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Published on 04/16/13

Metro-Atlanta students learn about the origins of pizza at the State Farmers Market May 8 and 9

By Merritt Melancon

Metro-Atlanta students will soon have an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at one of the hottest, most popular foods on the market today — pizza.

It’s true that some pizzas come from a restaurant, and some pizzas come from the freezer — but before that — each and every pizza starts its journey on a farm.

On May 8 and 9 at the State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Ga., University of Georgia Cooperative Extension staff, specialist and volunteers will take students on a guided tour of a demonstration farm where pizza ingredients are grown — giving them new insight into the origins of a food they eat on a regular basis.

“Activities like this are important because many children know very little, if anything about agriculture and where their food comes from,” said Jessica Hill, UGA Extension coordinator for Dekalb County. “Most think their food comes from the supermarket or a restaurant, not realizing that it all has its start on a farm.”

Helping children to understand the origin of the food they eat is also an important part of increasing students’ awareness of proper nutrition and the importance of fruits and vegetables in their diets, said Kim Siebert, UGA Extension coordinator for Clayton County.

The event is open to school and home school groups and is built around Georgia’s Performance Standards for fourth and fifth grade.

Exhibits on the origins of pizza ingredients — from cheese, to tomatoes, to dough and even pepperoni and sausage — will be presented in a circuit of stations set up around the State Farmers Market Exhibit Hall.

There will also be stations focusing on the importance of staying active and the Choose My Plate nutrition guidelines.

Students will spend 10 minutes at each of the seven stations before being served a pizza lunch on site.

To find out more information about the Pizza Farm experience or to register your group for the field trip, visit extension.uga.edu/k12/pizza-farm.

Pizza Farm 2013 is being coordinated by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and sponsored by Georgia 4-H and the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Merritt Melancon, a public relations manager for the UGA Terry College of Business, previously served as a public relations coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

Authors:
Merritt Melancon
Experts/Sources:
Jessica Hill
Kim Siebert
Metro-Atlanta students will soon have an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at one of the hottest, most popular foods on the market today — pizza.
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