American Institute in Taiwan

Seeing an opportunity to help expand an already active nutrition promotion campaign targeting elementary school children in Taiwan and to help grow overall market demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, the Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) of the American Institute in Taiwan has developed a cooperative nutrition promotion program with the Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF) to promote the importance of eating five servings of fruit and vegetables every day.  The promotion 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, with the expectation of continued funding for several years.

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

The 2007 cooperative program kicks off on April 4th, with a press conference announcing the results of school lunch research and will continue through the end of the calendar year, with the in-school nutrition education program reaching an expected audience of 25,000 elementary school children.

AIT, U.S. agricultural producer associations and the FCF look to the 2007 program to emphasize to Taiwan's schoolchildren the importance of eating a minimum of five daily portions of fruits and vegetables.  They hope this will lead to more consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and better health for all Taiwanese.

The twelve agricultural producer associations participating in the 2007 program are the California Agricultural Export Council, Washington Apple Commission, California Almond Board, California Tree Fruit Agreement, California Cherry Advisory Board, California Table Grape Commission, USA Potato Board, USA Apples, Sunkist Growers, Pear Bureau Northwest, the North American Blueberry Council and the California Raisin Marketing Board.

For more than a decade, the Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF) has promoted better nutrition to Taiwan citizens of all age groups as an effective way to maintain good health and minimize the risk of disease.  Taiwan's consumption of vegetables and fruit, critical to a healthy diet, has lost ground in recent decades as incomes have risen and items from other food groups, such as meats and starches, have taken over an increasing share of local meals.  Previous FCF research has pointed to Taiwan's youngest generation, those currently enrolled in elementary and preschool programs, as being at particular risk of facing future health problems because of insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables at a young age.

For more information regarding this program, please contact Jeff Miller at AIT's Agricultural Trade Office at (02) 2705-6536. 

For more information about FCF's Five-a-day campaign, please visit the foundation's website http://www.canceraway.org.tw