Hackathon held to raise awareness about non-communicable diseases

In an attempt to create awareness among Pakistanis about nutrition and lead them to develop healthy lifestyles, the Royal Danish Embassy in coordination with the Community World Service Asia recently organised a food hackathon at a local hotel.

The hackathon’s key objectives were to raise awareness about preventing the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity in Pakistan, improving the low quality and low life expectancy of Pakistanis due to poor eating habits, and educating and inspiring Pakistanis to implement healthy eating and cooking habits.

The event also highlighted the concept of sustainable food that advocates for cutting carbon emissions through a climate-friendly and plant-based diet.

The event started with a panel discussion. It was moderated by chef Casper Bogeskov from Denmark with panellists Deputy Head of Mission Simon F Kjeldsen, Vice President of Novo Nordisk Pakistan Rashed Butt, endocrinologist Prof Dr Saeed A Mahar and influencer Faiza Saleem.

Sindh Food Authority District South Deputy Director Operations Shahzeb Shaikh also attended the hackathon. The event was followed by cooking boot camps to teach upcoming and professional chefs about healthy cooking methods and recipes.

According to some Pakistani experts, food toxicity and deep frying are some of the most common food-related problems in the country. The experts were of the opinion that the hackathon attempted to inform people about how they could deal with these problems.