8:26 a.m., Nov. 9, 2009----University of Delaware Cooperative Extension held a graduation ceremony for its first class of Master Foods Educators on Nov. 4 at the New Castle County Extension office in Newark.

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The graduates are: Eileen Czerwinski, Davison Mwale, Zanete Coates-Mwale, Gail Hermenau, Mary Cannon, Patricia Escoto, Karin Sweeney and Debra Roney.

These highly trained volunteers will educate Delawareans about basic nutrition, nutritional labeling, diet and health, food safety, food budgeting and related topics. The educators will work with children in schools; older adults at senior centers; and low-income families, daycare providers and the general public at community events, in addition to scheduled classes at the New Castle County Extension office.

The Master Foods Educator program has parallels with UD Extension's highly successful Master Gardener program, which provides programming on a wide variety of environmental and horticultural topics. However, the Master Gardener program is offered nationwide while the Master Foods Educator program is unique to the First State.

“Developing a Master Foods Educator program was a high priority for me,” said Jan Seitz, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and director of UD Cooperative Extension. “When the economic crisis hit, we saw even more Delawareans come to us, seeking advice on how to eat nutritiously on a budget and make smart choices in the supermarket.”

Seitz added, “These Master Foods Educators will play an integral role in helping expand Cooperative Extension's nutritional, food safety and wellness programming.”

The eight graduates of this inaugural class will work in New Castle County but Seitz said she hopes to see the program eventually be offered statewide. And, perhaps, nationwide.

“Although our program just launched, it's already getting a lot of interest from state Extension Services and other organizations,” said Seitz. “I expect that Delaware's Master Foods Educator program will be used as a model by others.”

The Master Foods Educators will work closely with New Castle County Extension director Maria Pippidis, who also serves as the county's family and consumer science educator. Pippidis developed the Educators' training program in conjunction with Sue Snider, the food and nutrition specialist for UD Cooperative Extension. Cheryl Bush, an Extension associate, assisted with the training and will help to manage the group.

Training was intensive and included 30 to 35 hours of coursework designed to prepare the Educators for the community outreach phase of the program. Topics covered included the functions of nutrients, individual nutrient needs, food guide pyramid and dietary guidelines, food contaminants, how to control food-borne illness, proper storage and preparation methods, and food selection and preparation.

The Master Foods Educators also will be able to present nutrition education focused on specific health issues, such as diabetes or heart health.

“As the result of their intensive training, these new Master Foods Educators have gained the skills and knowledge to pay it forward and help residents of New Castle County live healthier lives,” said Seitz. “I couldn't be more excited about this pioneering initiative.”

For more information, or to schedule a Master Foods Educator program for your community or civic group, contact Pippidis at (302) 831-COOP or [pippidis@udel.edu].