VERMONT

VERMONT

Food Education Every Day (FEED), Vermont

​

A collaborative research project between the Food Studies Institute, NorthEast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), Food Works and Shelburne Farms.

Dr. Demas serves as a consultant for evaluation of the Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED) program. VT FEED works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. They act as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food systems, and cultivate links between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities.

Data collected from two rural schools demonstrated the following results:

Eating Behavior

• Each classroom evaluated showed children changing their favorite foods from unhealthy to healthy options, with a total of 64 nutritious foods being added.

Academic Achievement

All students receiving nutrition education and hands-on food experiences which included using the FIE curriculum showed improvements in food and nutrition knowledge. The mean increase between the pre and post-test scores was 35%

Family

• Out of 120 parents responding to the survey, 81% reported positive changes in their child's eating behavior

• Out of 124 parents responding to a question about whether they wanted nutrition to be a permanent part of their child's curriculum all but one answered "yes"

Community Involvement

• Participating teachers and principals want nutrition education to occur, being aware that a lack of nutrition knowledge can have detrimental affects on children's health.