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With support from BC’s dairy farmers, our team of registered dietitians have been developing nutrition education resources since the 1970’s. Our focus is on food education and building positive experiences with food for young learners. We truly are committed to supporting the health of our communities with food and nutrition programs that span from early childhood education to secondary classrooms.

Help students learn about eating well.

Research has shown that the more foods an individual is familiar with, the more varied one’s diet will be. Variety is key to good nutrition. Our team is dedicated to making sure kids are taught about food and nutrition in an age-appropriate way, are supported in learning how to explore a wide variety of foods and learn where their food comes from.

Because we know that hands-on experiences truly make a positive impact in how children learn about food and where food comes from, BC Dairy farmers offer annual Mini Food Grants to support teachers in bringing food into the classroom.

Father watching his daughters eat cereal.

Nutrition Education in BC

Impact of BC Dairy’s nutrition education programs during the 2023-2024 school year.

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taught in over 50 cities

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present in over 500 schools and early childhood centres

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used by over 500 teachers and early childhood educators

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reached over 12,300 students

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280 grants worth over $30,000 to support learning in BC classrooms

Supporting students with food literacy.

Food literacy is a term that is increasingly being discussed in education and public health circles. Our team supports young learners on their journey to develop food literacy skills with programs and resources that explore:

  • How food is grown, produced, and made available
  • How to identify, plan, get, store, prepare, and eat a variety of foods
  • How to reflect on one’s food needs and resources
  • The interconnection between food, culture, and identity

Supporting BC educators through nutrition education programs.

Kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum in BC requires teachers to provide nutrition and health education for students in several cross-curricular competencies such as Physical and Health Education and Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies.  Through pilot programs, surveys, and one-on-one conversations, teachers have expressed a need for grade-appropriate, curriculum linked health and nutrition content. Our work helps fill gaps for teachers in these areas and address challenges such as limited time, capacity to find resources, and limited training on age-appropriate strategies to teach topics in nutrition.  

Our team of registered dietitians work with experts in education, with teachers across BC, and with fellow health professionals to support educators by providing food and nutrition education programming that is free, effective, fun, curriculum linked, and importantly, developmentally appropriate. Learn more about our commitment and approach to education! 

Available programs.

BC Dairy’s nutrition education programs for the K-12 years make it easy to teach nutrition using BC’s new curriculum. Teachers everywhere in BC can participate in professional development sessions to get colourful materials and great ideas for making nutrition come alive in the classroom.

Login for educators.

Educators—create or access your BC Dairy portal account to reorder program materials, access additional resources and apply for Mini Food Grants.

young teacher enrolling to a bc dairy workshop online

Nutrition education lesson plans.

Check out our free, ready-to-use nutrition education lesson plans for your classroom. We offer fun and interactive lesson plans for all grade levels.

Mindful Eating

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For every grade level.

Students will explore the concept of mindfulness and will have the opportunity to participate in a mindful eating activity. Mindful eating is noticing how, what, where, when and why we eat. Practicing this skill helps us to understand how we feel, and how that can affect the food choices we make. Mindful eating connects physical, emotional and mental well-being, and increases awareness of the social and environmental factors influencing eating habits. A mindful eating approach can also be used during any eating opportunity, including lunchtime, snacks and any classroom lesson plan that involves food tasting. For lesson plans that use food, refer to our list of lesson plans here. Estimated time: 40-50 minutes Food costs: less than $5 Mindful Eating Lesson Plan

Mystery Food Activity

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For students from Preschool to Grade 8

Students will have the opportunity to explore food and identify its sensory properties through a classic, engaging activity. Foods common to BC are best suited for this activity. Estimated time: ~30 minutes Estimated food cost: $10-15 (depends on chosen ingredients) Mystery Food Activity Lesson Plan

Little Riddles

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For Grades 2-3

In this lesson, students will explore food and develop language arts skills by creating and sharing riddles. Students can solve the two sample riddles in the lesson, then write their own food riddle and have classmates solve the riddle. Estimated time: 30 minutes Little Riddles Lesson Plan

Food Guide Scavenger Hunt

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For Grade 6 and up

In January 2019, Health Canada released the new food guide, “an online suite of resources…that encourages Canadians to eat healthy whenever and wherever they go.” Since its release, the food guide Snapshot (or “healthy eating plate”) has been given a lot of attention. However, when it comes to healthy eating, Health Canada has said this picture is just the tip of the iceberg. This activity allows students to benefit from diving below media headlines to think critically about whether those messages accurately reflect Canada’s dietary guidelines. Students will explore healthy eating habits and increase their digital health literacy. Estimated Time: about 1 hour, plus time for review and discussion. Lesson PlanStudent Worksheet
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