Move over, Kate and William — there’s a new royal charming his way into our hearts, and this one is working to help improve the quality of meals served in public schools.
PreventObesity.net was on hand Wednesday when Prince Daniel of Sweden visited Miner Elementary School in Washington, D.C. as part of “Nordic Food Day.” The embassies of Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark joined together with the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Office of Food and Nutrition Services to bring the healthy flavors of the Nordic region to 45,000 public school students.
Authentic Nordic dishes were served in D.C.’s public school cafeterias for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and special V.I.P.s stopped by the campuses to help introduce the dishes.
Prince Daniel, a one-time personal trainer-turned-husband of Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, took a tour of the campus, listened to a performance from the glee club and even stood in the school’s lunch line with his student tour guide, who was dressed in a Viking outfit. The prince then joined fifth graders in a special dining area to enjoy lunch, which consisted of Nordic salmon with dill sauce, a Nordic cucumber salad, roasted root vegetables and a locally grown pear.
Nordic Food Day is the first event in DCPS’s “International Food Program,” which will help introduce students to new tastes and cultural experiences. Students also received a cookbook with do-it-yourself recipes, and a tasting station offered healthy snacks for the kids, including sliced apples with a cinnamon yogurt dip.
Eva Hafstrom, the wife of Swedish ambassador Jonas Hafstrom, said the treats are both tasty and healthy. “It’s a better choice than potato chips, you know,” she said.
