Crown Princess Mette-Marit recorded a video greeting to mark the beginning of this year’s 2021 Food and Health Conference, calling the knowledge of how food and health connect as “absolutely necessary for us as humans.”
In the short video greeting shared on the Norwegian Royal Family’s YouTube account, Crown Princess Mette-Marit elaborates on this sentiment, saying: “Their work touches many areas of life and different subjects. And their subject area reflects the development of society in the long story about food – and the health subject, we can see how history repeats itself.
“One example is how important it is to make full use of food. One hundred years ago, this was absolutely necessary due to poverty and austerity. Today, this has once again become important to us, from a climate perspective, in order to reduce food waste.
“It is important that children and young people learn how much is connected in life. And that through everyone, whole people with baths are completely different, and completely universal needs. In this work, knowledge of the food we eat is central. Where the food comes from. How what we eat affects the planet, the body, the mental and physical health. And the connection between food production and animal welfare, culture and social conditions.”
Crown Princess Mette-Marit concluded by calling the study of food and health in school a very basic one that “can contribute to creating healthy people, who understand the contexts of life. This gives their work great value – both for the individual and for society.”
The conference marked its 100th anniversary this year, a joint effort between the National Team for Food and Health in Schools, the University College of Western Norway, OsloMet, and the National Centre for Food, Health and Physical Activity.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit sent her best wishes to the organisers on their centenary year.
