Food Literacy – Food ‘Bildung’ concepts and understandings

1. Food Literacy – Food ‘Bildung’ concepts and understandings Jette Benn Institute of Education, Aarhus University 2014

2. Questions • Why deal with food – myhistory! • What is food • What is literacy and foodliteracy (review)? • What is food ‘Bildung’? • Whichmeaningdoes it have for educational and didactical (in the broadsense) considerations? • Which research themes and developmentalworkscouldbe relevant?

3. My history – research and empirical experiences • Food experiences: care, breeding, education, impressions • Children’s meeting with food in school, in teaching and lunch break • Action research and developmental work within home economics – text books • Children’s experiences and understanding interview studies, essays, observations

4. Nature Diet / nutrition Nutrients Production-choice-cooking Food Food Culture Dishes/meals Diet Diet What is food? Model of the levels of food(Benn, 2009, 2013) Foods

5. ‘Food is a complex case. It’s consumption is universal, mundane and polyvalent. Everyone eats, most eat several times a day without much reflection; yet the activity is integrally connectedwith many other highly meaningful aspects of living. It is meaningful because social;’ (Warde 1997 s. 181)

6. Food literacy review

7. Literacy • Reading the word and the world (Freire, 1987) • ‘A dialectical relationship between human beings and the world’ (Giroux i: Freire & Macedo, 1987) • ‘To be well educated, learned’ (UNESCO, 2013) 1) as an autonomous set of skills 2) as applied, practised and situated 3) as a learning process 4) as text

8. Food literacy concerns & causes • Lack of knowledge of where food comes from (Vileisis, 2008) • Lack of cooking and consumer skills – deskilling (Caraher & Lang, 1998 Caraher et al, 1999, Jaffe & Gertler, 2006, Thonney & Bisogni, 2006) • Lack of knowledge concerning the ability to read and understand nutrition messenges • The growing ‘obsogenic’ society • To develop a new concept and aim for food education

9. Review results • Theoretical research of the literacy concept - 6 examples, no 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11,14, 16. • Empirical surveys (with theoretical approaches to FL) – examples, no 6, 9, 11, 13, 15. • Educational programs and guidelines based upon on 1) and /or 2) and/or 3) – 3 examples, no. 5, 8, 12 • Intervention study – 1 example, no. 14

13. Results – food literacy • as a general educational food ‘Bildung’ (1,7,4) • as part of food well-being (2,3) • as cultural literacy (13) • as growing and cooking literacy (5,8, 9,partly) • as health education and health literacy (11, 12, 14) • as experienced by the public, participants, and professionals within food area ( 6, 8, 13, 9) • as health and nutrition intervention (12)

14. Nutrition literacy Food literacy Cooking literacy Culturalliteracy Food Well-Being Food Literacy – Food ‘Bildung’ Levels of food and literacy (Benn, 2014)

15. General educational food literacy/‘Bildung’ • Nutrition literacy • Health literacy • Consumer literacy • Salutogenetic oriented learning • Competence oriented learning • Everyday life oriented learning • Subject • Social relations • Society

16. Productivity regarding handicraft and technology and in the home The enjoyable and responsible dealing with own body. Food ‘Bildung’ according to Carlsen, H.B. in Klafki’s Bildung Model (Carlsen, 2010, Klafki, 2005) Food literacy/ Food ’Bildung Co- decision Solidarity Human relationships- the sociality t Cognitive possibilities • 1. General educational food literacy/‘Bildung’ The ability to make ethical & political decisions and to take ethical & political actions. Aesthetic abilities and judgement

17. Examples of food literacy as a general food ‘Bildung’ – Ernährungsbildung: 7 theses in relation to ‘Food Bildung’ 1. Thesis: sensibility and enjoyment is related to eating 2. Thesis: eatingexperience is closelyrelated to memories (earlierexperiences) 3. Thesis: nutrition, eating and food is means to communication 4. Thesis: personal and collectivework and responsibility has changed 5. Thesis: modernfoodsrepresentswishes and projections from everydaylife 6. Thesis: poverty in wealthmakesillness 7. Thesis: conclusive: lack of Bildung diminisheslifequality and shortenslife

18. 2. Food literacy as part of food well-being • conceptual or declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge • ability or opportunity and motivation to apply or use that knowledge(ibid. p.7)

19. 3. Food literacy as cultural literacy • Cultural literacy or kitchen literacy draws on the following components: Meals, and meal preparation, food skills, nutrition knowledge, food involvement, and cooking. • The conclusion is ‘food literacy is so important to understanding not only our food, but our culture. Understanding culture, then, demands knowing about ourselves and all our culture’s intricate, messy, cultural, political, yet tasty, elements. ‘ (Snyder, 13)

20. 4.Food literacy through practical courses - growing and cooking literacy • Growing and cooking food is necessary so ‘they form personal opinions about food and learn that, even at their age, they can create dishes they enjoy eating’ (Novak ,8, p.393) and they • ‘are becoming part of the food supply chain for the school lunch program. They gain an appreciation of the hard work and effort by farmers and the safety concerns of all people that handle the food from the farm to their school’(Novak, 8, p.393) • Food literacy is defined as ‘supporting people all over Europe with organizing their everyday nutrition in a self-determined, responsible and enjoyable way’(Schnögel, p.7). • And as ‘a contribution towards the sustainable, democratic development of European citizenship’ (p. 7) • Nutrition literacy is ‘The capacity of an individual to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and services, along with the competence to use such information and services in ways that enhance health. Health-literate citizens are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and self-directed learners’ (Evers, 5, p. ix)

21. 5. Food literacy as health literacy 1) Food literacy as functional, interactive and critical (Smith, 2009, no. 11 and Vidgen & Gallegos, 2011, no. 16) 2) ‘Food literacy as an educational goal means adding that component to our ideal of an educated person’ (Smith p.57), 3) ‘A food literate student would understand that there are what Vaines (1999) calls “Many Ways of Knowing”. That is ‘life world (the world of lived experience); Scientific (analytic/empirical; interpretive; critical science) and Narrative’ (Smith, p.57). 4) Learners are ‘co-creators’ (Smith from Pollan) 5) Food literacy is seen if taken seriously as if ‘the ordinary task of everyday life such as food provision become meaningful and sacred’ (Smith, p.59)

22. 6. a. Food literacy understood by professionals, participants and public Professionals in the food area: • ‘A critical component to include in a skill-based healthful eating program. • Food is mainly as an individual’s ability to read, understand, and act upon labels on fresh, canned, frozen, processed and takeout food.’ (Fordyce- Voorham p. 119) Public Views on food literacy: • Three main themes came out: Informal food literacy learning, formal food food literacy in general and formal literacy in home economics classes. A great part of the respondents (36%) found that food literacy should be informal learning and be a responsibility of the parents whereas 18% found it was necessary to learn formal in school within home economics, and 23% asked for more compulsory teaching. (Pendergast, Garvis & Kanasa)

23. 6 B Food literacy in food ed. courses Kimura’s Critique • ‘Idealiazation of “a family meal” where families sit together to eat dinner, • “food from scratch” made at home could exabcerbate the conservative cultural mood that nostalgically constructs an ideal past which revolves around the “traditional” (and implicitly heterocexual and upper-middle class) family completed by its male breadwinner-female homemaker icon’ (p.466) • food literacy is seen as a narrow concept, which is ‘embedded in the power configuration of society’ (p.466) Kimurasvisions • food education to hold a broader societal perspective and wishes ‘the food literacy framework contrasted with a more structural understanding of food-related behaviors and practices as functions of cultural and social influence, one’s class position, gender stereotypes, social infrastructure, and the macrosturcture of food and agricultural systems’ (p.480).

24. 7. Food literacy as health intervention • Food literacy defined as ‘ the ability to make healthy food choices by having the skills and knowledge necessary to buy, grow, and cook food with implications for improving health’ (p.2). ’ • Objective was to provide education and to increase skills and awareness of agriculture, healthy eating, food preparation, and food purchasing skills.’ (p.2)’ • Courses as hand-on food literacy education that highlighted general nutrition, food safety, selection, preparation, and cooking skills’(p.2) • Evaluation – pre and post baseline measures (Thomas & Irwin, 2011, no. 12)

25. Competencies regarding food literacy/ ‘Bildung’ (Benn, 2013)

27. Lewin (1951): Field Theory in Social Sciences

28. The ’gatekeeper’ role • Choices by numerous ’gates’ • Whochooses for who? • What is chosen? why? • How is foodprepared? Served? • How is foodeaten? why? • Where? • With whom? • Whatdoesthismean for foodliteracy?

29. ”Food for me” Featured by preferences for: Foods & dishes Taste Place/environment Time Feelings ”ego-centricconsumer” ”Diet for others” Featured by considerationsconcerning: Foods & nutrients Health & illnesses Economy Moral Prohibitions ”eco-centrered producer” Food for me and diet for others (Benn 2009 s.206)

30. ’Food Literacy’ is related to knowledge and experiences from • The lifeworld – a world of livedexperiences • Sciences - analysis, empirical, interpretation – criticalunderstanding • Narrative stories (Smith inspirered by Vaines, 2009)

31. Central aspectsregardingfoodliteracy/’food Bildung’* • Actuality • Content – all parts/issuesconcerningfood • Competencies • Trans- or inter-disciplinaryviews * Ines Heindl (2003): StudienbuchErnährungsbildung, p.89

32. Ernährungserziehung, Selbst-Bewusstsein und Eigenverantwortlichkeit – Forderungen und Überforderungen (Methfessel, 1996, i Benn’stranslation)

33. Relevant research themes and developmentalworks? • Food Literacy – Food Bildung, furthertheoretical illumination and development of conceptsrelated to educationaloutcomessuch as action competence • Children’s ’foodliteracy/’Bildung’ in institutionelsettingsthroughactive participation • Practical prudency as part of foodliteracy – the practical issue in literacy and ‘Bildung’ • The meaning of sensoric and aesthetic in foodliteracy • Development of exemplarayfoodprojectscrossboarders • Development of new ´laboratories´ for development and experiencing – foodworkplaces