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Denmark

Princess Marie attends launch of new teaching materials about food waste

Yesterday, Princess Marie attended the launch of new teaching materials about food waste at Amager Fælled School in Copenhagen.

These teaching materials are the results of a collaboration between Stop Spild Af Mad and the City of Copenhagen, and they can be used in food science education for children in 5th-7th grade. They are composed of a teacher’s guide and a student’s guide which aim to help the children understand what food waste is, why it is a problem and how they can avoid it.

©Kasper Wejse

Surveys show that a lot of people are willing to fight against food waste. However, they already have bad habits, and they often throw food away without really realizing they are wasting it. Thus, it is essential to teach children about food waste so that they can learn the right habits but also change their families’ habits.

©Kasper Wejse

Jesper Christensen, the mayor of the Children and Youth Administration of the City of Copenhagen, said: “It’s very important that we turn that development so fresh food does not end up in the bin. I am glad that we also teach children about the consequences of food waste in primary school. Children are incredibly curious and knowledgeable, and it is our hope that they are equally curious when it comes to food waste and how to reduce the amount of food that ends in the trash can.”

In connection with the new teaching materials, Princess Marie also took part in a short film introducing the fight against food waste. The video can be seen here.

©City of Copenhagen’s video/ Fair Use

In her speech, Princess Marie said:”When I grew up as a child in France, I learned to cook with my parents. Even simple ingredients could be a party meal and leftovers from the day before were transformed into new delicious dishes. That’s something I’ve taken with me throughout my life – even in the upbringing of my children.”

©Kasper Wejse

Princess Marie insisted on the huge amount of food that is thrown away in Denmark when it could still be eaten: “Every year Danish households throw out about 260,000 tonnes of food. In a family with two parents and two children, it corresponds to almost every fifth shopping bag ending up directly in the trash bin.It is food that is grown, harvested, processed, packed and transported to simply end in the trash bin. It is a waste of important resources in a world where over 800 million people starve.”

©Kasper Wejse

She also said that children -as future consumers – are a huge part of the fight against food waste: “You are our future and it is you who can make a big difference to stop food waste. By learning about food waste and sharing your knowledge with your parents, you can help change the whole family’s habits and thus protect our planet and your future! I am looking forward to seeing you dive into the teaching material and see you become more aware of how you can become part of the solution.”

©Kasper Wejse

Princess Marie is the Patron of the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival which focuses on food waste this year, and she has been working closely with Stop Spild Af Mad, so it is expected she will attend more events related to the fight against food waste this year.