Concept store offers children food for thought

On May 17, Liang Zijing took a packet of latiao (spicy gluten) to a self-service counter at a new concept convenience store in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, to check how many calories it contained.

The concept store opened that day in an activity center of Chengdu Youth Palace. It is part of the "know your food" campaign of the United Nations Children's Fund, which aims to empower children and young people to make informed, healthy choices about their diet through improved nutritional literacy.

Instead of edible food, dozens of imitation snacks are displayed on the shelves, including replicas of puffed grain foods, candy and sugary drinks.

"I didn't expect that I would have to climb 70 floors to burn off the calories," says local fifth grader Liang after scanning her chosen item.

Jointly launched by UNICEF and a number of Chengdu authorities, including the municipal health commission and the municipal education bureau, the store also offers various mechanical models and cartoons to help children understand which foods are nutritious and which foods they should eat less often.

UNICEF created this mock store to simulate the food environment that children are exposed to every day, says Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF representative to China.

"By visualizing and presenting information about the high levels of fat, sugar and salt that we know are unhealthy, we want children and their parents to understand the nutritional value of popular snacks and beverages, so they can make more informed choices," McCaffrey says.

Anuradha Narayan, chief of child health and development at UNICEF China, notes that obesity is "a growing threat to children's well-being around the world and in China".

Being overweight or obese has many adverse effects, such as having a higher risk of contracting noncommunicable diseases, a higher risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems, as well as having an economic impact on individuals, families and society.

Data shows that nearly 20 percent of children between 6 and 17 years of age, and over 10 percent of children under the age of 6 in China are obese or overweight.

A changing environment, characterized by the increased availability of cheap, highly processed foods and beverages, together with the aggressive marketing of these products to children, can contribute to the rapid growth of children who are overweight or obese, McCaffrey says.

Containing childhood obesity is an important focus of the Chinese government. In Chengdu, the local government attaches great importance to children's nutrition and health.

At present, the city is launching a campaign on childhood obesity control to improve the nutritional environment of students and the healthy growth of children and teenagers, says Jia Yong, deputy director of the Chengdu Municipal Health Commission.

The mock store will operate permanently in the activity center of Chengdu Youth Palace. Similar stores will be unveiled in other Chinese cities such as Weihai, Shandong province, and Enshi in Hubei province, to improve nutritional literacy among school-age children and their parents.