Umami – nutrition skills for the next generation

Researchers from BFH-HAFL and BFH School of Health Professions, who specialise in the food system, met in an interdisciplinary workshop to define the key concepts to be covered by the umami programme. The aim is to ensure that children acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become responsible and health-conscious eaters. The BFH project team then formulated the skills students need to acquire for each of these concepts.

In close collaboration with the Senso5 Foundation, Sarah Morier, an education specialist at the Valais University of Teacher Education, has translated the competencies formulated by BFH researchers into general and specific learning objectives to be achieved in the classroom for each topic. Particular attention was paid to the complexity of the tasks and the classification for each of the 32 teaching modules.

Seven French-speaking teachers and six German-speaking teachers are working with BFH researchers to develop the 32 teaching modules. Sarah Morier (education specialist at the Teacher Training College of Valais (HEP Valais)) and Lea Thommen (education specialist at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz)) assist the teachers during the modules’ development. They also ensure the relevance and integration of the modules into the Romandy Curriculum and Lehrplan 21.

A platform containing all the umami programme teaching modules and supporting materials for teachers (glossaries, bibliographies etc.) is currently being developed. The project team has the clear goal of making the teaching materials available to all Swiss teachers free of charge. Therefore, the umami platform will be made available on the éducation21 online reference page.

Families should also improve their nutritional knowledge. In this context, it’s important to strengthen the connection between the school and the family on the topic of nutrition. With the support of BFH researchers, the Senso5 Foundation develops simple and playful activities (e.g. meal recipes) that families can do at home. This ensures that the children’s knowledge and skills are integrated within their households.

Under the leadership of Joyce Haddad from BFH School of Health Professions, we are conducting two evaluations of the umami programme:

Formative evaluation

This began in January 2025. The aim is to gather information on the implementation and impact of the education programme in order to improve it in a targeted manner. The main objectives of this evaluation are:

1. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the programme in order to make changes and optimise its effectiveness.
2. Involvement of stakeholders (teachers, pupils, parents and multipliers) in order to implement targeted improvements.

Nine classes in Cycles 1 and 2 in four cantons (GE, BE, VS, FR) are currently testing the educational modules developed for the “Culinary Practices” and “Food Preferences and Culture” topics.

Two participatory World Café events took place in Bern on 13 March and Lausanne on 25 March to gather feedback from those involved in the programme (school inspectors, specialists from teacher-training universities, staff from cantonal and national health and education services, etc.).

Summative evaluation

This is planned for the start of the 2026 school year and will run for two years. The aim is to measure the overall results and effectiveness of the umami programme in terms of children’s and families’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavioural intentions on the topic of healthy and sustainable eating.

Cantons or schools wishing to participate in the summative evaluation of the umami programme should contact Joyce Haddad.

Our long-term goal is to conduct intervention research to evaluate the impact of the programme on the nutritional behaviour of children and families.