Sacramento, United States
Food Literacy Center's mission is to inspire kids to eat their vegetables. They teach low-income elementary children cooking and nutrition to improve health, environment, and economy.
Why Food Literacy Matters: Only 4% of kids eat their recommended amount of veggies daily. In California, 40% of children are overweight—a rate three times higher than it was 30 years ago, when the obesity epidemic began. Researchers believe there are two generations of Americans who do not know how to cook.
Who We Serve: Low-income elementary school children.
What We Do: They teach food literacy, learning to read recipes, basic cooking skills, nutrition, and environmental impacts.
Our Approach: Food Literacy Center believes that good food should be fun! They focus on the positive side of food, sharing practical, affordable, and approachable ways to eat well, rather than harping on what foods people should avoid or eliminate. They aim to engage rather than frighten.
Results: They test and measure their programs, using evaluation data to improve as they discover best practices to create lasting change. In their pilot program pre-test, when asked K-1st graders if healthy snacks taste good; 82% of kids said “no.” After 1 month 92% of the kids said “yes.”
Industries: Health and Wellness
Founded: 2011
