Teaching kids to cook could bridge gap between farm, plate

by Kelsey Johnson   –  The Western Producer

I finally had my extended family over for Easter dinner last weekend.

Actually, by the end of the weekend I’d thrown two Easter dinners — the latter being a more im-promptu affair with friends to deal with the 10 pound ham that had taken over my precious fridge space. But that’s another story.

On Sunday night, as my family sat down to eat, the dinner conversation suddenly shifted to pickling, or rather my one young cousin’s utter love of pickles, much to her mother’s horror.

Which is when my smart and highly accomplished 16-year-old cousin discovered pickles are actually made from cucumbers.

Her mind was blown.

Seeing it as a teaching moment, the next 15 to 20 minutes passed with the adults at the table sharing stories about spending time in the kitchen with our mothers canning all kinds of delicious goodies: pickles, pickled eggs, carrots, beets, beans, jams, chutney and salsa.

It was then when we suddenly realized — despite the treasured memories, none of us sitting at the table had a clue how to make those goodies on our own.

Turns out we’re not alone.

As politicians grapple with a burgeoning obesity crisis, nutritionists and researchers are finding that more and more Canadians are lacking basic kitchen skills.

While the 2015 consumer trend report on Canadians’ eating habits found that the number of meals eaten at home had remained consistent, more Canadians were opting for pre-made or frozen meals. Seventy-five percent of the meals, the report found, were prepared in less than 15 minutes.

The Health and Stroke Foundation has repeatedly found that Canadians say today’s hectic lifestyle doesn’t leave time for cooking healthy meals. At the same time, home economics and cooking classes in Canadian schools are harder to come by, despite schools repeatedly being seen as a key to encouraging healthy living.

School breakfast and lunch programs, nutrition and cooking classes and placing greater value on physical education were just some of the suggestions for teaching our children the importance of eating properly and remaining physically active, the Senate health committee noted in its recent report on Canadian obesity.

The report also called for a review and overhaul of Canada’s beleaguered Food Guide, which is something that critics say needs to happen immediately.

Teaching Canadian children how to cook is not a new idea.

In 2014, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture launched its 6 x 16 challenge aimed at encouraging parents to teach their children basic cooking skills.

The idea is that by the time they’re 16, children would be able to cook and plan six healthy, wholesome meals from scratch.

The initiative was later adopted as part of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s food strategy and included as part of the NDP’s food policy.

With the Liberals committed to developing a Canadian food strategy of their own, it’s likely that improving basic cooking skills will be put back on the table.

If adopted, these initiatives must be flexible and take into account Canada’s busy schedules, cultural preferences and on-the-go lifestyles. Tips to meet challenges such as cooking for one, a lack of freezer space and fixed incomes should also be included.

As food prices continue to rise, teaching Canadians of all ages how to budget, plan and cook meals could help ease the current grocery budget pinch, as well as slim down waistlines.

Political negotiations are set to begin shortly with the provinces and territories about the next federal Health Accord and the next Agricultural Funding Framework.

Perhaps it’s time officials took steps to bridge the ever present gap between the farm, the kitchen and people’s plates.

Canadians may just end up healthier if they do.

Kelsey Johnson is a reporter with iPolitics, www.ipolitics.ca.