In Japan, 'Bento Day' Lets Kids Learn to Make Healthy Lunches
Marissa Brassfield — March 1, 2009 — Lifestyle
References: asahi & treehugger
On the school-mandated 'Bento Day,' Japanese students are learning how to prepare balanced bento box lunches on their own. The segmented lunch boxes are meant to keep portions of food (typically leftovers) separate and are an enormous part of Japanese culture.
In these 'Bento Day' programs, a student's responsibilities increase with age. At first, elementary school students work together with their parents to help select and shop for bento box lunch ingredients. By middle school, they're slightly more autonomous but still enlist their parents' help shopping. By junior high, however, students are planning and preparing their own balanced bento box lunches.
'Bento Day' was thought up by Kazuo Takeshita, a longtime principal, after concerns that parents and children weren't spending enough time together.
In these 'Bento Day' programs, a student's responsibilities increase with age. At first, elementary school students work together with their parents to help select and shop for bento box lunch ingredients. By middle school, they're slightly more autonomous but still enlist their parents' help shopping. By junior high, however, students are planning and preparing their own balanced bento box lunches.
'Bento Day' was thought up by Kazuo Takeshita, a longtime principal, after concerns that parents and children weren't spending enough time together.
Trend Themes
1. Balanced Bento Boxes - Opportunity for food companies to develop pre-packaged, nutritious bento box options for busy families.
2. Lunchbox Education - Opportunity for schools and educational programs to teach children about nutrition and food preparation.
3. Child Autonomy - Opportunity for products and services that cater to children's growing independence and self-sufficiency in daily tasks like making their own lunches.
Industry Implications
1. Food - Foods companies can take advantage of the growing demand for healthy lunch options to develop more balanced and nutritious offerings.
2. Education - Schools and educational programs that teach children about nutrition and food preparation can benefit from the growing focus on healthy eating habits.
3. Childcare - Childcare providers can offer specialized programs that focus on fostering independence and self-sufficiency, including teaching children how to make their own lunches like in the case of 'Bento Day'
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