Integrated school education programs

Children often lack the nutrition they need for their long-term health, particularly due to lack of preference or access to fruits and vegetables. In addition, children's early experiences with food shape their eating patterns later in life, making early intervention important. Food and nutrition education programs are being explored as a means to increase children's intake of healthy foods. Some main variants of these educational programs include classroom lessons, garden projects, where children gain experience gardening as well as exposure to foods, and sensory exploration, gaining multi-sensory experience with food, particularly with taste. Methods that familiarize children with healthy foods (especially focused around taste) have improved healthy food behaviors, and preference for and willingness to try fruits and vegetables. These can be coupled with educational programs to increase children's knowledge of foods and nutrition. Garden-based interventions have been found to be highly enjoyable for many children, while also leading to an increase in asking for fruits and vegetables at home.