What is the Food $ense Nutrition Education Program?
Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) provides nutrition education to SNAP recipients and food stamp eligibles. Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) offers a variety of classes to expand participants’ knowledge of nutrition, budgeting, cooking, food safety, and physical activity. These hands-on classes are taught by Nutrition Education Assistants (NEAs), who are trained through the National Nutrition Paraprofessional Certification Program, created by Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) of Utah.
Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) connects program participants with the knowledge and skills they need for continual access to safe and healthy foods. Participants learn how to cook healthy meals on a budget, buy and prepare whole foods, read food labels, practice safety in the kitchen, and much more. With the overall increase in disease and obesity in the United States, particularly among individuals from low-income settings, there is an obvious need for more education to prompt lifestyle changes. Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) is designed to increase the knowledge, skill set, and overall well-being of those it serves.
Food $ense falls under the general jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). At the state level,Food $ense (SNAP-ED) operates as a partnership between Utah State University Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences, USU Cooperative Extension Services, and the Utah Department of Workforce Services.