three recommendations

in PartnershiP WithPresented BY

for children and adolescents to develop food and cooking competencies at school

the quality of the childhood diet influences the health, groWth, and cognitive develoPment of Young PeoPle.

HealtH: a healthy diet reduces the potential risk for obesity and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes 1 .

academic success: a healthy, balanced, and varied diet has been linked to better academic performance 2 .

dietary habits of children and adolescents need imProvement.

in elementary scHool 3 : Only 5% to 11% of children eat the

minimum amounts recommended by Canada’s Food Guide for each of the four main food groups.

One-third of 6- to 8-year-olds consume soda, candy, or chips at least once a day.

in secondary scHool 4 :

Two-thirds of students do not eat the minimum daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by Canada’s Food Guide.

Only half of students (42% of girls and 54% of boys) meet the recommended daily intake of dairy products.

Nearly one-third of students (36% of boys and 27% of girls) eat fast food three or more times during the school week (Monday to Friday).

What are food and cooking competencies?Food and cooking competencies include 9 22 23 :

Knowledge about food and nutrition (e.g., balanced diet, food origin, debunking myths)

Food planning (e.g., meal planning, food budgeting)

Conceptualization (e.g., preparing meals with basic ingredients or leftovers, adapting recipes)

Food preparation and gardening techniques

Sensory perception of foods (e.g., exploring the pleasure of eating, appreciating foods through the five senses: texture, taste, smell, flavour, colour, etc.)

crumbling food and cooking comPetencies…Many experts have observed a decline in food and cooking competencies among young people owing, among other things, to decreased opportunity to develop them 5 6 .

Frequent consumption of processed foods, from grocery stores or restaurants, 7 8 9 leads to basic cooking skills not being handed down.

At home, whereas 8 out of 10 adults saw their parents cook every day, only about 4 out of 10 parents now prepare dinner every night. As a result, children have fewer learning opportunities 10 .

At school, nutrition and cooking were taught in Home Economics classes until 1997; 25% of the time was devoted to food and cooking competencies.

… a cause for concern. According to Health Canada 9 , the loss of food and cooking

knowhow could have a major impact on quality of diet and health.

Regular consumption of processed fast food 3 4 , often high in added salt, sugar, fat, and artificial flavours draws young people away from the real taste of food.

Benefits of develoPing these competencies

Young adults who have acquired food and cooking competencies and who cook regularly:

have a more varied diet 9 ;

eat less fast food 11 ;

are more likely to achieve the recommended daily intake of healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, folate, vitamin A, and fibre 11 .

Children who cook, who explore foods with their five senses, or who garden 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 :

are more willing to try new foods;

are exposed to a wider variety of foods;

seem to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Food and cooking competencies contribute to boost self-confidence and sense of pride in young people 21 .

Whereas 8 out

of 10 adults saW

their parents cook

at home every day,

only about 4 out

of 10 Parents today

prepare dinner every

night. as a result,

children have feWer

chances to learn.

parents, communities, institutions, and governments all have a role to play to enable young people to develop their food and cooking competencies and experience the pleasure of healthy eating.

school being the second most important environment for young people after the family, it is an ideal environment for promoting healthy eating habits and developing food and cooking competencies 24 . this has been recognized by the ministry of education, recreation and sports in its framework policy going the healthy route at school 25 , by the “healthy schools” approach 26 , as well as by the institut national de santé publique du québec [public health institute of quebec] in its summary of recommendations entitled réussite éducative, santé, bien-être : agir efficacement en contexte scolaire 27 [academic success, health, well-being: intervening effectively in schools].

since the implementation of the most recent québec education program, developing food and cooking competencies has fallen mainly under the “health and Well-being” area of learning. though these skills may still be part of the academic curriculum, they are less explicitly so than before

the 1997 school reform. consequently, local, regional, and provincial initiatives are being introduced across quebec to promote the development of food and cooking competencies in young people at school. however, these activities are not accessible to all and sometimes have a precarious standing.

yet, according to a recent survey 28 , quebecers would like to see schools play a bigger role in the matter: 90% thought young people should have cooking workshops at school. What’s more, child-ren and adolescents seem to enjoy this type of activity. indeed, 79% of students who took part in the quebec-based survey tout le monde à table 10 reported that they would like to do more cooking.

to create the conditions to enable quebec schools to offer all Young PeoPle the opportunity to develop their food and cooking competencies and experience

the pleasure of healthy eating.

o B J e c t i v e

90% of QueBecers think Young PeoPle

should have cooking WorkshoPs at school.

it is essential for youth to experience food in a positive manner and to have the chance to develop their competencies if they are going to cultivate and maintain good eating habits, now and later in life. this is why many experts are taking concerted action to propose effective and promising recommendations for the government, schools, and municipalities.

recommendation 1encourage and support food and cooking Workshops in in-school childcare services, extracurricular activities, and student life

Why?In schools, childcare services are looking to divers-ify their educational activities, especially with new ones that allow learning through play. This is why many educators and directors of childcare services are showing great interest in cooking, tasting, or gardening activities.

As for extra-curricular activities, they may be seen in a more positive light because they are often chosen by students themselves. Thus, they represent special opportunities for developing food and cooking com-petencies from primary through secondary school. The Framework Policy Going the Healthy Route at school 25 encourages organizing such activities. Ac-cording to discussion groups led by Secondaire en Spectacle in 2011, the culinary arts are popular with young people, especially among boys.

It is also possible to take advantage of certain mo-ments within student life, such as breaks, meal-times, and special events, to encourage the de-velopment of these competencies.

What is the current situation in Quebec?

Childcare services have integrated food and culin-ary activities into their daily activities or PD days, implementing programs proposed by various or-ganizations 29 30 31 32 .

Organizations 29 33 hold extracurricular culin-ary workshops or friendly cooking contests.

Extracurricular activities related to food and cooking competencies vary from one school to the next: some schools offer them regularly while others do not offer them at all.

What can government do? Provide school boards and schools with the re-

sources they need to adequately train and equip staff members involved in childcare services or extracurricular activities.

Recognize teachers’ extracurricular involvement focused on healthy living as part of their work-load.

Foster extracurricular activities to develop stu-dents’ food and cooking competencies through sufficient funding, especially in disadvantaged communities.

Subsidize school purchases of small kitchen equipment (e.g., utensils, bowls, cutting boards) and gardening tools and supplies (e.g., contain-ers, soil, shovels, trowels).

What can schools do? Offer young people fun, game-based activities

around food and cooking in childcare services and extracurricular programs.

ensure that the service providers concerned have received training in nutrition, including food preparation, food and taste education, and the importance of having a positive relationship with food.

Involve food service workers and cooks to sup-port the school staff during cooking, tasting, or educational gardening activities.

recommendation 2encourage and support the development of food and cooking competencies in the classroom

Why?Food and cooking activities can be used to teach and put into practice many elements of the Québec Education Program (QEP). Some teachers use such activities to convey notions associated with com-petencies specific to other school subjects, such as mathematics, science and technology, languages, social sciences, physical education and health, and even arts.

For example: In science and technology: studying food

origins, exploring food with all five senses, gardening, etc.

In mathematics: multiplying fractions to increase a recipe’s yield, converting units of measure, planning the layout of a vegetable garden, etc.

In languages: practising reading comprehen-sion by following a recipe, developing the culinary lexicon and the vocabulary of the palate, etc.

These activities can also be used to foster the development of other abilities essential to achieving QEP objectives, such as broad areas of learning and cross-curricular competencies. For instance, through classroom cooking workshops, students may be asked to address issues related to health and well-being, adopt effective work methods, or use creativity.

Because children enjoy doing workshops and expe-riments involving food and cooking, integrating these in the various academic subjects could prove a strategy conducive to motivation, learning, and academic perseverance. In addition, youths engage in these workshops very actively, often with their five senses, which could facilitate the integration of different ways of knowing.

What is the current situation in Quebec?

External organizations offer food and cooking workshops that have been evaluated and carefully structured to meet the QEP requirements 29 30 31 32 34 .

Some school boards and health and social service centres (CSSS) have established training programs that provide knowledge and tools for teachers to develop food and cooking competencies in young people.

Non-profit organizations 35 also transfer their expertise in facilitation and organization of cooking classes, educational gardening, and sensorial exploration and taste-related activities—a practice that merits wider diffusion.

What can government do? Provide resources to allow school boards and

schools to support teachers’ use of development of food and cooking competencies as an educational vehicle for QEP objectives.

Subsidize the purchase of equipment and food supplies for food and cooking activities.

Inform teachers of the various connections between food and cooking competencies and the QEP.

Enhance educational materials to facilitate and increase the opportunities for teachers to gain food and cooking knowledge.

Work together with partners (organizations and experts) to help create and distribute learning and evaluation situations aimed at developing food and cooking competencies.

Encourage publishers to include in teaching guides suggestions for activities in connection with food and cooking competencies, of which the food and nutritional content should be validated by a dietician.

What can schools do? Provide teachers with the means and support to

implement food and cooking activities in cour-sework.

Recognize that food and nutrition can be used to develop subject-specific and cross-curricular competencies, address general areas of lear-ning, and achieve objectives in the school’s suc-cess plan.

Include the objective “To provide a safe, secure, and healthy environment” 36 in the Management and Educational Success Agreement between school boards and schools. This inclusion would facilitate the integration of food and cooking competency development at school.

recommendation 3facilitate sharing of kitchen space and equipment or the procurement of food supplies for food and cooking Workshops

Why?Schools are not alone in having an interest in food and cooking activities. For instance, community groups see such activities as opportunities to reduce food costs for disadvantaged groups. Some munici-pal recreation departments also want to offer cook-ing workshops to residents or hold day camps on food-related themes. However, access to appropri-ate spaces and the lack of kitchen equipment (e.g., stoves, refrigerators) or gardening tools are often obstacles to the implementation of these activities.

Establishing partnerships among schools, municipal-ities, and community groups is, therefore, a promis-ing avenue for optimal use of resources. These agree-ments can help connect families, communities, and youths, and create continuity with school activities.

The procurement of food supplies can also be a chal-lenge for some schools, given that it is a recurring expense. Once again, partner agreements with lo-cal farms or retailers could be a strategy to minimize costs for schools and support local purchasing.

What is the current situation in Quebec?In the years following the elimination of Home Eco-nomics classes, kitchens were dismantled in most high schools. Reinstating them would be impossible in the short- or medium-term, given the lack of avail-able classrooms due to the increase in the number of students over the last decade and the decrease in the student-teacher ratio and to safety issues associ-ated with aging infrastructure (e.g., electrical wiring, ventilation). Consequently, although some schools have chosen to re-equip and dedicate space to food-related and cooking activities, the majority of schools currently lack the necessary equipment.

At the same time, some municipalities have kitchens for leisure activities, collective kitchens or even com-munity gardens. Other cities are looking to meet cit-izen demand for such facilities and could be interest-ed in sharing certain costs with schools in this regard.

What can government do?

Establish a partnership among the Ministry of

Education, Recreation and Sports, the Ministry

of Health and Social Services, and the Ministry of

Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to foster support

for food and cooking activities at school. For

example:

The Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports and the Ministry of Health and Social Services could offer joint grants to support the development of food and cooking competencies.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food could facilitate local supply of fresh produce for food and cooking activities in schools or subsidize training and equipment for gardening at school.

Partially subsidize projects to set up kitchens or vegetable gardens in schools or in municipal facili-ties accessible to students.

What can schools do?

Form partnerships with their municipality, other schools, or community organizations in order to make optimum use of cooking or gardening facilities and equipment available in certain settings.

Establish agreements with food service providers to use kitchens and some equipment in order to facilitate the implementation of cooking workshops.

Cooperate with community organizations, municipal day camps, or community gardens to plant a garden during the school year and maintain it over the summer.

What can municipalities do?

Maintain and develop partnership agreements with schools to share kitchens and cooking equipment.

Support the collaborative relationship between community groups and schools that offer food and cooking workshops.

c o n d i t i o n s f o r s u c c e s s in order to have a positive and lasting influence on children’s and adolescents’ nutrition, food and cooking activities must be fun. they should also be 37 :

based on young people’s interests; adapted to the children’s developmental stage and

learning rate; offered with sufficient frequency and continuity.

training for teachers and other educators is also important to ensure that actions that can influence children’s rela-tionship with food, are appropriate.

finally, schools stand to benefit from inviting parents and grandparents to participate in food and cooking work-shops with the students. among other things, doing so can 38 :

help strengthen the ties between school and home; give parents resources to foster the transfer of food-

and cooking-related learning to family life; encourage significant adults to get involved in the

child’s school life, a key factor in academic success.

1 Health Canada (2012). Healthy Eating After School. Consulted on November 12, 2013 at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/pdf/pubs/nutrition/heas-saae/heas-saae-eng.pdf

2 Desjardins L. Direction de santé publique et d’évaluation de l’Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Lanaudière (2011). La contribution des saines habitudes de vie à la réussite et à la persévérance scolaires. Consulted on March 22, 2013 at http://edu.csdufer.qc.ca/cp/IMG/pdf/contribution_SHV_reussite_site_Agence.pdf

3 Institut de la statistique du Québec (2005). Quoi de neuf à Santé Québec? Volume 18 (1). Consulted on March 21, 2013 at www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/sante/pdf-bulletins/sante_vol18_no1.pdf

4 Institut de la statistique du Québec (2012). L’Enquête québécoise sur la santé des jeunes du secondaire 2010-2011. TOME 1 Le visage des jeunes d’aujourd’hui : leur santé physique et leurs habitudes de vie. consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/sante/pdf2012/EQSJS_tome1.pdf

5 Lichtenstein, A. H. & Ludwig, D. S. (2010). Bring Back Home Economics Education. JAMA, 303 (18), 1857-58.

6 Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec (2007). Pour remettre le citoyen au cœur de l’assiette, mémoire de l’Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec déposé dans le cadre de la Commission sur l’avenir de l’agriculture et de l’agroalimentaire du Québec, June 21 2007, pages 15-16.

7 Lavallée, C. Institut de la statistique du Québec (2004). Enquête sociale et de santé auprès des enfants et des adolescents québécois. Volet nutrition. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/sante/pdf2004/Enq_nutrition.pdf

8 Blanchet, C., Plante, C. & Rochette, L. Institut national de santé publique du Québec (2009). La consommation alimentaire et les apports nutritionnels des adultes québécois. Rapport de l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes (Cycle 2.2). Consulted on July 5, 2011 at www.inspq.qc.ca/pdf/publications/931_RapportNutritionAdultes.pdf

9 Health Canada (2010). Improving cooking and food preparation skills. A synthesis of the evidence to inform program and policy development. Consulted on July 6, 2011 at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/pdf/nutrition/child-enfant/cfps-acc-synthes-eng.pdf

10 Projet Tout le monde à table (n.d.). Extenso, Centre de référence sur la nutrition du Département de nutrition, de l’Université de Montréal. Consulted on March 15, 2013 at www.toutlemondeatable.org

11 Larson, N. I., Perry, C. L, Story, M. & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2006). Food Preparation by Young Adults Is Associated with Better Diet Quality. JADA, 106, 2001-2007.

12 Bisset, S. L., Potvin, L., Daniel, M. & Paquette, M. (2008). Assessing the Impact of the Primary School-based Nutrition Intervention Petits cuistots : parents en réseaux. Consulted on March 28, 2013 au www.cacis.umontreal.ca/pdf/Volume_99-2_107-13.pdf

13 Mustonen, S., Rantanen, R. & Tuorila, H. (2009). Effect of sensory education on school children’s food perception: A 2-year follow-up study. Food Quality and Preference, 20 (3), 230-40.

14 Mustonen, S. Tuorila, H. (2010). Sensory education decreases food neophobia score and encourages trying unfamiliar foods in 8-12-year-old children. Food Quality and Preference, 21 (4), 353-60.

15 Reverdy, C., Chesnel, F., Schlich, P., Köster, E. P & Lange, C. (2008). Effect of sensory education on willingness to taste novel food in children. Appetite, 51 (1), 156-165.

16 Reverdy, C., Schlich, P., Köster, E. P, Ginon, E. & Lange, C. (2010). Effect of sensory education on food preferences in children. Consulted on March 28, 2013 at www.irproje.com/userfiles/610074.pdf

17 Schlich, P., Gaignaire, A., Reverdy, C., Lange, C. & al. (2010). Effet d’une éducation sensorielle sur les préférences et les comportements alimentaires d’enfants âgés de 8 à 10 ans (Projet ANR-PNRA Edusens). consulted on april 2, 2013 at www.eveilogout.com/eveil-o-gout/images/edusens-funfood.pdf

18 Padilla, M. Institut national de la recherche agronomique (2010). Les comportements alimentaires - Quels en sont les déterminants? Quelles actions pour quels effets? Chaptire 3 - Bilan des actions publiques et privées visant à modifier les comportements alimentaires. Les enfants et le milieu scolaire. Consulted on April 2, 2013 at www5.paris.inra.fr/depe/Projets/Les-comportements-alimentaires

19 Robinson-O’Brien, R. (2009). Impact of Garden-Based Nutrition Intervention Programs: A Review. JADA, 109 (2), 273-80.

20 Vorobief, S. (2009). Programme Un trésor dans mon jardin. Synthèse des résultats d’évaluation. consulted on march 28, 2013 at www.jeunespousses.ca/fr/survol-programme.htm?ssid=2f6b66fgv0rl53b&ssname=jp_synthese.pdf

21 Health Canada (2010). Improving cooking and food preparation skills. A profile of promising practices in Canada and Abroad. Consulted on March 15, 2013 at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/pdf/nutrition/child-enfant/cfps-acc-profil-apercu-eng.pdf

22 Short, F. (2003) Domestic cooking skills–what are they? Consulted on March 13, 2013 at www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/palojoki/english/GBG%202007/francesshort.pdf

23 Vanderkooy, P. Region of Waterloo Public Health (2010). Food Skills of Waterloo Region Adults. consulted on march 13, 2013 at http://chd.region.waterloo.on.ca/en/researchResourcesPublications/resources/FoodSkills.pdf

24 World Health Organization (2004). Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health: The role of schools. consulted on December 12, 2012 at http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood_schools/en/index.html

25 Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (2007). Going the Healthy Route at School. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/en/current-initiatives/going-the-healthy-route-at-school/

26 INSPQ, MELS, MSSS & TCNPP (2005). École en santé. Guide à l’intention du milieu scolaire et de ses partenaires. Consulted 26 February 27, 2013 at http://msssa4.msss.gouv.qc.ca/fr/document/publication.nsf/4b1768b3f849519c852568fd0061480d/df937e76574a63548525722f00695e9f?OpenDocument

27 Institut national de santé publique du Québec (2010). Réussite éducative, santé, bien-être : agir efficacement en contexte scolaire. Synthèse de recommandations. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.inspq.qc.ca/pdf/publications/1065_reussiteeducativesanteBienetre.pdf

28 Omnibus Web survey by Ipsos, for the Weight Coalition, on a representative sample of 1001 francophone participants in Quebec, aged 18 to 74 (November 12-20, 2012).

29 Les ateliers cinq épices (2013). Animation d’ateliers de cuisine-nutrition dans les écoles primaires. consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.cinqepices.org/services/cuisine-nutrition-ecoles-primaires

30 Jeunes pousses (n.d.) Un trésor dans mon jardin. Consulted on March 13, 2013 at www.jeunespousses.ca/fr/survol-programme.htm

31 Dairy Farmers of Canada (n.d.). Education Programs. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.educationnutrition.org/programmes-education/section/prescolaire.aspx

32 Fondation des maladies du cœur et de l’AVC (n.d.). En route, en cœur. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.enrouteencoeur.ca

33 La Tablée des Chefs (2012). Transfert de connaissances culinaires. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.tableedeschefs.org/fr/initiatives/formation-culinaire

34 Ateliers Je suis capable (n.d.) Consulted on March 15, 2013 at http://www.soreltracyregion.net/societe/cdc/organisme.php/88

35 Consortium jeunesse de la terre à la table (n.d.). Consortium jeunesse de la terre à la table. Consulted on January 10, 2013 at www.quebecenforme.org/media/116288/consortium_jeunesse.pdf

36 Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (2009). La convention de partenariat. Outil d’un nouveau mode de gouvernance. Consulted on March 22, 2013 at www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/sections/publications/publications/BSM/ConvPartenariat_GuideImplantation.pdf

37 Institut national de santé publique (2009). Analyse des interventions de promotion de la santé et de prévention en contexte scolaire québécois : cohérence avec les meilleures pratiques selon l’approche École en santé. consulted on April 2, 2013 at www.inspq.qc.ca/pdf/publications/958_RapAnaPPIntEES.pdf

38 Bédard, J., Potvin, L. & al. (2008). Étude PC-PR. Consulted on April 2, 2013 at www.criese.ca/Recherches/etude_pcpr_2008.htm

for more information, visit WWW.cQPP.Qc.ca/en under the section “food and cooking competencies”.

THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE BY A PANEL OF ExPERTS CONSISTING OF: Jean-François Archambault, Executive Director, La Tablée des Chefs Louise Beauchesne, President, Je suis capable workshops Martine Carrière, Executive Director, Les ateliers cinq épices Fannie Dagenais, Executive Director, ÉquiLibre Martine David, Executive Director, Jeunes Pousses Mariane Dion, Nutrition Advisor, Québec en Forme Jacinthe Hovington, Director, Cancer Prevention and Health Promotion,

Canadian Cancer Society – Quebec Division Nathalie Jobin, Scientific Director, Extenso, Centre de référence sur la nutrition du département

de nutrition de l’Université de Montréal Anne-Marie Morel, Nutrition Project Manager, Weight Coalition Manon Paquette, Principal Nutrition Advisor, Québec en Forme Suzie Pellerin, Executive Director, Weight Coalition Andréane Tardif, Project Manager, Prevention and Health Promotion, Heart and Stroke Foundation Marie Watiez, Food Psychosociologist, Sésame Consultants

© February 2014 Production of this document has been made possible through financial support from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Health Canada.