Research Highlights
The Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research Highlights
Cooking together as a vehicle for new knowledge and skills to promote healthy eating
Collective kitchens (also known as community kitchens) are food programs that exist in hundreds of communities across Canada. They operate using many formats but generally involve opportunities for people to meet once or twice a month to cook food in bulk for their families. Often members have low-incomes and the collective kitchen is emphasized as a way for people to save money or buy higher quality food by purchasing and producing in bulk. Other suggested benefits for participants of collective kitchens include learning about nutrition and cooking, social support, and increased feelings of self-esteem.
Little research has been published to date on collective kitchens and their possible benefits for food and nutrition learning. A research article by registered dietitian Rachel Engler-Stringer published in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research Volume 67 (4):178, presents the data on this topic from the first study of collective kitchens in three cities in three different provinces. Semi-participant observation and in-depth interviews were conducted with collective kitchen participants and leaders in Saskatoon, Toronto and Montreal. Collective kitchens were perceived as an important source of food-related knowledge and skills. Behavior change that resulted from participation included increased variety of foods in the diet, increased vegetable consumption, and decreased fat consumption, among others.
While collective kitchens can be important tools for nutrition education, they should also take into account the broader social conditions such as poverty that influence food-related behaviors.
This research highlights the food and nutrition-related learning that can occur through collective kitchen participation, the limitations of this learning, and how learning can be enhanced in the collective kitchen environment.
For more information about this research, or to interview the lead author, contact the DC Central Information Office at (416) 596-0857 or email us at media@dietitians.ca.