On November 21st, over 30 classrooms across Canada will get the chance to have their students be “Chef for a Day” to encourage healthy eating habits and food skills development.
Established by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association as part of their FreggieTM Children’s program, Chef for a Day is an educational opportunity where kids learn how to make an easy, healthy lunch from start to finish. They then get to eat their creations, all while learning about how to make the healthiest choices to fuel their growing bodies.
“We know that the development of proper food skills is an essential foundation for healthy eating, and that the best way to learn is with a hands-on experience,” says Ron Lemaire, CPMA President. “We’re hoping this event can provide awareness at the community level as to the benefits of teaching children to cook and sending them to school with more nutritious lunches.”
Participating teachers are provided with a step by step blueprint for the event, and are encouraged to enlist the help of local chefs, dietitians, or keen parents. Each event will focus on health, food safety and great taste with the intention of including students at every step. Piloted in 2015 in Nova Scotia, the program has been tailored to a national level, and can be run with minimal funds.
“It can be extremely challenging for teachers to execute one-off educational programs with limited funding and resources. With the easy to follow blueprints and gift cards to purchase ingredients, CPMA has developed a winning combination to get more kids engaged in healthy eating while respecting busy schedules,” added Kim Hickman, Community Dietitian, Health Promotion Unit, Government of Yukon. “This program is a wonderful way to get kids engaged and excited to make healthy meals.”
For more information:
Vanessa Schwarz
Canadian Produce Marketing Association
Tel: +1 613 226 4187 x225