Students get a taste of healthy eating with the new Green Apple School Program

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - Today, Metro announces the return of the Metro Green Apple School Program with a new focus - healthy eating.  The program will provide $500,000 in the form of $1,000 grants to Ontario elementary and secondary schools to help encourage students to learn and practice healthy eating at a critical stage in life - when eating habits are still forming. The Metro Green Apple School Program previously funded environmental initiatives in elementary and secondary schools.

"With food at the core of everything we do, we saw an opportunity to make a tremendous impact on kids' lives by changing the direction of our Metro Green Apple School Program to focus on healthy eating habits," said Marc Giroux, vice president & chief marketing & communications officer, Metro Inc. "Understanding that schools play an important role in teaching students valuable life-skills, Metro hopes to reinforce those lessons by providing students and teachers the opportunity to fund new and valuable projects that educate students on the importance of developing and maintaining healthy eating habits at school and at home."

Research shows that good health is a prerequisite for effective learning, and Metro is committed to teaching students the importance of healthy eating and adopting healthy eating habits at a young age.

The Metro Green Apple School Program encourages teachers and students to submit projects that reinforce and educate students on healthy eating. Whether it's organizing in-school healthy cooking classes, creating a community vegetable garden, publishing a healthy recipe cookbook or designing a healthy menu for the school cafeteria, all healthy eating initiatives are welcome.

To date, the program has provided more than 2,000 grants to schools across the province.  Throughout the first three years of the program, nearly $6 million has been donated to elementary and secondary schools in Quebec and Ontario.

All registered elementary and secondary schools in Ontario are eligible for the Metro Green Apple School Program. Applications will be accepted until December 31, 2012 and the project must be completed before June 28, 2013. Grants will be awarded throughout the year for ideas that meet the program criteria. Teachers and students can log onto www.greenapple.metro.ca to learn more.

About Metro Inc.
With annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, Metro Inc. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Québec and Ontario, where it operates a network of more than 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

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SOURCE: Metro Ontario Inc.

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