YOUNG people are being taken on tours around supermarkets in a bid to combat obesity in the Weston area.

YOUNG people are being taken on tours around supermarkets in a bid to combat obesity in the Weston area.

Sainsbury's is taking the unusual step as part of a programme aimed at showing children what they should be eating and to get whole families to improve their diets.

The course, called MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition), is for young people aged seven to 13 and is being run free of charge by Sainsbury's food advisor Judith Morris, who is based in the Worle store.

The 10-week programme involves creating fun activities to improve children's fitness, physical activity levels, nutrition and self-esteem. The focus is on simple and effective techniques, which are designed to help parents improve their child's overall diet and activity patterns.

The Youth Sport Trust, a charitable trust, is lending its support by running the exercise elements and the nutrition activities, including the healthy eating supermarket tour.

Judith said: "MEND is a great programme that actively tackles childhood obesity by involving the whole family in making healthier choices and following an active lifestyle.

"It's about empowerment, putting the child at the centre of a range of ways to make life changes in terms of physical activity, food, self-confidence and personal development."

The MEND programme was developed by Paul Sacher, research director of MEND Central, senior research fellow at UCL Institute of Child Health and honorary specialist paediatric dietician at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, along with Dr Paul Chadwick, a specialist clinical psychologist at University College London.

To get involved in the programme call 020 7231 7225 or log on to www.mendprogramme.org