ORLANDO, Fla. — Before Friday, 7-year-old Isaiah Simpson had never tried zucchini, cucumbers or bell peppers. That all changed at a food show sponsored by the Florida Department of Agriculture, which is trying to figure out how to get kids eating more Florida-grown produce.
Florida and beyond -- students aren't eating their fruits and vegetables at school.
Isaiah, a second-grader at Tangelo Park Elementary, liked nearly everything he tried. In a small booklet, star-shaped stickers marked all of the fruits and vegetables he ate.
"I liked the zucchini and mandarin oranges. I liked the squash, eggplant, the grape tomatoes. I liked lots of them," he said, pointing to each one. He even picked up a recipe for a citrus-based dish called Hawaiian slaw that he is bringing home to his mother.
Orange County is the first location to host a "Fresh From Florida" produce show, said Debbie Bergstrom, manager of nutrition education and outreach from the Department of Agriculture. They plan to take the show on the road to other counties, with the hopes that school districts will adopt some of the most popular for school menus.