FOR the second year running, Thinking Slimmer’s backing Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day today. Around the world there are a staggering 42 million children who are either overweight or obese and Jamie says: “With diet-related diseases rising at an alarming rate, it has never been more important to educate children about food, where it comes from and how it affects their bodies.”

Jamie has set up a Food Revolution Day petition and aimed to amass 1 million signatures by midnight tonight, May 15. He hit the target within hours of launching the petition but still needs more and more people to sign. I’ve signed – and I’m sure you’ll be signing today, too.

Jamie says: “By educating children about food in a practical, fun and engaging way, we can provide them with the knowledge and skills they so urgently need to lead healthier, happier lives.

“We need to make practical food education a compulsory part of every school curriculum across the world, and that’s why I’ve launched a Food Revolution Day petition calling on all G20 countries to action this.

“With enough support from millions of people around the world, I truly believe that we can create a movement that’s powerful enough to make governments take action.”

I’m delighted that since Jamie launched Food Revolution Day there have already been hugely positive steps in the right direction.  Here are some examples:

* In England, The School Food Plan made cooking lessons and food education a compulsory part of the curriculum.

* In Mexico, all schools promote healthy eating through compulsory nutrition education, thanks to the General Law on Education.

* In Brazil, the School Health Programme has made food and nutrition education a fundamental part of their basic curriculum.

* Food education has also been part of the curriculum in Japan since 2005, and Finland has a long history of home economics.

“But we still have a long way to go despite the success of Food Revolution Day,” warns Jamie. “Good, practical and compulsory food education should be available in every school for every child.”

Jamie has a great selection of recipes for meals you can make with your children – they’re delicious, nutritious and best of all, fun! Do leave a comment to let me know how you got on in the kitchen with your family today!

And do check out some of my blog posts on healthy eating for families. There’s a few links below.