As part of our adult curriculum for EFNEP, we can offer Cooking Matters® courses to eliglble participants. Cooking Matters® courses and tours are part of the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America and are used to teach moms, dads, grandparents, and caregivers how to make healthy meals on a budget. Families who have a limited budget say that the cost of healthy groceries is one of the biggest barriers keeping them from making healthy meals at home. Food skills taught in our courses, like smart shopping, can help overcome that barrier.They learn to shop smarter by using nutrition information to make healthier choices, and cook delicious, affordable meals.
Cooking Matters® has been featured by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! campaign and recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for excellence in nutrition education.
Cooking Matters® at the Store tours provide families with hands-on education as they shop for food, giving them skills to compare foods for cost and nutrition. Participants learn how to plan and budget for healthy, affordable, and delicious meals for their families.
EFNEP classes typically consist of 9 lessons which offer a wealth of information about nutrition. Specifically, Cooking Matters® courses include a field trip to the grocery store.
During the 1.5 hour-tour, participants are taught four key food skills:
Reading food labels
Comparing unit prices
Finding whole grain foods
Identifying three ways to purchase produce
Cooking Matters® at the Store typically ends in the $10 Challenge, which is an activity where participants use the skills they've learned to buy a healthy meal for under $10.
Participants take home a booklet with recipes and shopping tips and $10 worth of healthy groceries.
Reference: Cooking Matters. 25 Feb. 2016. <http://cookingmatters.org/.>