Despar’s “Good Habits” initiative to promote healthy eating among children celebrates its 20 anniversary

Despar celebrates the twentieth anniversary of “Le Buone Abitudini”, the educational programme for primary schools that promotes healthy eating, physical activity and the adoption of healthy lifestyles among children.

An important milestone that bears witness to the growth of a project developed over time together with schools and local communities and which, drawing on the experience gained over these two decades, is enriched with renewed digital tools and a new visual identity, designed to meet the evolving needs of the school world and continue to accompany children, teachers and families on a journey of education for wellbeing and health.

The programme

Established in 2006 on the initiative of Despar Nord, “Le Buone Abitudini” took its first steps in the Triveneto and Emilia-Romagna regions, before gradually expanding its reach. In 2023, thanks to collaboration with Despar Italia and the Consortium companies, the programme achieved a national dimension, extending throughout Italy.

A journey that has made it possible to bring the project's experience and educational content to an ever-growing number of schools, while keeping firm the values and objectives that have guided its development from the outset: from 2006 to today, “Le Buone Abitudini” has in total involved more than 3.000 schools in over 1.500 municipalities, reaching more than 150.000 pupils and over 3.500 teachers.

The project's tools

Designed to accompany children throughout their primary school journey, from the first to the fifth year, “Le Buone Abitudini” brings the themes of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles into everyday school life, through an approach that combines knowledge, experimentation and practical activities. At the heart of the project is the digital platform free of charge for teachers, where programmes and materials designed for different age groups are available: scientific content, videos, further information, teaching tools and activities to carry out in class and at home.

The five food education programmes, one for each primary school year, are developed and reviewed with the contribution of a team of specialists and in line with the national guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Merit. The methodology prioritises active learning, encouraging children to put what they learn into practice and turn it into simple everyday actions, addressing the themes of food, physical activity, the environment and wellbeing in an integrated way.

To complete the programme, there is the website of “Le Buone Abitudini”, which contains additional content and materials that families can also use: recipes, expert advice and activities to share with children, to explore at home as well the themes addressed in the school programme.

What's new for 20 years

On the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, “Le Buone Abitudini” presents itself with a new visual identity, designed to make the four values underpinning the project – eat healthily, exercise, live eco-friendly and think positively – even more recognisable and strengthen the connection with the brand. This is accompanied by a celebratory logo dedicated to 20 years, which will feature in the initiatives planned for the anniversary.

The digital experience is evolving too: the “Le Buone Abitudini” website and the platform dedicated to teachers offer a more intuitive browsing experience, updated graphics and a redesigned content structure to make access to resources even easier and accompany teachers and families in discovering the materials available.

In its twentieth year, the project is also strengthening its presence in schools, with a programme of educational play-based workshops in various Italian schools, designed for classes from the first to the fifth year and adapted to the pupils' age. Led by an educator, the workshops will address three key themes for children's growth and wellbeing in a practical and engaging way – the food pyramid, the wellbeing plate and healthy lifestyles – through activities designed to stimulate curiosity, participation and learning. To complete the experience, each participating school will receive a dedicated materials kit, enabling teachers to repeat the activities independently after the session, providing continuity to the educational programme.

The comment

“Twenty years are a story made up of people, schools, children and experiences, but also proof of how important it is to continue growing and evolving,” comments Filippo Fabbri, General Manager of Despar Italia. “In 2006, 'Le Buone Abitudini' was born from a local experience and is now a national programme, having grown together with the school community, local communities and the generations of children it has encountered. We chose to celebrate this milestone not only by retracing the path we have taken, but above all by looking at the path ahead, providing schools with renewed digital tools, simpler ways of accessing content and new educational experiences through dedicated workshops. However, the values remain the same: to promote awareness and accompany pupils, through knowledge and experience, towards everyday choices that are more mindful of their wellbeing and healthy eating.”

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.