Welcome Michel Haberstrau! You are the chairman of the Eveil’O’Goût association.
Your association is also a partner of the 5 senses for kids Foundation.
Can you tell us when and why this association was set up?
From 2005 to 2009, the “ÉduSens” research project was conducted by the Centre Européen Sciences du Goût and the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE). The aim of the project was to study the effects of sensory education on the food preferences and behaviour of children aged 8 to 10.
The results showed that after 6 to 8 months of sensory education, the children tended to adopt eating habits that were more open to novelty and to describe their sensations more objectively during tasting sessions. The ÉduSens project also highlighted the importance of the parents’ role in the continuity of sensory education at home.
Finally, the project has led to the development of sensory education programmes in the classroom (“Classes du Goût”), in school restaurants (“Les Restos du Goût”) and within families (“Familles du Goût”).
Aude Gaignaire, who worked on the ÉduSens project, realised that there was no permanent structure to promote these three programmes in Burgundy, so she decided to pursue and disseminate this research. So, in 2010, she founded the association Éveil’O’Goût, to disseminate an educational approach based on the sensory experience of food, derived from the research carried out in Dijon by the CSGA (Centre for Taste and Feeding Behavior).
The association is committed to sustainable food transition, making the sensory experience a key factor in behavioural change. Through its actions, Éveil’O’Goût aims to help people rediscover food as a social moment of pleasure and conviviality. The initiative values individual and cultural differences in taste, restores people’s confidence through a sensory approach, broadens their food repertoire and encourages a more harmonious relationship with food.
Éveil’O’Goût uses the five senses to help everyone make the most of their sensory abilities, to be attentive to their feelings and to share them with others.
Finally, Éveil’O’Goût aims to promote the discovery of local food products to strengthen the link between consumers and producers in the region.
What types of activities do you run and who do you work with?
Our activities aim to raise public awareness of the use of the five senses and the importance of pleasure and conviviality in food. At the request of organisers, Éveil’O’Goût can design and run fun, interactive sensory workshops tailored to the target audience.
We have three main areas of activity:
One focuses on disseminating sensory education to those involved in education, health or local food-related initiatives.
The other is aimed at the general public, by organising sensory activities at various events.
The latter supports research into sensory education conducted by the CSGA (Centre for Taste and Feeding Behavior).
Here are some of our presentations: https://www.eveilogout.com/nos-interventions/
What tools do you use and who can use them?
We create tailor-made teaching situations and events.
For example, we have designed a specific tool for 3-7 year-olds, “les maternelles du goût”. As part of the regional food plan, the DRAAF has supported the development of acomplete teaching tool to meet the needs of teachers and activity leaders who want to help children discover food using the 5 senses. This tool is based on fun and innovative methods such as Japanese theatre.
We distribute it on request and provide training in its use. It is freely available on the website, but it is strongly recommended that you take part in a training course provided by the Eveil O Goût Association in order to fully understand and integrate the principles of sensory education and the specific posture it is recommended to adopt towards children.
For more information, please contact us contact@eveilogout.com
Finally, what advice would you give to parents during their children’s first 1,000 days?
During the first 1,000 days, children go through phases that are crucial to their dietary development. Initially curious and open to the sensory discovery of food, they explore a variety of flavours, textures and colours. This is the ideal time to introduce a diversified diet, particularly home-cooked plant-based foods, which encourage healthy eating habits.
Around the age of two, children often enter a phase of food neophobia, where they can be more selective and refuse new foods. To reduce this behaviour, it is essential to diversify their diet early on and encourage a positive attitude towards new tastes. Parents play a crucial role in modelling varied food choices and creating an environment conducive to food exploration from an early age.