‘There needed to be something new’: Kilkenny programme bringing nutrition education to life in schools

In September of last year, a UNICEF report warned that obesity had exceeded malnutrition in school-aged children for the first time.

Irish children are no exception to this growing problem with one in five primary school students living with overweight and obesity; something which Kilkenny-based nutrition expert, Michelle Farrell, is attempting to tackle with a new education initiative.

FoodSteps is a hands-on programme which places Michelle directly in primary schools to teach children about nutrition, energy and healthy habits through games, movement and discussion rather than lectures or videos used by some other programmes.

Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science and Health and a MSc in Food Science Research from the University of Limerick with multiple articles published in peer reviewed journals, Michelle, who hails from Castlecomer, noticed a gap in primary education for teaching around food and nutrition.

“I feel that in primary schools right now there isn’t a structured nutrition education,” she says. “I know there were programmes out there previously but they’ve become so outdated; I felt that with so many new things like ultra-processed foods, labelling and hot school meals, I think there needed to be something new brought out,” she adds.

FoodSteps is filling the need for nutrition education through a wide range of programme lengths and tackling childhood obesity by teaching pupils topics that are sometimes missed in the classroom.

“I have different programmes like one-day workshops and then we can do four, six or eight week programmes,” Michelle outlines.

“I show them whole foods versus processed foods, how to identify them and things like shopping skills and labelling to teach them what’s normal.”

“I also look at building positive relationships with food, so telling children that you shouldn’t be saying ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food, that all foods fit and I have different classes on gut health as well because that’s something that wouldn’t really be addressed to kids,” she continues.

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A key aspect of FoodSteps which sets it apart from competitors is the fact that Michelle prepares the material and takes the sessions herself, taking the burden away from already busy teachers.

“In other programmes the materials and resources are given to teachers and then it’s up to them to do it themselves and if they’re not experts in that area, they mightn’t know themselves what they’re teaching the kids,” Michelle describes.

“It helps that I can deliver the sessions myself; I’m vetted and everything’s structured and linked. I think it’s something that’s a lot easier for them to make sure that it’s done and not forgotten about because if it’s put down to teachers, I know there’s such a busy schedule,” she adds.

As well as providing some relief to teaching staff, the reaction from children who’ve taken part has been overwhelmingly positive according to Michelle as the innovative approach to teaching is proving effective in keeping them engaged.

“They’ve all been so excited to talk about it and what they’ve been eating, but it’s also been interesting to see that some children don’t have any background knowledge,” she says.

“All my sessions involve games, especially for the younger ones, because sometimes you would see that if you were talking about food, they mightn't be that interested, but as soon as you play a game and get them involved, they take it on board,” she mentions.

Although FoodSteps is still in its infancy, Michelle has already taken the programme to schools in Dublin, Kildare and Laois and is hoping to expand her reach and resources over the coming months and years.

“I’d love it if it was something that was properly rolled out and taken on in all schools,” she says.

“I want to start doing more resources, not just for kids but for the parents and teachers themselves, to help them in doing their kids’ lunches or teach them how to understand food because some have said that they feel like they can’t handle it all themselves,” she concludes.

Schools interested in FoodSteps can contact Michelle at 087 146 8164 or FoodSteps.ie@gmail.com 

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