Young people together with celebrities and influencers from eight countries recently joined a “Fix My Food” workshop in Bangkok, brainstorming ideas and identifying potential partners to help roll out the campaign in their respective countries.
To further promote the need for healthier food environments, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific is supporting the ‘Fix My Food’ campaign led by young people to raise awareness of the need to create healthier food environments in China, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Mongolia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
UNICEF Regional Nutrition Adviser for East Asia and Pacific Roland Kupka noted that Thailand has been a forerunner as one of the first countries in the region to specifically tax unhealthy food products.
Cambodia’s first female celebrity chef, Ros Rotanak, or Chef Nak, and Miss World Vietnam 2019, Luong Thuy Linh, were also part of the co-creation workshop and launch event. Chef Nak said “Food is much more than just what we eat” and she believes in preserving, developing and promoting traditional Khmer cuisine.
Linh explained that she joined the campaign with the hope of changing what she called “our failing food system,” adding that children and young people must have the opportunity and the right to make healthy food choices at home, in and around schools, and in their communities.
The two-day workshop was organized at The Food School Bangkok, a culinary arts institute specializing in Thai, Japanese, and Italian cuisine in partnership with Dusit Thani College, Tsuji Culinary Institute, and ALMA School of Italian Culinary Arts. (NNT)
