The program will tap into the promotional and financial resources of 12 U.S. agricultural producer associations, with the U.S. side contributing US$60,000 in 2007, and the expectation of continued funding for several years, according to AIT’s press release.

Through AIT’s Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) the program aims to expand an already active nutrition promotion campaign targeting elementary school children in Taiwan as well as to grow overall market demand for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Under the cooperation programs, AIT and U.S. agricultural producers will help FCF fund new research into the nutritional profile of lunches currently prepared for students at elementary schools around Taiwan.

The program will also provide funds for the FCF to train additional dietitians and to develop interactive educational materials aimed at encouraging school children and their families to improve their eating habits.

While the Department of Health suggests that children should eat at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day, an FCF survey conducted in March found that 70 percent of elementary schools provide only 0.5 servings or less of vegetables in their prepared lunches for students.

Worse still, 75 percent of students at these elementary schools do not eat the full portion of vegetables served to them, said Lai Chi ming, executive director of the FCF.

Another finding was that less than 10 percent of the surveyed schools provide their students with fruit in every lunch meal, while nearly 70 percent of the schools provide fruit in only one or two lunch meals per week.

About half of the students at the surveyed schools were found to have grown fond of packed lunches sold outside the school, according to Lai.

Lai attributed this to the fact that boxed lunches sold by vendors or restaurants outside the school are higher in fat content and usually very spicy, which he said students find attractive.

Nearly 60 percent of the teachers at the surveyed schools said they think that most students make unhealthy choices for lunch, which Lai said could be one of the reasons behind the growing obesity problem among schoolchildren.

The FCF conducted the poll from March 1-16, interviewing teachers and nutritionists from 301 elementary schools randomly chosen around the island.

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