The California Food Literacy Center will hold the Kids Food Literacy Sandwich Contest from Sept. 2-8 as part of Food Literacy Month. Contestants must create a healthy sandwich recipe and write about why it represents food literacy, which the center defines as “understanding the impact of your food choices on your health, the environment and our community.”

Kids can submit their sandwich ideas in four different age categories at www.californiafoodliteracy.org. The top eight semi-finalists will be featured on the website, and the community will vote for the top recipe in each age category on the California Food Literacy Center’s Facebook page Sept. 17-21. The final winner will be selected on Sept. 29 by judges in a tasting contest.

“In California, 38 percent of children are overweight – a rate three times higher than it was 30 years ago when the obesity epidemic began,” said Amber Stott, founder, California Food Literacy Center. “We have a major opportunity to get kids thinking about healthy food choices in a creative way, and that’s what this sandwich recipe contest is all about.”

The Kids Food Literacy Sandwich Contest kicks off a series of events in Sacramento that promote healthy, sustainable eating during the month of September, including a restaurant sandwich campaign, Food Literacy Fair and a launch party. Assemblymember Roger Dickinson authored ACR-161, a resolution sponsored by the California Food Literacy Center, to declare September Food Literacy Month and to raise awareness about food literacy on the state level. For more information, visit www.californiafoodliteracy.org.

The California Food Literacy Center was established in July 2011 to help kids improve their knowledge, attitude and behavior toward food through community food education. The organization empowers K-5 students to explore new foods, learn to cook healthy, sustainable snacks and make smart choices. Students learn fruit and vegetable appreciation, how to read nutrition labels, basic cooking skills and environmental impacts of their food choices. The California Food Literacy Center’s efforts are yielding positive changes in perceptions of healthy food among youth. Before the organization began its food literacy curriculum, 82 percent of K-1st graders at Capitol Heights Academy said that healthy snacks did not taste good. After one month of food literacy education, 92 percent of the kids replied yes when asked the same question. For more information about the California Food Literacy Center and how to get involved, visit www.californiafoodliteracy.org.