“All our knowledge begins with our senses”
Immanuel Kant
For all the picky eaters who are happy to survive on chicken nuggets and fish fingers, sensory based-food education could open the doors to a whole new world of healthier food choices (sans the pressure). Sensory-based food education, which has been in use for over three decades in schools and kindergartens in France and other parts of Europe, is now being widely adopted as a curriculum supplement to help children develop healthy dietary choices.
What is sensory based food education?
Sensory-based food education is a concept that harnesses children’s natural curiosity and encourages them to explore foods using the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. The method can include a range of food-themed games and activities that familiarise with new fruits, vegetables and regional cuisines as well as involving them in cooking and growing their own vegetables. The idea is to expose them to a variety of fruits, vegetables and flavours and give them the freedom to experiment and adopt them at their own pace.
A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland suggests sensory-based food education like Sapere can help young children develop a positive association with fruits and vegetables, widen their palate and modify their dietary preferences in a direction that is heathier for them. Dietary preferences learned in early childhood often stays with a person through their adolescence and adulthood and increases the likelihood of them making healthier dietary and consumer choices.
Sensory food education is also found to be especially beneficial for children who are on the autistic spectrum, and prone to disruptive mealtime behaviour.
What is the SAPERE method?
Sapere (which roughly translates to taste and to know) is a sensory training method developed by French Chemist Jaque Puisais to help children improve their sensory awareness, and use heightened sensory awareness to explore and appreciate a varied diet.
The Sapere method first found its way to the classrooms in France in the 1980s when the Ministry of Education started training teachers to include the programme in their curriculum. The method was later adopted into France’s National Dietary Programme and made available to a larger audience to meet popular demand.
According to the late Roelof Huunerman, former chairman of Sapere, ‘the training helps children become more attentive to their sense and sensations and aware of their choices.’ Children sensitized through the Sapere method are better adept at striking a balance between good and healthy food and find pleasure in food rather than eating out of mere necessity, says Huunerman.
TastEd
In the UK, the Sapere method is delivered by TastEd, who offer curriculum-oriented lesson plans and tools to encourage children to try out a varied variety of food in a fun and non-judgemental atmosphere. TastEd – founded by our headteacher and food writer Bee Wilson – have pioneered introducing sensory food based education into the UK into over 500 schools.