Daily News Archive

Horizon Organic Pursues Organic Education Campaign
(from September 19, 2002)

The national organic food company Horizon Organic is now in the classroom and school cafeteria with two programs designed to educate teachers, kids and their families about the environmental and health benefits of organic production. In the classroom, the company has provided teachers with lesson plans from Horizon Organic's Farm and Education Center, while lunchrooms will begin to feature organic lunch options.

The tutorial and lesson plan program will be available to schools nationwide through the company's website. In addition to providing materials for lesson plans on organics, the classroom program will offer educators the opportunity to organize field trips to the Farm and Education Center where students will experience much more than a typical day on the farm. Complete with proposed lesson plans and hands-on educational exhibits for visiting classes, Horizon Organic's 875-acre organic farm presents a wide array of interactive activities arranged conveniently in teaching stations to accommodate instructional needs. In addition, the Farm and Education Center boasts a 3,000-foot Organic Discovery Barn where families and students are encouraged to learn about the environmental benefits of organic farming and healthy soil.

The school organic lunch program was designed to offer children and parents healthy alternatives to cafeteria food menus. As one of the first school districts in the nation to provide organic lunch options, the Palo Alto, CA Unified School District will be participating in Horizon's lunch program. The initial launch of the program will be tested in 12 Palo Alto area elementary schools starting this month. "We are hoping this is the beginning of a nationwide movement to change the way our children are eating by offering healthy, organic lunches to students," said Jesse Cool, an organic chef and member of Palo Alto's Healthy School Lunches Committee. "Parents and children have been asking for better tasting meals as well as healthy organic lunch options for quite some time. With the launch of this program, not only are children going to realize how delicious organic food really is, but parents can feel confident that what their child is eating is safe and naturally wholesome."

For more information, contact Jaeme Sines, 415-844-6285, [email protected], or Jenny Rees, 415-844-6251, [email protected], both of Access Communications, for Horizon Organic Holding Corp.

SOURCE: Horizon Organic Holding Corp.