Danone to put healthy eating on menu

A nonprofit institute has launched a promotional campaign to encourage healthy eating for Chinese children and families.

The Danone Institute China was set up by major French food brand Danone in 1998 and has conducted research in dietary habits along with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Part of the project has involved helping in communities understand why eating the right food is important for their health.

“Family dinners can help children to form healthy eating habits and improve awareness of a nutritional diet,” said Chen Junshi, chairman of the science committee of the Danone Institute China, at its annual academic conference in Beijing earlier this month.

“By doing so, it can reduce child obesity and malnutrition, as well as the occurrence of chronic diseases,” he added. The Danone Institute China has pumped about 2 million yuan ($300,000) into dietrelated research projects on an annual basis.

So far, it has spent about 40 million yuan on roughly 230 programs, including projects at the Health Science Center of Peking University in Beijing and Zhongshan School of Medicine in Guangdong.

Family dinners can help children to form healthy eating habits and improve awareness of a nutritional diet.” Chen Junshi,