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Okayama University

SDGs in action! Okayama University student teams up with University Co-op to launch TFT bento boxes

July 20, 2020

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If you've been to the take-out corner on the 2nd floor of Peach Union since July 13th, you might have come across TFT bento lunchboxes. TABLE FOR TWO is a non-profit organization that started in Japan and is expanding globally. It allows participants in developed countries and children in developing countries to share meals across time and space, with the aim of solving obesity and unhealthy eating habits in developed countries and hunger in developing countries. When you purchase a TFT-branded meal, 20 yen is donated towards providing school meals to children in participating schools across East Africa and Southeast Asia. Last year, our university sold 4,207 TFT meals, amounting to a total donation of 109,412 yen.

The initiative was introduced to Okayama University in April 2019. This year sees the 2nd edition of the venture, adjusted to a take-out option to suit the current situation. The project has been headed by NAKAZAWA Takuya (3rd year Faculty of Economics) and has been implemented with the help of Okayama University's Co-op.

By purchasing a healthy meal in Japan, you can provide children in Africa and Asia with a warm meal of their own. Three types of TFT lunch boxes will be available each week, and all of them meet the health requirements of the TFT guidelines, filled with healthy vegetables and coming in at under 730 calories per meal: the TFT tofu hamburger bento box, the TFT grilled miso hoki box lunch, and the TFT grilled chicken onion sauce bento box. Each bento costs 463 yen, of which 20 yen gets donated. The bento boxes are sold from 10 o'clock until they sell out (only 20 meals are available per day).

"This project meets the needs of students by offering an alternative for those who do not want to eat in the cafeteria because of risk of infection from the coronavirus, but who also feel like they are not able to cook healthy meals for themselves every day," explained Mr. Nakazawa. "Not only will the purchase of a TFT meal benefit children in developing countries, but it also supports Okayama University students by giving them the option of eating a healthy take-out meal. The bento boxes can be purchased with a meal card, so I hope that many students make use of this wonderful opportunity."

Okayama University is consistently working towards achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) set out by the UN. The implementation of the TFT menu is in line with the following SDGs: 1. NO POVERTY, 2. ZERO HUNGER, 3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, 4. QUALITY EDUCATION, 10. REDUCED INEQUALITIES, 15. LIFE ON LAND, and 17. PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS.

 

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