Students Testing Healthy Food Choices

Students from two schools in Oxford are taking part in a study testing healthy food choices made from locally grown products.

"It is widely known that poor eating habits can lead to obesity and long-term health problems," said Gordon Balser, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. "Any opportunity to provide healthy, convenient and locally grown food choices is a step in the right direction and developing healthy eating habits is particularly important for youth."

During the first phase of the project, conducted in early 2002, parents and students from the Oxford Elementary and Oxford Regional High schools rated price, packaging and food varieties. Now, in phase two, the students will taste test dried and fresh apple slices, prepared salads, fruit cups and other locally produced food options. Eighty new products will be introduced before June 2004.

"Having the primary consumers -- the students -- take part in the school study provides valuable information," said Ray Foote, chair of the Cumberland County School Food Project steering committee and an employee of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. "Three years in the making, the goal of the project is to build a model for communities where Nova Scotia-grown healthy food choices become the norm and we can only do that starting with solid market research."

As part of the two-year project, guest speakers will also teach students about local agriculture, Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, and food handling and preparation.

The Canadian Diabetes Strategy of Health Canada's Prevention and Promotion Program provided funding for phase one.

Funding for phase two has been secured from the Office of the Secretary of State through the Canadian Agricultural Rural Communities Initiative, the Agri-Futures Fund of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada and the Agri-Food Development Fund of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The project has also received in-kind support from the Cumberland County Regional Economic Development Association and other partners.

The Cumberland County School Food Project steering committee has representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Public Health Services Northern Region and the Cumberland Health Authority. The group is consulting and working with the Cumberland County and Nova Scotia federations of agriculture, the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, and with Chartwells, the schools' caterer. The Cumberland County Regional Economic Development Association is the lead agency and is responsible for administration of the project.