Kid Food Nation Gala Celebrates Healthy Living with Young Chefs From Across Canada

OTTAWA, Oct. 20, 2017 /CNW/ - When nine year-old Amani heard of Kid Food Nation's national recipe contest, she knew her lobster salad recipe would be a great way to show off her PEI pride.

Little did she know that from hundreds of submissions from kids in communities across the country, her and 25 other young chefs would win the national contest and be flown to Kid Food Nation's inaugural gala in Ottawa to showcase their recipes, rub shoulders with famous Canadians, and celebrate healthy eating!

Kid Food Nation is a cross-Canada movement that teaches kids cooking skills, gets them excited about healthy food, and gives them the tools to live a healthier and happier life.

Designed for children aged 7-12, the Kid Food Nation program will run at Boys and Girls Clubs in communities from coast to coast. The curriculum has four main goals:

• Teach children essential culinary skills
• Encourage healthy choices about the food they eat
• Foster healthy habits for life
• Empower parents and families to plan, prepare, and cook healthy meals and snacks

"Ensuring children have access to healthy food and culinary skills that will benefit them for life is a priority at Boys and Girls Clubs," says Owen Charters, President & CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. "We are proud to work with President's Choice Children's Charity, Public Health Agency of Canada, Corus Entertainment, and other incredible organizations to launch Kid Food Nation and take a huge leap forward in combating food insecurity and improving the health of Canadian children."

Pilot programs have been launched this year at 10 Boys and Girls Clubs, from British Columbia to Newfoundland & Labrador, and 60 more Clubs will receive funding over the next five years to run the Kid Food Nation program.

"Through our programs and our partners like Kid Food Nation and Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, we are committed to helping kids develop food literacy?including an understanding of nutrition, and the capacity to make meals and meal decisions," said Lisa Battistelli, Director, PC® Children's Charity. "We're proud to support the Kid Food Nation program, and congratulate all the contest winners.  A responsible sense of food is a national building block and we know kids who are fed and well-nourished build healthier communities."

"I applaud the winners of the first annual National Recipe Challenge who put their food skills to the test and came up with healthy, delicious and nutritious recipes," says the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. "Many of our lifelong habits begin at a young age, and today these kids are inspiring other kids, parents and families to find creative, fun ways to make healthy eating and meal preparation a part of their everyday lives."

Kid Food Nation also includes a free, public website (http://kidfoodnation.com), created by Corus Entertainment, which includes games, videos, tips about healthy eating, fun cooking facts, recipes, and more.  Kid Food Nation's message airs on Corus' powerhouse Kids stations which reach an average of 1.5 million Canadian children (7-11) each month*. Corus is a market leader in children's entertainment with five of the top five kids networks in Canada.**

Hosted by Carlos Bustamante of YTV's Big Fun Movies, and featuring the contest winners and their recipes, the Kid Food Nation Gala will be held October 22 at the Château Laurier in Ottawa with distinguished guests The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, local Members of Parliament, and others.

Created through the partnership of Corus Entertainment and Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, with Social Research and Demonstration Corporation and in collaboration with Dietitians of Canada, Kid Food Nation is proudly sponsored by President's Choice Children's Charity and generously supported by Public Health Agency of Canada.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data. BY 16/17 (Aug29/16-Aug27/17), Total Canada, AMA(000) C7-11, ranker based on Cdn kids stations Eng & Fr).
**Source: Numeris PPM Data, BY 16/17 (Aug29/16-Aug27/17), Total Canada, AvMRch(000) C7-11, Corus Kids Stations (Eng & Fr) Mo-Su 2a-2a

SOURCE Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada