Oct 23, 2022 -

Fresno State Bulldogs Take on the Grocery Store

Fresno State students studying food and nutritional science have a lot on their plates when it comes to getting into the next step of their field, the dietetic program. They are given a choice to spend community service hours, 80 in total, giving grocery store tours through the Bulldogs in the Grocery Store initiative.

These tours are an hour long and take place at the Savemart Supermarket on North First Street in Fresno. The tour guides meet up to eight attendees at the front entrance of the store. The guides are easy to find as they are always wearing blue aprons.

Jamaila Andrada, on of the guides, is wearing a blue apron while giving the tour.

They make numerous stops throughout the store to share some less-known nutrition information based on commonly consumed goods.

Some of the nutrition information shared during the tour:

  • Foods with Vitamin D, like mushrooms, should be paired with calcium such as cheese, to balance each other out.
  • One whole banana is two servings of fruit, which makes up almost the full three to five servings you need to consume a day.
  • The different colors of bell peppers show how ripe they are; green is the least ripe, then yellow, orange, and red is the ripest.
  • Carrots have beta carotene which benefits your eyes and skin and can be paired with hummus to also intake protein.
  • Purple cabbage and green cabbage are the same nutritional level; however, it becomes purple due to heat exposure.
Purple and green cabbages in supermarket
Typically, both types of cabbage are found next to each other in the grocery store
  • Canned fruit has been picked at peak ripeness. Look out for sugar content in three different categories: 100% juice, light syrup and heavy syrup.
  • If there is too much sugar, you can always wash the fruit under hot water to reduce the amount.
  • When it comes to canned goods, the cans with the store logo are almost always cheaper than the name brand.
The mandarin oranges are less than 25 cents as they are store logos rather than brand name. If you look at pears, there is more than a dollar difference between the name brand and store logo.
  • When it comes to canned veggies, you want to pay attention to the sodium content which falls under three categories: no salt, 50% salt, and 100% salt.
This can has a dent in it, which has been recommended to throw away or avoid due to possible bacteria growth.
  • If you find a dented can, do not consume the good as the dent leads to a decrease in sanitation as bacteria can grow inside.
  • When it comes to juice, a single serving is 4 ounces and you have to be wary of marketing as 100% natural flavors is not the same as 100% juice.

For dietitian students, being able to give tours and share their knowledge allows them to not only refresh their memory but also become more involved in their community.

“If I’m teaching people, I’m also remembering things better, and I also like helping the community,” said Jamaila Andrada, one of the Fresno State grocery store guides.

They offer their tours both in English and in Spanish.

Attendees don’t have to be Fresno State students. The tours are also open to members of the community interested in learning ways to modify their diet or increase overall nutrition comprehension.

Bulldogs in the Grocery Store began in 2016 as a result of a $5,000 grant from the Produce for Better Health Foundation. You can sign up for tours by clicking on the link found on their Instagram, fresnostate.bigs.

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