LONDON: Britain's famous chef Jamie Oliver is in Australia to help battle obesity as part of his “Ministry of Food” initiative. He is in the Queensland town of Ipswich to promote healthier eating practices. Oliver said in a video message that disease related to how we eat is the biggest killer in the country. He pointed to statistics that show that two-thirds of men and half of women are believed to be overweight or obese, according to a Sydney University study. “Australia for me is a country full of open-minded cooking, incredible produce, some of the best chefs in the world,” Oliver said in a video message. “And yet, even though there are cooking shows all over TV, there is this massive health epidemic related to food.” Ipswich, near the Australian capital Brisbane, is to host a food cooking center that will provide classes and demonstrations on how to give local residents advice on “how to make beautiful, tasty quick meals”, Oliver said. Oliver himself will conduct an online cooking class on December 2, but there are no plans for a reality television series based in Australia, Oliver's officials in London told Bikya Masr. The chef, who has tried to bring healthy eating habits to schools in Britain and the United States, said his program is designed to show families how to teach their children cooking methods. “Ipswich definitely needs our help,” he said. “I can't wait to get there.” Town mayor Paul Pisasale said becoming involved was about leading by example. “We're not the fattest community in Queensland,” he told the Australia's ABC. “We've got a situation where we've got a community that likes to lead by example, to show the way, to show that we're prepared to put some actions into our community and let the community know how important health is.” BM
