With world champion knowledge: Children learn about nutrition at the Grüne Woche

Not many people can claim to have ever been handed a shopping basket full of groceries by a football world champion – but since this week, the sixth-grade pupils at Havelland Primary School can.

‘Who has heard of a carbon footprint?’ asks Philipp Lahm. Thirteen hands shoot up. The former captain of the German national football team hands the children baskets of food and a scanner. On a tablet, they can see how much CO2 each food item produces per kilogram, and they also talk to nutrition psychologist Bastienne Neumann about balanced nutrition in a playful way. The ‘Machen macht Schule’ workshop took place on Monday at the Kaufland stand in Hall 3.2, where Philipp Lahm and the supermarket chain presented their joint initiative to raise awareness among children and young people in Germany about balanced nutrition, exercise and personal development.

Enjoyment and fun at the ‘Zukunft schmeckt’ cooking island

At the ‘Zukunft schmeckt’ joint stand, professional chefs Daniel Schade and Philipp Schundau provide playful culinary experiences. Two cooking events for schoolchildren take place every day at the stand of the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE) and the German Food Association. Today's menu includes vegetable curry, mie noodles with vegetable sauce and waffles. Class 6a from the Schule am Wäldchen school in Hohenschönhausen spreads out in small groups at the tables. They are given cutting boards, bowls, peelers and small knives. ‘Be careful with your fingers and take your time,’ says Philipp Schundau, who distributes carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, onions and green beans at the tables.

Luca (12) and Maja (13) are allowed to process mushrooms and the peeled vegetables in the food processor. ‘It's fun,’ says Luca. Less than ten minutes have passed and all the vegetables are already chopped up. Daniel Schade prepares the waffle batter with two schoolgirls. ‘We want to introduce the children to cooking in a playful way and show them how to make something delicious in a short time with simple ingredients and fun,’ says Kerstin Steinchen from the German Food Association.

Health and nutrition in football

‘When I was little, I didn't think much about nutrition, but luckily I had my parents and grandparents who took care of that,’ says Philipp Lahm. Due to injuries such as a metatarsal fracture, cruciate ligament rupture and triceps tear shortly before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he began to think more about what health means and what constitutes a healthy diet. ‘When you can no longer do what you love, you realise how important health is,’ he says.

Young footballers aged 11-12 learn what good nutrition means in sport in a playful way at FoodSkillz in Hall 23 as part of IN FORM, Germany's initiative for healthy eating and more exercise – with a short theory section and cooking together as a team. The team will be inviting visitors to take part in cooking activities at the preparation island on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

‘Not everyone has the opportunity to focus on nutrition. They have completely different concerns,’ says Philipp Lahm. This became clear to him when he travelled to South Africa in 2007. His impressions there prompted him to launch the Philipp Lahm Foundation. ‘But there are also disadvantaged children in Germany,’ he adds. At his camps, he makes sure to take into account children who did not grow up in such sheltered circumstances as he did.