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Objective: Use the Community Readiness Model (CRM) to develop and evaluate a contextually appropriate pilot culinary training program for school nutrition staff members., Design: Mixed methods to guide intervention development., Settings: Six school districts in rural and urban areas of a southwestern state., Participants: School nutrition staff (n = 36; female; <1 to >20 years' experience)., Intervention: Pre- and post-training assessments used the CRM. Findings from the pre-assessment were used to develop the pilot culinary training intervention., Main Outcome Measure: Readiness to integrate new food preparation methods into existing practices., Analysis: The researchers used t and Wilcoxon tests to compare overall readiness and dimension scores (P ≤ .05). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the discussion component of the assessments., Results: Overall readiness increased from vague awareness to preparation (P = .02). Improved dimensions were knowledge of efforts (P = .004), leadership (P = .05), and knowledge of issues (P = .04). Themes included barriers, leadership, and motivation., Conclusions and Implications: The CRM was useful for developing and evaluating a contextually appropriate and effective culinary training program for school nutrition staff. Future efforts should address the provision of additional resources such as on-site chefs, small equipment grants, and engaging school stakeholders., (Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Childhood is a critical period for developing food-related skills and knowledge, known as food literacy (FL). Schools may be an important setting for interventions aiming to improve FL in children. This systematic scoping review aimed to characterize food literacy interventions in elementary schools., Methods: Databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO) were searched for FL interventions in elementary schools (students aged 4-12 years). Studies were assessed according to design, duration, theoretical underpinning, and ascertainment of FL outcome(s). Interventions were assessed according to FL competencies (functional, interactive, and critical)., Results: After exclusions, 116 studies were eligible for review, including 105 original interventions. Interventions ranged from 45 minutes to 4 years. Social cognitive theory was the most referenced theory and common interventions included; classroom lessons, games, school gardens, food preparation, and cooking classes. Most studies measured FL outcomes quantitatively (96%, N = 111). All studies addressed functional FL (N = 116), while 77% (N = 89) addressed interactive FL and 28% (N = 32) addressed critical FL., Conclusions: This first international review of FL programs in elementary schools found great heterogeneity in school-based FL intervention design and measurement of FL. Few interventions addressed critical FL, which should be a focus for future interventions., (© 2021 American School Health Association.)