MOO CREW COUNTY WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED AT ACTION PACKED AWARDS DAY AT AIRFIELD

Irish Olympian and Fit Foodie Derval O’Rourke, gave fitness lessons to some of Ireland’s youngest future athletes in Airfield (Dublin) to celebrate with the top winning primary school children in the National Dairy Council’s Moo Crew – Primary Dairy Moovement.

Moo Crew is a fun and interactive way for children to learn about the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet and the importance of exercise. It is available in all Irish schools from Junior Infants to 6^th Class and is co funded by the EU under the Cheese Up your Life Programme. All of the lesson plans, worksheets, games and videos are developed with the expertise of The National Dairy Council’s Nutrition Department.

The top six classes in the Junior Category and Senior Category won an amazing VIP farm experience at Airfield Farm, where they enjoyed a wonderful day packed with adventure. Each of the six schools also won a training session with Moo Crew ambassador Derval O’Rourke. The four finalist teams won a €250 sports voucher each and the two overall winning teams won a €500 sports voucher each.

 “The great thing about the Moo Crew programme is that it helps children to learn about the importance of an active lifestyle and a healthy balanced diet; to learn about food groups, about portion sizes and to make smart choices about what they eat and drink. Learning these skills at a young age can help to instil good habits and carry them through the teenage years and on into adulthood” said Derval O’Rourke.

The overall national winners of Moo Crew for 2017 were:

Milly, the Moo Crew Mascot cow, joined in the action-packed day which included milking cows, farmyard experiences and butter making; as well as activities such as bug hunting and woodland walks and the children got to experience a taste of real farm life.

Moo Crew also helps children to learn about where food comes from: “from farm to fridge.”  This year we introduced a new module around the Cheeses of Europe which should be a really interesting insight into the varieties of cheese and the geography of each region.

Registered dietitian, Louise Reynolds of the INDI said “We know that our younger years are a crucial time to ensure we have sufficient nutrients in our diet to support normal bone growth and development. Milk, yogurt and cheese are natural sources of calcium, protein and phosphorus which all play vital roles in bone health. By the age of 17, our bones will have stocked up on over 90% of the calcium they will ever contain so the childhood and teenage years are the critical time to make sure we get enough calcium. Campaigns such as Moo Crew really help to educate young children on the importance of a balanced diet”

The Department of Health’s Food Pyramid recommends three servings from the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group each day as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Between the ages of 9-18 years, 5 servings per day are recommended due to the increased calcium requirements at this life stage. Examples of one serving include a 200ml glass of milk, 125g yogurt and a 25g (matchbox size piece) of cheddar cheese.

COUNTY WINNERS ANNOUNCED
County winners have also been announced in the National Dairy Council’s competition at Junior and Senior level, they each won a sports equipment pack for their school.  For a full list of county winners please click here: www.moocrew.ie/competition