GEM No. 238

Chances and Choices with Food: A Youth Food Safety Education Outreach Program

Tammy Dunrnd Marla Reicks, Ph .D., R .D . Linda Bradley, M.Ed., c.H.E. * Minnesota Extension Service, University if Minnesota , 340 Offey Hall, 1420 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota 55108; Tel: (612) 625-5242.

* Address for correspondence. Materials may be purchased by writing to Linda Bradley.

As the basic family structure continues to change and the number of dual and single income households increases, more youth are caring for themselves and their siblings after school. These changes in £mlily structure mean busier lifestyles and less time for parental teaching. All of this has created a need for children to learn self care and life skills, including safe food selection and preparation. Nationally, about 33% of children ages 6 to 12 regularly prepare their own breakfast, 17% prepare their own lunch, and 6% make their own dinner. I Approximately 10% of chil­dren ages 6 to 11 shop for groceries.2

Food safety programs for youth are also important because of the high number of teens employed in the food service industry. The need for food safety edu­cation is critical for youth involved in current food handling, possible future food service employment, and as future independent consumers.

On a state level, research indicates that Minnesota has one of the highest working parent populations in the na­tion, about 75% of the parents with children in K through 6th grade are working outside the home.3-5 State sur­veys indicate that an increasing number of youth ages 5 to 12 are without adult supervision after school, with a current estimate of about 200,000-244,000 children staying home alone after school in the state .:'-5

Based on these national and state findings, we conducted focus group interviews and surveys in two pilot counties (one rural and one urban) with youth and adults to test knowledge of

This project was funded by the Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under special pro­ject number (91-EFSQ-1-4010).

Figure 1. Teen teacher training : Lesson 4, food additive experiments.

food safety principles. There were sig­nificant gaps in knowledge about safe food handling practices by youth as opposed to the adults. Three areas were identified as appropriate for inclusion in a food safety curricula for children: (1) cleanliness, hand washing, dealing with pets and pests (insects) in food preparation areas; (2) safe practices for selecting, preparing, and storing foods, and (3) improved understanding of food additives and pesticide residues in food. These topics became the basis for a curriculum developed for a youth food safety and quality education pro­gram called "Chances and Choices with Food."

The objectives of this program are to develop and implement an educa­tional package for youth that provides learning experiences and incorporates critical thinking skills and risk/ benefit analysis. The program is based on videotaped case simulations that incor­porate issues about the safety of the food supply. These are first presented to 12- to 14-year-old students (7th through 9th grade) , who are then trained to present the material to younger students in the 4th through 6th grades (9- to 12-year-olds). Youth

from linlited resource families and at­risk populations are a primary target audience for this intervention.

The package consists of a curricu­lum containing four lessons and a video. Each lesson includes (1) key concepts to be learned; (2) technical background information that can be incorporated into discussion; (3) dis­cussion questions for the video, and (4) several hands-on activities and group interactions.

The video consists of three segments presented as "simulated cases" with dis­cussion questions to develop decision­making skills. Each "simulated case" involves: a decision maker(s) with an identity or role; issues involving the decision maker(s); objectives of the decision maker(s); feasible alternatives; and decisions for the student to con­sider.6.7 Each segment was developed using 4-H kids facing real life situations. The video was filmed in a low-income housing project, and the "actors" are from culturally diverse backgrounds, to appeal to a wide range of audience viewers.

Lesson One provides information about good nlicrobes (yeast to make bread, mold to make cheese) and bad

J O URNAL OF NUTRITIO N EDUCATION 26: 119B, 1994

Figure 2. A classroom scene from the third video segment.

microbes (those that cause food-borne illness or bacterial food poisoning). Proper food handling principles are emphasized as ways to avoid getting sick from bad microbes.

Lesson Two features hand washing techniques, shared eating, and issues concerning pets and cleanliness. The youth enjoyed using the "Glo-Germ" kit with fluorescent lotion, blacklight, and petri-strips (nutrient strips) that demonstrated how microbes can grow from unclean surfaces (i.e., doorknobs, faucets, mouth, etc.).

Lesson Three provides activities that give youth an opportunity to prepare food and test their knowledge of proper food handling practices. This has been a favorite lesson because the youth are able to eat the snacks that they have prepared.

Lesson Four deals with the use of food additives and pesticide residues in

food. These were issues of special con­cern and confusion for youth as indi­cated on the interviews and surveys. This lesson includes experiments that explain why additives and pesticides are used in food. Examples include putting lemon juice on apple slices so they don't turn brown (food spoiling); smelling and tasting flavored and unfla­vored gelatin (making food more ap­pealing); and how to reduce pesticide exposure in foods like carrots, lettuce, and apples.

A take-home activity is provided for each lesson that includes a letter to share with parents/ caretakers and family to encourage discussion of the food safety concepts covered.

Pre- and post-tests are completed by the same child at the beginning and ending of each lesson to evaluate food safety knowledge. In the pilot project, there was an increase in the percent of

correct responses (scores) after the les­sons were taught, indicating an increase in food safety knowledge that was be­lieved to be the result of participating in the lessons. The "real life" video was well received by the adults and the youth.

To enhance and continue building interest in the project, the package has been expanded to include (1) experi­ments-by-mail that educators and par­ents can do with children to explore food safety issues, with support and feedback from volunteer food scientists at the University of Minnesota; (2) a lesson on water quality as it relates to food safety; and (3) a tour of food service operations (school food service, fast food restaurants, and other local dining establishments). The expansion is in the final development stage.

REFERENCES

1. Today's kids, are you missing a major food marketing segment?, Springfield, MO: Noble and Asso­ciates, Advertising and Marketing Services, 1990.

2. Stipp HH. Children as consumers. Am Demograph 1988;10:27-32.

3. Children's Defense Fund-Minne­sota & Junior League ofMinneapo­lis. The children of Minnesota. 1990.

4. School Age Child Care Alliance. 1990 Annual Report. Minneapolis, MN,1990.

5. Commission ofEconornic Status of Women. 1990 Date Report., St. Paul, MN, 1990.

6. Kolb D. Experiential learning. Engle­wood Cliffi, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984.

7. Stanford MJ, Crookston RK, Davis DW, Simmons SR. Decisions for agriculture. St. Paul: College of Ag­riculture, University of Minnesota. (In press).