Manchester United player to teach children about being healthy

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar has officially launched a project, in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), to encourage school children to eat healthily and live a more balanced lifestyle.

Local school children, teachers, FSA representatives and some famous faces from the world of football attended the launch at the Old Trafford stadium.

The project, called 'Something to Chew On', uses Manchester United players to teach primary school children about being healthy. The Manchester United Foundation has received the funding to develop the project over three years and will work in partnership with the FSA, local and regional healthy schools teams, and local authorities.

Each school in which the Foundation delivers Something to Chew On will receive a full teacher resource pack so that the project will be sustainable for future pupils.

Van der Sar said: "Aspiring to have and maintaining a balanced lifestyle for children and families is a message that is very important to me. Every day I get up with my kids and we eat breakfast together. I will usually have some sandwiches and my kids might have cereal.
'I have been impressed with the Something to Chew On programme and I'm very pleased to be so involved."

Something to Chew On, which is funded by the FSA and the Premier League/Professional Footballers' Association Community Fund, was piloted in Salford schools last year. The programme uses an interactive approach to teaching children about keeping healthy and covers food, nutrition and getting active, but with a football focus.

The FSA will look to make the programme national in 2010.