Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has partnered with the Food and Drink Federation Scotland to give pupils the opportunity to design a burger product as part of an educational project into the farm to fork process.
The pupils, who are aged between 11-15 years, are encouraged to take part in the challenge. It focuses on reformulation - the process of redesigning existing food products to make them healthier - while aligning with QMS's 'Make It With Meat' resource.
Pupils will explore topics such as farming, nutrition, reformulation, product development, labelling, costing and careers, making it an all-encompassing learning experience.
Alix Ritchie, education manager at QMS, said: "This challenge is not just about creating a delicious burger, it's about empowering the next generation with knowledge and skills that will stay with them for life. Learning about food and nutrition as well as acquiring practical skills helps develop personal healthy habits, and developing an understanding of commercial processes, fostering learning they will take forward into their careers.
"Pupils participating in the challenge are tasked with creating an innovative burger that can be sold within the school canteen, using the high-quality ingredients of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb or Specially Selected Pork.
"Along the way, they will discover what makes these brands unique and the factors that set them apart. Judges will be looking for entries that have effectively incorporated food reformulation, which involves redesigning existing food products with the aim of making them healthier."
Moira Stalker, skills manager at Food and Drink Federation Scotland, added: "The Better Burger Challenge is a fantastic initiative. This challenge will help more young people learn about the processes and people involved in making food and the many careers available - while helping to develop the workforce of the future for the vital food and drink sector."
Pupils will be required to explain their design process and decision-making, consider dietary requirements and highlight unique selling points.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
