Quick and Healthy Foods at Home (A Workshop for African-Americans)

Problem:
All consumers that buy foods (canned, frozen or packaged) from the grocery or convenience stores need to understand the information on the nutrition fact label. This information will aid the consumer in being able to recognize by comparison shopping healthy and unhealthy food choices.

Response:
The program Quick and Healthy Meals at Home workshop and fact sheet has a segment in understanding how to read the new nutrition fact label. The Extension publication, Get Ready for the New Nutrition Facts Panel (publication number PM 1979), is used for these workshops as a guide to help participants understand the nutrition fact label when they grocery store shop. The topics discussed in a workshop setting are very detailed in the following areas:

1. Reading serving sizes on a nutrition fact
2. Calories
3. Calories from fat
4. Nutrients (Macro and Micro)
5. Percent Daily Value/How to recognize if the intake of a certain nutrient is high (20% or more) or low (5% or less)
6. Trans fats and what will food manufacturers have to do starting January 1, 2006
7. Adding saturated fat and Trans fat together for comparison shopping
8. Health claims allowed on all foods.

Impact:
A group of sixteen adults participating in a pilot workshop that are members of the local AARP were provided a pre-test survey. The survey results indicated that:

• 9 out of 16 of the participants did not read the nutrition fact label regularly
• 11 out of 16 of the participants were confused trying to read the nutrition fact label
• 16 out of 16 of the participants had a better understanding on how to read the nutrition fact label as a result of the workshop training
• 15 out of 16 of the participants will use the new information they learned at the
  workshop the next time they go grocery shopping.

Contact:
Myra Royal, Field Specialist/Families
Polk County Extension
5201 NE 14 th Street Suite A, Des Moines, IA 50313
Phone 515-261-4212; Fax 515-263-2704
Email mroyal@iastate.edu

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