Citation
(2012), "Food dudes", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 42 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2012.01742aaa.020
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Food dudes
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 42, Issue 1
This program was developed by psychologists at Bangor University in Wales in order to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables both in school and at home, that has been adopted by Utah State University (USU) researchers. After just one year, researchers at USU who implemented a new healthy eating program saw elementary school students eat 40 percent more fruits and vegetables at lunch. USU was the first organization in the USA to adopt the award-winning Food Dudes Healthy Eating Program and is expanding its success to six schools this year.
There is no doubt that childhood obesity is a major concern for many parents, especially since the US Department of Health estimates that 16 percent of elementary school children are overweight and that number continues to rise. Food dudes aims to change that through its three-step system of using role models, repeated tastings and rewards to help elementary students appreciate the benefits of healthy eating.