HISD Nutrition Services kicked off another year of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) on Wednesday, Otct. 9. The USDA-funded program provides a variety of free fresh produce snacks and in-class nutrition lessons to students at elementary schools on a twice-weekly basis with the goal of introducing students to new fruits and vegetables and developing a foundation of healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
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Ninety-three HISD elementary schools and roughly 40,000 students are participating in the FFVP this year, overseen by representatives from HISD Nutrition Services. HISD’s registered dietitians Nathan Raska and Gabriela Villarreal and Nutrition Services chef Brittany Jones visit campuses to teach bite-sized nutrition lessons and conduct chef demonstrations with the hope of making good nutrition more accessible and fun for young learners.
“It makes your body healthier, and sometimes the fruits are tasty,” said Braeburn Elementary third grader Jose Lopez as his class dug into the first FFVP offering of the year, fresh strawberries.
As part of the FFVP, Nutrition Services offers Lunch and Learn opportunities where their staff come to provide information and encourage students to try new fruits and vegetables available in the cafeteria lunch line by educating them on different ways to enjoy the produce.
“It’s important that students have the opportunity to experience fresh fruits and vegetables so that they can see the benefits of the foods that they eat and opportunities to try a variety of different foods, not just things that they would naturally go to,” said Braeburn principal Hollie Zamora.
In addition to wholesome snacks, Nutrition Services provides activity sheets to each classroom full of fun facts, games, and recipes that students can try with their families at home.
“We hope that they can enjoy a lifelong love of fruits and vegetables,” said Nutrition Services Lead CTM and licensed Naturopathic Physician Kathryn Laurance, ND. “One day, we had starfruits, and one of the students liked it so much that their parent bought them a starfruit to enjoy on their birthday.”
The FFVP has had a lasting impact on HISD’s student body with the number of participating campuses increasing steadily each year. To learn more about the FFVP in HISD schools or to download the nutrition activity sheets, visit the Nutrition Services FFVP webpage here.