The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has produced a book to teach children about food safety.
The book “Luis’ and Maya’s Adventure in the shrinking lab: Looking for Clues in the Kitchen” features Luis and Maya as two schoolchildren who visit the BfR shrinking lab, where they meet Fred the friendly bacillus.
The trio follow the trail of a bacterial villain that leads them directly to the crime scene – the dark refrigerator. Together with the characters, children learn about kitchen hygiene and food safety.
The book is in German and can be ordered for free or read online via the BfR website.
Importance of hygiene
While doing detective work in the kitchen, Luis and Maya get to know different bacteria and viruses. They quickly realize that some of these can be dangerous for humans.
This includes Campylobacter, the most common bacterial foodborne pathogen. Contaminated or insufficiently heated poultry meat is one of the main sources of infection. A lack of kitchen hygiene can cause an infection due to cross contamination, i.e. the transfer of bacteria from one food to another. Kids can learn how to avoid cross contamination and defeat “Campys” in the book.
Children are a particularly sensitive group as their immune systems are still developing.
Professor Andreas Hensel, president of the BfR, said the idea behind the book is that while the children do their detective work, they learn why kitchen hygiene is so important.
“In Germany, 100,000 people every year fall ill from consuming contaminated food – the hidden figure is likely much higher. For children especially it can be very dangerous because their immune systems are not yet completely developed. Our children’s book intends to make these topics accessible to even very young children and thus help them to protect themselves from foodborne diseases,” he said.
Education through cartoons
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has partnered with SpaceToon.
As part of the collaboration, six short stories have been adapted into cartoon episodes for children, which will air on SpaceToon by the end of October 2024.
The animated stories, each lasting between four to five minutes, tackle key topics related to agriculture and food safety in a child-friendly and educational format.
Episodes cover a range of topics, including reducing food waste and food safety on family trips during the winter. Topics also include the importance of understanding food labels, allergies, preventing common diseases that can spread between humans and animals, and the connection between animal welfare and human health.
Stories incorporate local characters and environments, enhancing the effectiveness of educational content. The use of familiar Emirati characters aims to build a connection with the young audience.
Badr Hassan Al Shehhi, director of communication and community engagement at ADAFSA, said: “By presenting these concepts in an entertaining and accessible way, we hope to nurture a generation that understands the importance of food security and can make informed food choices.
“These episodes serve not only as entertainment but as a valuable educational resource, simplifying complex concepts for children in a fun and engaging way. We hope that these episodes will be an incentive for children to explore more about the world of agriculture and food.”
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