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FNCE 2007: NEP Sponsored Events
MEMBER NETWORKING EVENT
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Food Trust
Amy Deahl-Greenlaw, RD, LDN, associate director of nutrition education, The Food Trust, and NEP member, provided an overview of the Trust. Founded in 1992, the Trust's mission is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. The Food Trust works on initiatives to improve food access, education and marketing campaigns to help consumers improve their health, and public policies to advance their initiatives. The goals of The Food Trust's programs and initiatives are to increase access to affordable and nutritious food, improve health through better nutrition and support local farms and sustain the environment.
In addition to community-based programs, the Trust provides nutrition education in 75 schools in Philadelphia, as part of the Philadelphia School District’s EAT.RIGHT.NOW. Nutrition Education Program. Nutrition educators from the Trust also provide nutrition education opportunities in 15 schools outside of Philadelphia.
Deahl-Greenlaw provided an overview of two highly successful school-based, nutrition programs.
The School Market Program is a hands-on learning curriculum that combines good nutrition with employment and entrepreneurial skills. In the classroom, students learn about the food system from production to consumption, good nutrition, and practical business skills. Students then use this information to create and operate a for-profit, fresh food market, selling fruit and vegetable products to fellow students and teachers during the school year.
The Kindergarten Initiative teaches young children and their parents about food, farms and nutrition. The Initiative works with kindergarten students in the classroom, integrating nutrition concepts into the school curriculum. The program also provides nutritious fruit and vegetable snacks grown by local farmers.
For more information about The Food Trust, visit http://www.thefoodtrust.org.
The Reading Terminal Market
NEP members were treated to a fascinating tour of Philadelphia’s historic farmers market, the Reading Terminal Market (RTM). Considered by many to be one of the finest public markets in the U.S., the RTM features more than 80 merchants offering fresh produce; Amish specialties; fresh meats, seafood, and poultry; a mouth-watering selection of baked goods, candies, coffees and teas; ethnics foods; flowers; and unique, hand-made pottery, jewelry and crafts from around the world. The sights and smells were exhilarating to say the least! As we toured the Market, our guide shared information about the its history, its merchants and their products. Most importantly, we sampled our way through the building. Turtle soup, ice cream, scrapple, and more: An interesting combination of foods, to say the least!
Here’s bit of the food trivia we picked up along the way.
- Most of us are familiar with the American classic, HERSHEY KISSES®, first introduced in 1907. Yes, Kisses are celebrating their 100th birthday this year! But where did onetime Philadelphia resident Milton Hershey get the idea for Hershey's Kisses? Before Hershey Kisses, there were Wilbur Buds©, introduced in 1893.
- Scrapple is the quintessential Pennsylvania breakfast treat! What’s scrapple, you ask? For those of you have never had the pleasure of dining on scrapple, it’s pork-mush, a dish that originated in the Eastern Pennsylvania farmlands of German born settlers. The word scrapple originates from "scrap" or "scrappy." The dish is boiled, ground pig scraps (I’ll skip the specifics) with cornmeal and spices thrown in. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, scrapple is served with butter, maple syrup, applesauce, ketchup or mashed in with a plateful of fried eggs.
- The cheesesteak is a trademark of Philadelphia culture. Developed in the 1930’s, this favorite is ordered “wit or wit out onions and whiz” (Chez Whiz, that is). Those in the know eat cheesesteak in the proper stance known as the “Philly lean,” so you don’t drip on your clothes.
- Pennsylvania leads the nation in pretzel production and consumes 12 times that national average quantity. Pretzels were first developed by a monk and their shape was meant to resemble a child’s arm folded across the chest in prayer. Most Philadelphians enjoy their soft chewy pretzels with a liberal coat of mustard.
For more information about the RTM, visit http://www.readingterminalmarket.org.
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