Tastings
School Meals – Tasting
It is natural for children to be resistant to trying new foods. In fact, a food may need to be offered 10-15 times before a child accepts a new food.
Tastings, or offering small samples of new foods, are a great way to introduce students to new foods. Not only do tastings offer exposure that may increase acceptance, they can be fun and exciting events. Small samples reduce the risk of taking a whole portion of an unfamiliar food, and tasting with peers can encourage hesitant kids to try things they won’t try in other settings.
The resources in this section will help you plan, prepare for, and implement a tasting event. Whenever preparing and serving food to children, be mindful of best practices for maintaining food safety.
The Tasting Event Guide will help you plan every aspect of a tasting, from selecting the food to be sampled to collecting feedback from students. Once you have your plan together, visit the Tasting Materials Checklist for a linked list of materials to gather for your tasting.