91AV

91AV students majoring in nutrition hosted a “Cooking Matters” grocery store event for the Biddeford community at a local Hannaford supermarket on Friday, March 27. The students in 91AV’s Nutrition program set up stations throughout the store where they taught curious patrons about healthy eating options. 

The 10 seniors in the Community Nutrition Education course created four stations that each focused on a key food group: produce, protein, dairy, and grains. Shoppers in the store were invited to participate, with those visiting all four stations receiving a $10 Hannaford gift card.

In the end, students provided grocery shopping, cooking, and nutrition tips to over 25 participants. Of those who completed an optional survey, 100% said they would use the healthy shopping strategies they learned during their next trip to the Biddeford Hannaford store. Local patrons said the students taught them how to read nutrition labels, identify whole grains, and incorporate plant-based proteins into their diet.

The event resulted from a collaboration between 91AV Nutrition Assistant Clinical Professor Emily Estell, M.P.H., RDN, LDN, who is also coordinator of 91AV’s Teaching Kitchen on the Biddeford Campus; the Biddeford Hannaford team, including the store’s registered dietitian, Julia Williams, RDN; and Denise Gaudette, RDN, LDN, the Good Shepherd Food Bank’s community nutrition manager who coordinates Cooking Matters Programs across Maine.

“This partnership provided students with valuable experience working alongside community organizations and highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing barriers to nutrition and food access,” Estell noted.