Dairy Council of California Launches New Explore Nutrition Educational Product to Help Upper Elementary Students Discover Food, Health and Agriculture

New bilingual educational lessons for ages 9–11 debuts during National Farm-to-School Month, inspiring students to explore where food comes from and how it supports healthy growth and learning

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dairy Council of California today announced the launch of Explore Nutrition, a new educational product designed for students ages 9–11. Debuting during National Farm-to-School Month, the bilingual product helps young learners investigate food, nutrition, agriculture and healthy eating through hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences.

Developed in collaboration with educators and registered dietitians across California, Explore Nutrition encourages students to ask questions, think critically and make real-world connections between food, health and the food system. Through interactive lessons, discussions, videos and investigations, students discover how food supports health and well-being while exploring the journey food takes from farm to table.

“Explore Nutrition reflects our commitment to helping young people build lifelong healthy eating patterns through engaging, relevant and science-based learning experiences,” said Amy DeLisio, CEO of Dairy Council of California. “Launching this educational product during National Farm-to-School Month highlights the important connections between food, agriculture and health while helping students explore how everyday food choices support growth, learning and well-being.”

The new educational product expands Dairy Council of California’s portfolio of evidence-based learning materials with lessons about food groups, nutrients, food labels, food systems, agriculture, healthy eating patterns and evaluating nutrition information.

Throughout the unit, students investigate questions such as:

• What can food groups teach us about healthy eating?

• What are nutrients and what do they do in the body?

• What can food labels tell us?

• How do we know if nutrition information is reliable?

• How does food change from the farm to our meals?

• How does food support health and well-being?
  
  

Explore Nutrition was developed and refined through educator feedback and pilot testing, resulting in a flexible product that can be used in classrooms, after-school programs, health education settings and community-based learning environments. Educators participating in testing reported positive experiences with student engagement and learning outcomes that helped shape the final product.

“Curiosity fuels learning, and Explore Nutrition was designed to put students in the role of investigator,” said Tracy Mendez, Resource and Content Development Manager at Dairy Council of California. “Through hands-on activities, discussions, videos and real-world challenges, students explore questions about food, nutrition and agriculture while discovering concepts that connect directly to their daily lives.”

The educational product includes:

• Digital lesson guide for educators

• Printed and digital lesson workbook for students

• Learn & Do Slides for classroom and digital instruction

• Embedded educational videos

• Standards alignments for upper elementary grades

• English and Spanish versions of all major product components
  
  

The launch during National Farm-to-School Month creates a natural connection between nutrition education and agricultural literacy. Lessons help students understand where food comes from, how food moves through the food system and the role agriculture plays in supporting healthy communities.

Explore Nutrition also reflects the diversity of California communities through culturally relevant examples, opportunities for students to share their own food experiences and English and Spanish materials that support educators and learners in a variety of settings.

The educational product launches alongside The Great Food Quest, Dairy Council of California’s latest PBS-KVCR educational video series, which begins airing Oct. 16. The four-episode Farm-to-School series helps children discover where their food comes from, how it gets to their meals and how food supports growth and learning through educational storytelling, interviews with local farmers and real-world connections.

Explore Nutrition materials are available digitally at no cost, with print materials available free of charge to California educators and community organizations while supplies last.

Learn more and access Explore Nutrition at DairyCouncilofCA.org/TeachExploreNutrition

About Dairy Council of California

Since 1919, Dairy Council of California has been a trusted nutrition organization committed to elevating the health of children and communities. Through education, advocacy and multisector collaboration, the organization promotes lifelong healthy eating patterns and advances the role of milk and dairy foods in improving nutrition security and supporting sustainable food systems. Learn more at DairyCouncilofCA.org.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

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Media Contact:
Alex Vigil
Dairy Council of California
avigil@dairycouncilofca.org