What is a snack break?
There are clear differences in the nutrition of Finnish upper secondary school students between upper secondary school students and vocational school students. According to the School Health Promotion Survey (THL 2023), vocational school students eat vegetables, fruits and berries less often than upper secondary school students. The Snack Breikki campaign, coordinated by the Food Education Association Ruukku, tackles the nutrition challenge of vocational school students through snacks. In Snack Breik, young people create content that infects the enthusiasm for nutrition. Vaasan is the main sponsor of the campaign.
The purpose of the Snack Break campaign is to narrow the nutritional health differences between upper secondary school students and vocational school students and to encourage vocational school students to eat a more varied diet through snacks. Compared to upper secondary school students, vocational school students have more to learn about a health-promoting diet. The campaign, which uses the slogan "Eat sometimes!", can be seen in social media content and educational events.
The goal of the campaign is to reduce nutritional health inequalities among Finns also at the societal level. According to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, nutritional health inequalities are greater in Finland than in most Western countries. The harsh reality is reflected in life expectancy. On average, those with lower education live shorter lives than those with higher education. Poor nutrition causes up to a fifth of premature deaths.
VBreikki was piloted in the spring of 2024 in cooperation with Omnia. Based on the pilot, young people would like to see more nutrition experts and reliable information on nutrition in social media content, among other things. Upper secondary vocational students will be able to create VälipalaBreik's nutrition-themed social media content as part of their studies throughout 2025. In VBreik, nutrition experts from the Finnish Food Education Association Ruukku will ensure that the campaign's social media content is based on reliable information. Vocational school students receive nutrition training before producing social media content. In addition to social media, young people can participate in VBreiki's snack-themed events at vocational schools.
