Nutrition and Food Literacy in High School Classrooms: Empowering Students by Building on Food Systems Education

Abstract

Agricultural educators have a unique opportunity to explore environmental, agricultural, nutritional, and health-related issues. While many agricultural education classrooms cover topics associated with agriculture and food systems, as well as nutrition and health, bridging the gap between food choices, personal health, and environmental impact remains challenging (Colatruglio & Slater, 2014; Smith et al., 2022). Nationally, less than 10% of youth meet USDA-recommended servings of fruits (7.1%) and vegetables (2.0%) per day (Lange et al., 2021). However, studies suggest that youth with greater nutrition and food literacy possess healthier dietary practices and make more nutritious decisions (Bailey et al., 2019). Moreover, nutrition and food education during adolescence has the potential to positively influence nutrition behaviors that endure into adulthood (Bailey et al., 2019; Utter et al., 2018; Worsley et al., 2015).