PRESERVED FLAVORS

A UNIVERSITY EXTENSION EXPERIENCE IN NUTRITION

Abstract

Introduction: Brazil is among the main food producing countries in the world and has the Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar that seeks to guarantee food and nutritional security for students in the public school system, in addition to valuing and strengthening family farming. With this large production, the discussion about losses and waste deserves attention. Thus, actions such as the production of jams and preserves can promote greater access to food, such as vegetables and fruits, even outside of seasonality and with less waste. Objective: To report the experience of a workshop on the production of healthy and sustainable jams and preserves. Experience report: The action took place at the Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia in the second half of 2024. It was attended by 90 elementary school students, aged 13 to 15, from public schools in São Felipe, Bahia, Brazil. During this activity, the students were divided into three groups, with 30 people in each group, who took turns to ensure that everyone participated more effectively in the production of preserves and jams. The groups were accompanied by two nutritionist mediators and four student monitors from the UFRB Nutrition course. The food was purchased from family farms in the municipality. The students showed interest in carrying out the activities and evaluated the workshop positively (94% really liked it and 77% said that its content was very useful). Conclusion: The workshop demonstrated the importance of activities that encourage students to reflect on sustainability and food consumption, providing a theoretical and practical experience with the theme, in addition to encouraging the adoption of healthier and more conscious food choices.