High school students enrolled with the Sun West Distance Learning Centre are taking a hands-on approach today in celebrating Canada’s Agriculture Literacy Month. The “Farm to Fork” event aims to show students the different processes throughout the food industry and outline the food option available within the province and how to make good food choices.

The first-ever event is bring together the high school students with producers and industry leaders including farmers, processors, grocers, dietitians and chefs. The students have opportunities throughout the day to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding at each of the food producing and processing steps.

Sun West DLC students tour the Agriculture Greenhouses at the U of S to start their day during the Farm to Fork event in Saskatoon. (Photo courtesy: Lori Gasper)

The students will kick off the Farm to Fork day with a tour of the University of Saskatchewan's Agriculture Greenhouses before making their way to a local grocery store to learn the ins and outs of grocery shopping and also grab some lunch.

The final activity of the day will have the students “unboxing” food ingredients purchased earlier in the day and preparing four to five dishes with Chef Scott Dicks.

Lori Gasper, Ag Coordinator with Sun West DLC, stated that they wanted to provide an opportunity for some of the students to meet face to face with other peers as well as their teachers, all while learning the important roles of the food industry.

"We wanted to show the students, first-hand, the great options that are here locally, whether that is right here in Saskatchewan or from across Canada. We think it's important for people, not just high school students to know where their food comes from, but to also think critically about the food choices they are making," said Gasper.

The Sun West DLC has approximately 3000 students enrolled, comprised of both youth and adult learners in a variety of disciplines. The Farm to Fork event included 25 students from 15 communities including Kindersley, Kerrobert, Rosetown and Fiske.