TORONTO — High-school students across Ontario, in collaboration with the Ontario Student Trustee Association (OSTA-AECO), are uniting against fast food in a “Stick it” campaign and boycott.
“This movement has attitude and will speak to students, unlike other healthy-eating campaigns,” said Hirad Zafari, high-school senior and president of OSTA-AECO. “We want to make fast food un-cool.”
The idea for the campaign was formulated in May following a keynote address by Grant Gordon, founder of Key Gordon, who spoke at OSTA-AECO’s annual conference. Grant’s remarks about the food industry and the health problems related to poor eating habits inspired the students.
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, an Ottawa-based weight-loss expert, has come on board as an advisor and publically congratulated the students for raising awareness. “Eating fast food is part of daily life for many people, especially teenagers,” said Freedhoff, an Ottawa-based doctor and obesity specialist. “We need to de-normalize the use of fast food. The fact that students are taking this initiative is wonderful.”
The campaign is launching today to raise awareness about its November boycott of fast-food establishments located close to schools. Students can visit the campaign’s website and sign a pledge to join the boycott.
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