity program where kids can explore healthy and sustainable food.

The project provides knowledge on how tools for kindergartens and schools can be developed to promote healthy and sustainable food choices among children.

Issue: A healthy diet helps us stay healthy and reduces the risk of several lifestyle diseases. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has calculated that NOK 154 billion could be saved every year if everyone in Norway followed the national dietary guidelines. However, many eat less fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish, and more saturated fat, sugar and salt than recommended. There are also socioeconomic differences in our diet. The foundation of our food habits is made in our childhood; therefore, it is important that kids get familiar with, and grow to like, more of the food that is healthy and sustainable for us to eat. Kindergartens and After School programmes have the potential of being healthpromoting arenas focusing on this topic, arenas that reach most kids in their early years.

Project: ‘Matjungelen’ is a free activity programme for kindergartens and after-school pro- grammes in which kids can explore and learn about healthy and sustainable food. It was developed for the Norwegian Directorate of Health, by the social entrepreneur Folkelig, in partnership with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, the Norwegian Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Board and the National Center for Food, Health and Physical Activity. Matjungelen was started as a tool to follow up on the Norwegian National Action Plan for a Healthier Diet. It is anchored both within the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Norwegian Directorate of Education. The project has three main goals: (a) give kids knowledge and spark curiosity about healthy and sustainable food; (b) develop knowledge among the staff about healthy and sustainable food; and (c) engage kids as change agents who promote better food choices in a positive way. The knowledgebased programme is developed in line with the National Dietary Guidelines and the framework plan for kindergartens and after-school programmes. The web-based platform is free to use, and the content is divided into three main categories: activities with the kids, learning material for the staff and other material: recipes, webinars etc.

Results: By January 2022, 435 after-school programmes and 150 kindergartens are participating in the project, in more than 100 different municipalities across the country. Both staff, kids and parents are very positive towards the activity programme. Staff say it engages the kids. Some kids show a better understanding of what sustain- able food is and are more involved in the preparation of meals.

Lessons: It is probable that Matjungelen can contribute to a higher adherence to the national guidelines for food and meals in schools, to increased knowledge about healthy and sustainable food in kindergartens and schools, and it is probable that Matjungelen can help kids promote better food choices.