Press Release:  Junior Leagues Raise Awareness of New Jersey's Childhood Obesity Epidemic with Kid's Iron Chef Event

In honor of recently enacted New Jersey legislation designating March as Childhood Obesity Prevention Month, the Junior Leagues of New Jersey are holding a Kids’ Iron Chef cooking competition on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at Grace’s Kitchen, 600 Cleveland Avenue, Plainfield. The Junior Leagues are partnering with Grace Episcopal Church, and the food sponsor for the event is Whole Foods Market Millburn-Union.  Designed to teach youth about healthy eating and to raise public awareness of the state’s childhood obesity epidemic – one-third of all New Jersey children are overweight or obese, putting them at greater risk of chronic health problems, including diabetes and heart disease – Kids’ Iron Chef will pair small teams of 12-14 year-olds with celebrity chefs, who will advise them about how to prepare tasty, inexpensive and nutritious snacks and meals from common household ingredients.  A panel of 9-11 year-olds will judge the food creations. Fuji Television, which produced the television cooking show, Iron Chef, in Japan, is donating Iron Chef prizes for the kid chefs and judges.


A special division of the Junior Leagues of New Jersey, its State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC), is coordinating the competition, having worked to ensure that the new legislation passed.  SPAC Chair, Kate Lee said, “New Jersey’s legislators voted unanimously to create this awareness month because the issue of childhood obesity is of critical importance.  We’re proud in New Jersey to be working together as Junior Leagues statewide to promote the new awareness month, and to educate kids about healthy eating in a really fun way.”


The Junior Leagues of New Jersey is comprised of eight leagues throughout the state. Several individual Leagues, including the Junior Leagues of Elizabeth-Plainfield, Montclair-Newark and Morristown, are sponsoring additional programs to combat childhood obesity in New Jersey.  The Junior League of Bergen County’s March 27th event will feature last year's winner of “The Biggest Loser”.

Links to New Jersey Junior Leagues