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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Southern Maine shoppers learn to buy healthy foods on a limited budget

On July 15th, shoppers at the Hannaford Supermarket in Biddeford learned new skills for buying healthy food on a limited budget after taking a tour with Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educators from Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition (CHCC), the local Healthy Maine Partnership affiliated with the University of New England (UNE). In partnership with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, CHCC coordinated the Cooking Matters at the Store event with the goal of empowering low-income shoppers with the skills needed to stretch their food dollar and serve healthy, affordable meals to their families.

At the Hannaford Supermarket in Biddeford, tour participants visited four stations and learned how to compare unit prices, purchase fruits and vegetables on a budget, read food labels, and identify whole grain options. One participant noted, “brown doesn’t mean healthy or a whole grain.”

Participants then put their knowledge to the test with a $10 challenge in which participants buy a healthy meal for a family of four for under $10. In addition to learning new skills, participants were also able to taste healthy, low-cost recipes at each station.

In Maine, Cooking Matters is implemented through a partnership between Maine SNAP-Ed and the Good Shepherd Food Bank. Maine SNAP-Ed is funded by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and implemented through a contract with UNE’s School of Community and Population Health. Utilizing the Healthy Maine Partnerships agencies statewide as access points for SNAP-Ed delivery, the program strives to educate Maine SNAP recipients on low-cost, healthy eating and activity lifestyles.

 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.