New GCSE to improve knowledge of food provenance
Teachers from across north Wales gathered in Menai Bridge this week for a training event to discuss a comprehensive new food qualification and methods on how to teach pupils about where their food comes from.
The course was organised by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Production Wales (HCC) and education consortium GwE.
The event focused on how to deliver a new GCSE food qualification in secondary schools.
HCC Consumer Executive Elwen Roberts (left) leads teachers in a hands-on training session on how to prepare meat for the classroomr a new GCSE food qualification in secondary schools.
It offered teachers the chance to take part in hands-on sessions which they can use to educate students about the science behind the preparation of meat and other foods.
Topics that were covered in the training event included food provenance, which has been a cause of much debate in recent years.
Research has found that many children are confused about where their food comes from.
According to a survey by British Nutrition Foundation, 10% of secondary school aged children believed that tomatoes grew below ground, 5% thought bread came from cows and 18% had never visited a farm.
The new GCSE in Food and Nutrition, which has been launched this year by the Welsh Joint Education Committee, will offer the chance for students to get to grips with these issues.
HCC’s consumer executive Elwen Roberts said: “The new GCSE in Food and Nutrition, which replaces some of the old qualifications, is a very positive step in dealing with the science of food, food preparation and balanced diets.
“It also gets to grips with food traceability and provenance. Schemes such as PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), of which Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef are part, give confidence to consumers about the origin and quality of their food.”
A range of learning resources have been developed by HCC and Meat and Education to help teachers deliver the new GCSE, including giving them ideas for written investigation projects for students.
The bilingual resources will be made available via the ‘Hwb’ learning portal, and on the HCCTrade.com website.
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