The task of going to the grocery store can be a dreaded weekly chore. Passing through long aisles in search of items on the list and then gradually making it out of the store can be an ordeal.

Sharon Scharf, home economics teacher, is teaching her students that there is much more to the grocery industry.

The annual Save Mart trip presented students with useful information about merchandizing, nutrition and shopping education on Sept. 21.

Scharf’s goal for the Save Mart trip was to educate her class on the importance of nutrition and give them useful skills they can use in the future.

“The students learned about the grocery industry, recycling and job opportunities that are available,” Scharf said. “Sharon Blakely, public relations dietician, gave us a tour and showed the students how things are stored, how they package meat, and she informed them of all the different places fruit comes from.”

Students anticipated the tour of Save Mart, hoping to gain knowledge that can be used on a daily basis.

“The Save Mart trip was pretty interesting,” Andrew Kaiser, ’05, said. “I enjoyed finding out what happens to the produce we eat before we purchase it. It was a fun experience.”

The Save Mart trip provided many interesting facts, many shopping tips and useful nutritional information.

“I learned that you have to be 18 to operate the machinery and things like that,” Annie Laird, ’06, said. “They taught us about all the different names of foods and how they acquired them. I really learned a lot of cool facts that I never knew about Save Mart.”

Blakely’s career in nutritional education has spanned 25 years and given her the opportunity to educate many on nutrition.

“I can apply food and nutrition to health in countless ways,” Blakely said. “My job allows me to be creative and opens doors of opportunity. Consumers are very interested in diet and health, and my position allows me to translate these needs into healthy food choices.”

The annual nine-foot burrito will be the next event in the home economics class. This event is planned for the week before Thanksgiving.

For more information on the grocery industry or learning more about nutrition, visit www.gourmet.com or contact Blakely at 557-6312. For more information about Save Mart, go to www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Companies.

For more information about the home economics class, contact Scharf at 299-1695, ext. 159.