October 19, 2022
A group of chefs founded Pilot Light in 2010 with a desire to create a healthy relationship between America’s children and food. This program partners with pre-K-12 teachers to make food education a part of their daily classroom lessons. Through holistic food education, students learn about the cultivation and preparation of food and its connection to our culture, relationships, history and environment.
With the support of the USDA’s Farm to School Grant Program, Pilot Light works with food professionals, farmers, chefs and other communities to integrate food education into subjects like math and reading. Incorporating Shokuiku into the academic environment enriches the core curriculum and further encourages students’ critical thinking in ways that are concrete and applicable to everyday life. More than 20,000 students nationwide participate in Pilot Light’s food education programs. This program builds food knowledge and skills that drive informed decision-making and advocacy for sustainable, equitable and accessible food systems.
Alison Zaccardi, a high school family and consumer science teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, explored the concept of sustainable agriculture. The student chose a recipe and he chose one ingredient that traced the food system. In the process, they identified the food and investigated its production, processing, packaging, transportation, and policies or regulations relating to its production, and the environmental impacts of growing the food. Students then made recipes and reflected on what they had learned.
The Food Network featured an article about Pilot Light and how food makes learning fun.
Author’s note: I’ve been working with Pilot Light for nearly eight years now, and I’m excited to see how students respond to dietary education. Whether it’s trying fresh fruits and vegetables for the first time, or understanding how farmers grow food, educating students about food will prepare them to become future leaders.
Food and Nutrition Nutritional Security
