Starting April 8, 2019, Okayama University has been offering TFT (TABLE FOR TWO International) meals at the cafeteria on the 3rd floor of the Peach Union. Okayama Univ. Co-op made one student’s idea a reality to introduce TFT to help feed children in developing countries.
     TFT is a social contribution program from Japan, aimed at resolving two social issues at the same time: metabolic syndrome in advanced countries and starvation in developing countries. If you have a healthy TFT meal, 20 yen of the price you pay is donated to the TFT International into a fund for delivering meals to children in Africa and Asia. In this way, you help fulfill the TFT program’s purpose – helping to eliminate starvation.
     A basic TFT meal is 311 yen (tax incl.), with a main dish of the day and two small dishes. Even if you add a small bowl of rice and miso soup, the meal satisfies the TFT guideline to provide a “healthy meal of approx. 730 kcal with plenty of vegetables.” A healthy meal in Japan thus leads to a hot meal for children in Africa and Asia. Mr. Takuya Nakazawa (2nd year, Faculty of Economics), who proposed the system, says: “One of the advantages of this system is that everyone can become familiar with SDGs by having a TFT meal, and participate in the SDG initiative as an actor. It would be a pleasure for me if students at our university become inspired by the TFT meals and get involved in the SDGs more proactively.”
     I hope that more people on campus will, by having TFT meals, become familiar with SDGs, participate in the SDG initiative, and join in producing new SDG programs at Okayama University.