Brighter Bites is a non-profit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, while teaching them how to use and choose a different kind of fast food. We make it fun. We make it free. And we make it happen via a simple, three-part formula:
- Fill the Plate (produce distribution)
- Educate (nutrition education)
- Make it Great (fun food experience)
The mission of Brighter Bites is to create communities of health through fresh food. We are a comprehensive, multi-component school, preschool, and after-school program. The program increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and nutrition education for obesity prevention among low-income children and their families. Our goal is to help curb the childhood obesity epidemic in Texas by increasing the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to improved family eating habits and ultimately improved health outcomes.
Program Success
Our long-term study showed that participating families
- Consumed more fruit and vegetables
- Consumed fewer calories from added sugars
- Cooked at home 2 times as much
- Used nutrition facts labels to make purchasing decisions
- Ate more meals together as a family
- Had more fruits and vegetables available at home
As Brighter Bites grows, we will continue to track these data points to ensure our program remains effective.
Type of Program
Nutrition Education
Years of Implementation
2013-present
Number of Participants
20,000+
Target Audience
Underserved families with school-age children living in the food deserts or Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Freeport, TX. Program Evaluation Brighter Bites has a robust program evaluation platform developed and implemented in collaboration with UTHealth School of Public Health. We have used key program indicators to track dosage, fidelity, and reach across all Brighter Bites locations since the program began in 2012.
This post was submitted by Brighter Bites, an implementing agency of SNAP-Ed. For more information, please contact Mike Pomeroy.