HOFA Handbook

In the globalized food systems, consumers, especially children, are increasingly disconnected from the understanding of how and where their food is produced. This has an impact on eating habits and food choices that might affect health, the environment and other ethical dilemmas such as animal welfare and fair trade. Teaching children about food, health and nutrition is, therefore, an essential part of not only securing the public health and wellbeing of future generations, but also ensuring a more balanced and sustainable environment and world.
According to scholars, the school is an essential arena to address this knowledge gap; an ideal en- vironment to nurture a connection and understanding between children and nature, a good context for promoting health and an understanding of food and food production. This has added benefits; research underpins and documents what educators already know: Healthy pupils and students are better prepared to learn.
It is on the basis of these issues, and on the understanding of the school as an essential arena that the Learn4Health project was started.
Learn4Health is an EU Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership consisting of twelve partners representing 6 European countries, which aim to create, strengthen and sustain health, nutrition and food literacy among pupils in primary and secondary schools in Europe. The Learn4Health project has developed new, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches, i.e. innovative teaching methods and learning contexts, aiming at teaching children about food, nutrition and health, providing hands-on learning contexts to strengthen their understanding of the origin of food, and the structure of food production. This way, Learn4Health strives to promote food literacy and educate children to be able to act on the basis of this knowledge, to create a healthier self and a better, more sustainable world.
To secure the intention of wide applicability and transferability of the insights and detailed informa- tion developed throughout the Learn4health project, we hereby present the HOFA Handbook; a complete instructional guide book offering detailed instructions and curricula guides to the different Learn4Health Activities.
These thorough guides and manuals will ensure that other schools interested in doing a similar project will have a finished “recipe” for building and implementing their own Hands On Food Activi- ties and projects. The HOFA Handbook has been made freely available in this PDF format through the Learn4Health website. This open access will secure wide applicability, dissemination and great transferability. The HOFA Handbook will secure the sustainability of the Learn4Health project, as the insights, experiences and the knowledge accumulated within the project period will be passed on to a wide audience, easily available for application, and therefore also optimizing the overall impact.