Food Safety and Nutrition

Stinging nettle publication uplifts importance of Indigenous ‘superfood’

Stinging nettle is a plant that can sting and cause welts, but when the sting is removed a traditional “superfood” emerges. Native Indigenous peoples have gathered stinging nettles since time immemorial. They can be used ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Hybrid Master Food Preservation certification diversifies volunteer program

Interest in home food preservation has surged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and Google search trends indicate that Oregonians’ interest in home canning ranks ninth nationally. As an increasing number of Oregonians ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

New ‘Library of Things’ food preservation collections benefit Eastern Oregonians

In Eastern Oregon, a dearth of grocery stores, a challenging climate for food production and the high costs of transporting food create a food security issue for the region’s residents. Additionally, the equipment needed to ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Value-added rental program targets food insecurity in the Columbia Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge region of Oregon has extreme wealth disparities and high rates of food insecurity, particularly among those already receiving food assistance. This region also lacks resilience in local food systems during ...

Feb 2024 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps Warm Springs tribal members loop back to food preservation

The summer of 2022 brought high temperatures, high gas prices, and high food prices to Oregon. In the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs community, where food preservation is a means of food security, those higher prices meant...

May 2023 | Impact Story

4-H teens learn how to prepare healthy meals and teach children how to cook

Clackamas County’s second-largest industry is agriculture, which includes nurseries, field crops, Christmas trees, berries and orchards. Field workers are the heart of Clackamas County’s agriculture industry. Most of them are first- ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Popular nutrition program returns to help at-risk families in Umatilla and Morrow counties

According to the 2018 Umatilla County Community Health Assessment, 42% of adults are obese and suffer from a variety of health issues such as food insecurity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Oregon State University Extension’s...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Wallowa County families in need receive meal kits with Food Hero recipes

Emergency food boxes help families in need, but the recipients don’t always know how to use all the foods that are in the box or what to make with the ingredients. In 2019, Oregon State University Extension Service’s ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

Partnership with Sherman County Senior Center expands Extension nutrition education program

The Sherman County Senior Center receives grant funding from the Community Action Program of East Central Oregon (CAPECO). The non-profit organization encourages educational programming at its sites receiving grants, such as congregate ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension becomes a leader in bilingual nutrition education in Jackson County

In Jackson County, 13.2% of the residents identify as Hispanic, Latino or Latinx. Oregon State University Extension Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) prioritizes finding culturally competent ways to ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story