The First Lady presented the "Elige Vivir Sano" (Choose to Live Healthily) program at a FAO International Seminar on healthy diets
First Lady Cecilia Morel participated in a FAO International Seminar on healthy diets and nutrition via zoom from the Prat Room at La Moneda Palace.
The wife of the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, highlighted Chile's progress with healthy diets. Examples include the "Elige Vivir Sano" (Choose to Live Healthily) program, the Labeling Law that requires warning labels on high-fat products, additional taxes on sugary drinks, strong encouragement for urban vegetable gardens, changes in the program that provides students with a healthier diet and other initiatives.
The seminar was attended by leading global figures including FAO Director General Qu Dongyu from China, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and other dignitaries.
The seminar involved discussions on nutrition and diets. The authorities issued an urgent appeal to stimulate innovative ideas and measures that would streamline the transformation of agri-food systems in order to achieve healthy diets for all.
The Elige Vivir Sano program is led by Cecilia Morel who emphasized that, "We currently have high rates of obesity in Chile, which is ironic as Chile produces large volumes of fruits and vegetables, while domestic consumption is very low. Accordingly, the government is promoting the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables in 2021. We already have a national committee and an agreement with FAO Chile to implement activities that promote consumption.”
She also presented the main guidelines of the Elige Vivir Sano program, which she led during the previous government of her husband, President Sebastián Piñera. She added, "This initiative aims to change the mentality and culture within Chile and encourage better diets by promoting healthier living, and it is currently managed by an executive secretariat that reports to the Social Development Ministry."
The FAO International Seminar lasted about 4 hours and consisted of 3 panel discussions on healthy diets, food and agriculture innovation and food and agriculture in the macroeconomy.
The seminar concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic produced a clear warning about the fragility of our food and nutrition supplies. It also became an opportunity to reevaluate how we can address trends and inequities, in order to transform food systems, reduce the cost of nutritious food and increase the affordability of healthy diets.
It was also agreed that a shift to healthy diets around the world would help to monitor increasing hunger and malnutrition and also contribute to mitigating climate change. Transforming our food systems to provide healthy and affordable diets could reduce direct and indirect health costs by up to 97% and substantially reduce the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions between 41% and 74% by 2030.