Food education helps towards the development of a healthy and sustainable diet. Children are then more willing to make healthy and sustainable choices.

How does the project help?
Wageningen University has been developing and coordinating the programme Tasting Lessons since 2006. This is an educational programme for primary schools that has been extended with in-depth Tasting Missions in 2013. These Tasting Missions teach children in an interactive, playful way about one or several product groups of the five principal food ingredients. Tasting Lessons and Tasting Missions contribute to the development of a sensible diet. Children learn more about taste, sustainable food production and consumption as well as get to know more healthy products.

What has the project achieved?
Around 4,500 primary schools have started using Tasting Lessons. Research shows that Tasting Lessons contribute to the development of a sensible diet. It also shows that Tasting Lessons are more effective in combination with a Tasting Mission. The programme is being valued highly, more and more schools choose for more in-depth food education as part of their school policy.

Project information
Project title: Food and nutrition education.
Project number: AF-12107
Duration: 2013-2016
Public budget: € 620,000
Private budget: € 753,000

Project partners: Wageningen University & Research, Rabobank (main sponsor), Alpro, De Bond van Boerderij-Zuivelbereiders, Cargill, FNLI, FrieslandCampina, GroentenFruitHuis, Nestlé, MVO – de ketenorganisatie voor oliën en vetten, Rijk Zwaan Distribution, Stichting Opleidingsfonds Slagersbedrijf, het Nederlands Visbureau, Vuurrood Communicatie Ontwerp, GGD’s and around 80 Nature and Environmental Education Centres are actively involved in the Food Education Platform in their region or support the initiative.