Invited Talk

Title: Food Education and Design based on Japanese Food Culture

Abstract

There are many issues concerning to dietary life in today's Japan. For example, an increase of irregular and nutritionally unbalanced diets according to the replacement of home meals by takeout meals and eating out, an increase of the persons being affected with lifestyle-related disease and mental disorders despite the longevity of Japanese, over-dependence on food from overseas because of low self-sufficient for food and large amounts of food discarded without eating, a series of incidents related to food safety and so on. In addition to these, the traditional Japanese food culture is going to be lost.

In these social backgrounds, Japanese are now expected to have the correct knowledge and skills to practice life-style of health and sustainability (LOHAS). In response, the Shokuiku Basic Act was passed in 2005 to promote Shokuiku for all generations throughout their lives and the Shokuiku Promotion Basic Plan was implemented in 2006, by which various activities have been practiced not only by the national governments but the local governments, schools, kindergartens, food industries, various volunteer organizations and so on.

By the way, the traditional Japanese food culture gives us many useful spirits and ideas which we have to learn and not to forget in order to practice and keep healthy dietary habits. In this lecture, I'd like to introduce not only the superiority of Japanese food culture but our Shokuiku practices based on the spirit of Japanese food culture. I hope my lecture to be helpful for other countries to promote food educations.

Biography

Kimiko OhtaniKimiko Ohtani is currently Professor of Graduate Schools of Life and Environmental Science, Kyoto Prefectural University, councilors of Japan Trace Nutrients Research Society, The Japanese Society of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the directors of The Japan Society of Cookery Science, The Color Science Association of Japan and Kansai Consumer Association etc. And she was a leader of the program (2009~2011); "Development of one's ability as a dietary expert through practice and communication", supported by University Education Reform GP by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Her research interests mainly lie in the role of dietary life in order to promote QOL (Quality of Life) from the view point of not only physical and mental health but human relationship. And she also suggests effective Shokuiku programs and tools through practice.