The Week of Tastes is a program that culminates in an annual event, designed to change children’s relationship with food and address eating habits relating to the obesity epidemic. The Week of Tastes is the first national program that seeks to positively impact food choices and behaviors by teaching children experientially about taste and the food they eat, and placing them in direct contact with food and those who produce it.
Founder, Helen Campbell, has developed a taste/sensory education program that is conducted in primary schools throughout Australia.
The objectives of the program include eliminating a child’s fear of trying new food as well as expanding a child’s food vocabulary. Some of the outcomes are a better understanding of using the 5 senses to appreciate food, an understanding of the link between food choices and health and a hands on experience with a food professional. This year some of Sydney’s’ best chefs are involved (Darren Simpson, Peter Kurivita and Colin Fassnidge) as well as many outstanding food professionals.
I had the opportunity to meet Helen and ask her a few questions
Q. Your background is a very interesting one – both as a researcher and private chef. What influences you in the field of food? So many of my life experiences have led me to this point, living in many foreign countries, my interest in health and wellness and that food is to be enjoyed and shared.
Q. The Australian Week of Tastes was originally inspired by the French program that has been running since 1990. How did you come across it? I was visiting France just before one of their “La Semaine du Gout” was about to start and thought “that is what is lacking in Australia’s children food education!” Winning a grant from the Julia Child Foundation then allowed me to travel to France to learn how the program worked.
Q. The Sensory appeal of food is often ignored and children are usually reprimanded for “playing” with their food. Can you tell us a little about the benefits of educating children about the 5 different senses and their relationship to food?
- Children’s intitial relationship with food is sensory and hedonic – food is coloured, has texture, smell and taste. Eating is not limited to ingestion of nutrients, most nutritional education programs blur or ignore the social and sensory appeal of food
- Taste/sensory education can help a child develop a more harmonious relationship with food, cultivate pleasure in eating and develop an appreciation for food variety, thus guaranteeing a better quality of life
- Trying new foods can be challenging for children. Offering this kind of sensory food education in the classroom provides favourable, fun conditions for the children to try new foods
Q. How many schools participate in WOT and how many children go through the program? This year over 3,500 children will be participating from around 120 classes.
Q. Tell us a little about one of the sensory exercises that children do during WOT. The first thing children learn is that sight is deceptive, that they can’t trust looking at some food and knowing what it is, how it tastes or whether they will like it. So we blindfold the children, eliminate any preconceived ideas and offer five different foods representing each of the 5 tastes, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.
Q. What is your vision for WOT over the next 5 years? That Week of Tastes becomes a nationally recognized week where children learn to make good food choices based on an experiential understanding of taste and food creation.
I encourage all of you to get involved with WOT, either by registering your child’s school, attending one of the interactive sessions or simply talking about food with your children.
You can find out more at the Week of Tastes website and Facebook page.
By Emma Sutherland
