Get on board the Cooking Bus at Activ8

Monday 1 August 2005

As part of the activities available at Activ8, the Mayor of London's major free festival for young people at Hyde Park, the Food Standards Agency will be putting on fun cooking workshops in its giant expanding Cooking Bus.

Not only will youngsters have the opportunity to experience 'hands-on' cooking sessions but the workshops will also actively encourage them to adopt a positive attitude to the food they eat. Figures show that in London over a quarter of boys and girls are overweight or obese(1).

Sam Montel, online nutritionist for www.eatwell.gov.uk, said:

'Eating well is essential for good health but for young people eating healthily just isn't a priority with many eating too much food that is high in salt, fat and sugar, as well as skipping meals. A recent survey by teen magazine, Sugar, found that 61% of girls regularly skip breakfast and 20% skip lunch(2). At Activ8 young people will have the chance to get creative in the kitchen and see how easy it is to make great tasting but healthier food. Getting involved in cooking and trying new foods in a fun way helps to motivate young people to switch to a healthier diet.'

Youngsters on board the Cooking Bus at Activ8 will be making chilli corn muffins, fresh salads and fruit smoothies.

The state-of-the-art mobile kitchen classroom, which is 16.5 metres long and weighs in at 19 tonnes, is touring the country with a particular focus on visiting schools, community centres and out-of-school clubs in low income areas of the country. Developed in partnership with the RSA Focus on Food Campaign, the bus covers over 10,000 miles each year, cooking up more than 1,800 dishes and delivering improved food education to over 6,000 pupils and 800 teachers.

As well as setting up the Cooking Bus the FSA is sponsoring the Activ8 Food Zone with its nutrition website www.eatwell.gov.uk. The website has everything young people need to know to keep their diet varied and interesting. And for those youngsters inspired by the Body Zone and its focus on sport there's even advice from the FA's exercise scientist, Dawn Scott, on the types of foods they should be eating if they are serious about sport and exercise. Eatwell.gov.uk is a real one-stop shop for all teens who want to be fit and healthy.

Sam's top tips for all young people:

Become the next Jamie Oliver and have a go at whipping up culinary creations at home (make sure you have permission to use the kitchen). Try some of the Cooking Bus recipes which you can find at /www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/bus/recipes.

Make sure you have a cracking breakfast every morning to keep your energy up till lunchtime. Why not start your day off in the best way possible with a healthy breakfast such as: wholemeal toast, fresh fruit with yoghurt or a bowl of muesli washed down with a glass of juice.

Why not be super healthy and snack on fruit instead of munching on crisps and chocolate. All fruit counts, so why not try fresh, dried and tinned fruit.

Drink lots of water. Instead of reaching for those fizzy, sugary drinks have at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Get active - aim to do 30 minutes of exercise every day. It doesn't matter what sport you decide to do as long as it gets your heart pumping faster. Just dancing in your bedroom to your favourite music for half an hour would be great.

Finally, log onto eatwell.gov.uk for lots more information on how to get your body looking and feeling good inside and out. There's plenty of advice and tips on what foods you can eat to make you feel great and even advice on what to eat when you're exercising.

Event: Activ8
Venue: Hyde Park (south side), London W1
Date: Wednesday 3 August 2005
Time: 11am to 4pm FREE
Nearest tube: Knightsbridge or Hyde Park Corner

Cooking Bus session times:

11.30 - 12.00
12.30 - 13.00
13.30 - 14.00
14.30 - 15.00
15.30 - 16.00

Please note that all children boarding the FSA Cooking Bus will need to show parental consent on the day.

For all FSA press enquiries contact Nikki Barber on 020 7276 8888 or 07884 473155

For all general press enquiries around Activ8 please contact Ben McKnight on 020 7983 4071 or mobile 07881 501 920. Alternatively contact Emma Lewis on 020 7938 4068.