Sam's Club stores in April will be selling ice cream produced by the award-winning City Kidz Food Science Educational Lab, Jacksonville, Fla. City Kidz is a program that teaches food science to high school students. They develop a food, create a marketing program and seek retailers to sell the finished product.
The City Kidz Food Science Educational Lab National Initiative was created because most students in middle school and high school do not realize that food science and food technology careers exist, says program director Clinton Bush. In fact, from 2005-2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., reported that there is a shortage of students pursuing careers in food science and food technology industries, he adds. In that mix, African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans are seriously underrepresented in this industry and at the post-secondary educational level. In an effort to address this problem, the USDA is offering multi-cultural grants to encourage African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans to consider pursuing an education and career in food science and food technology.