COP17: From smart shopping to wholegrain bread, workshop explores links between healthy eating and biodiversity

A practical workshop entitled “From Awareness to Change: Bringing Together Food, Health, Education and Biodiversity for a Sustainable Future” was held in the Green Zone of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

The event was jointly organised by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the School Feeding and Child Welfare institution.

The ministry said the workshop aimed to encourage schoolchildren to make healthy food choices, consume responsibly and understand the importance of biodiversity conservation.

The event focused on two themes: “Smart Shopping” and “Wholegrain Bread”. Pupils from Yeghegnadzor Basic School No. 1 completed a practical exercise in which they drew up a family shopping list, applying knowledge gained through their Healthy Lifestyle course. They highlighted the importance of choosing local products, checking food labels and expiry dates, and considering how consumer choices affect the environment.

The ministry said Armen Mkrtchyan, a food hygienist at the School Feeding and Child Welfare institution, presented the nutritional value of wholegrain foods, highlighting their role in a healthy diet and their connection to biodiversity conservation. He also discussed the diversity of cereal crops in Armenia and the importance of choosing local products.

WFP Field Operations Coordinator Vahan Arakelyan, who holds a Candidate of Biological Sciences degree, presented a WFP-supported programme to produce wholegrain bread and supply it to schools.

Under the initiative, launched in Tavush region, a mill producing wholegrain flour has begun operating, training centres have been established in Tavush and Gegharkunik, and support has been provided to 23 bakeries. The programme is also expected to expand to Vayots Dzor and Syunik.

WFP Armenia Country Director Leyla Meliou concluded the workshop, stressing the importance of schoolchildren’s active participation in initiatives promoting healthy eating, sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. She said Yerevan schools had now also been included in the School Feeding Programme on a pilot basis.

The event ended with a tasting of wholegrain bread and baked goods.