Celebrating National Nutrition Month with NTFB

Nudge Pantry Pop-Ups allow neighbors to try healthy recipes while they shop.

North Texas Food Bank’s Nutrition Services team is bringing healthy recipes to life through a new Pantry Pop-Up as part of the Nudge Pantry program.

Through the initiative, NTFB staff set up a tasting station inside an NTFB agency partner pantry and shared healthy samples, recipes and other education materials with neighbors while they selected food.

“It’s just another avenue to reach our neighbors where they’re at,” said Ashton Hinckley, Nutrition Education Specialist.

The Nudge Pantry Program aims to promote health and healthy eating habits by implementing environmental changes at food pantries. Agency partners are considered Nudge Pantries when they are equipped with posters, food bundling displays, signs, recipes, shelf tags and other materials meant to provide subtle cues, or “nudges”, that help make the healthier choice the easy choice when neighbors are selecting food.

Pantries also have the option to partner with NTFB to host nutrition classes, and now they can host pop-up recipe tastings.

The first one, hosted at Local Good Center in Plano, featured samples of a white bean salad (find the recipe here). Ashton said the recipe was selected because it’s simple to make, features multiple vegetables and provides a plant protein source.

“It also has lots of color, which means it provides a variety of vitamins and minerals,” she said.

While nutrition classes are great avenues for sharing information with neighbors, the time commitment is not feasible for every neighbor. With pop-up recipe tastings, the Nutrition Services team can provide education to additional people about supporting their health through food.

“This allows us to reach people without them having to sign up and sit down for a class,” Ashton said.

Learn more about Nudge Pantry here Nudge Pantry Program | North Texas Food Bank

Interested in hosting a pop-up? Email Nutrition Services here.