Abstract
Background
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages using herbs and spices (HS) to flavor foods and increase the consumption of nutrient-dense foods; increase the availability of micronutrients, which may reduce chronic diseases; and reflect food cultures. However, consumers lack confidence in using HS safely to maximize flavor and health benefits.
Objective
The purpose of the pilot program was to determine whether a community education program focused on HS could increase the knowledge and confidence of participants to use and store HS for safety and improved health benefits.
Study Design, Setting, Participants
Trained educators implemented the curriculum. The 75-minute program took participants on a culinary journey of the history/cultural use of HS in food preparation and provides cooking tips, information for best storage and food safety practices, and the health benefits of HS.
Measurable Outcome/Analysis
A nonrandomized preintervention and postintervention study was conducted to evaluate the program in several states between June 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025. Preintervention and postintervention surveys were used for analysis. Surveys assessed participants’ intentions to eat foods with HS and confidence in key behaviors. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess significance between paired samples, from a 5-point Likert-type scale. Knowledge related to food safety was evaluated for statistical significance using McNemar’s test.
Results
A total of 340 participants completed both the preintervention and postintervention evaluation. The majority identified as female and White. There was a statistical significance (P < 0.001) in respondents’ likelihood to use HS to flavor foods when consuming produce, whole grains, dairy, and protein. Respondents were significantly (P < 0.001) more confident in storing HS, combining HS for different cultural cuisines, and using HS to reduce their intake of sodium, fat, and sugar. Respondents were 13 times as likely to identify Clostridium botulinum as a food safety concern, requiring cold storage after the session (95% confidence interval, 7.6–23.5).
Conclusions
This nutrition education program significantly improved participants’ intention to use HS safely while consuming HS, while improving confidence in using HS to reduce consumption of added sugar, sodium, and fat.