Farm Fresh Food Days In Michigan Schools

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Taste tests are being held every month at Dexter Community Schools, to help students eat healthier “one bite at a time”, reports a recent article.

Students now have the opportunity to try fresh local fruits and veggies from their own school gardens, and from local farmers. Produce that is taste tested and enjoyed by students and staff then becomes incorporated into the schools menu. With funding from the Chelsea Area Wellness Foundation, through the 5 Healthy Towns Project the school has been incorporating a farm to school approach since 2011, their school gardens also are helping the children learn about growing produce, as well as trying new foods.

One of the parents in the school, mentioned in the article talks about how she got kids excited about eating healthy. “I did a lesson in a 4th grade classroom and brought in all sorts of food from the farm that kids wouldn’t normally get to try and they loved it!”

Students, teachers and staff also get to go on field trips to some of the local farms.

Studies show, that having more access to healthier foods can help prevent obesity in adults and children, especially for Latino families.

Aligning partners such as Dexter Food and Nutrition Services, the Dexter Wellness Coalition, the Chelsea Wellness Coalition, and other Washtenaw County area partners the new Farm Fresh Food days is a sure way to make the farm to school movement a sustainable and effective.

To learn more about Michigan’s Farm to School approaches, click here.