The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) awarded the Seal of Excellence “Healthy Food in Higher Education” to the University of Algarve (UAlg).
This distinction recognizes the «work carried out in favor of promoting a healthier, more balanced and sustainable diet among the university population», says the UAlg.
This seal, which comes under the National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (PNPAS) and the Integrated Strategy for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (EIPAS), is a public distinction awarded to universities that promote healthy eating and comply with a set of requirements within the framework of modifying the food supply of their institutions.
«This is a pioneering initiative at European level and that results from the experience developed in the DGS and in the national food strategy in recent years», explains the UAlg.
The certification now awarded to the Algarve academy is the result of the work carried out by the Social Action Services, together with various actors, with a view to providing access to healthier food options in the Institution's spaces.
In 2019, UAlg made a voluntary application, requiring compliance with a series of requirements. From the verification checklist, UAlg was able to reduce the amount of sugar available in hot drinks vending machines, increase the availability of water in common spaces and ensure healthy and easily visible food options in bars.
The institution also ensures that the bread available for consumption in food services is dark bread or wholemeal bread, with a salt content of less than 1 g per 100 g of bread, increased the offer and diversity of vegetables as a side dish for meals, as well as offering legumes in meals served in canteens and other spaces that provide meals, promoting campaigns to promote healthy eating aimed at the academic community.
The official attribution of the Seal took place on the 3rd of March, at the Palácio da Rocha do Conde D'Óbidos, in Lisbon.
On behalf of the UAlg, Paula Mucharrinha, coordinator of the Food Department of SASUAlg participated, who considers that «this certificate is the recognition of the work that has been carried out by the Social Action Services, in partnership with the Dietetics and Nutrition Course, represented by Professor Maria Palma Mateus, in the promotion of a healthy diet and in the fulfillment of a set of requirements within the scope of the modification of the food offer available in its 12 food units of the Institution».
For Paula Mucharrinha, «training the academic community with regard to healthy food choices is a concern of the University of the Algarve, which assumes itself as a space for training conscious and healthy citizens, raising awareness of the increased consumption of fruit and vegetables and for the reduction of foods high in fat, salt and sugar».
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