Nutrition and cost of living impacts highlighted at teachers’ conference
Food teachers from all over Wales gathered for a conference in Cardiff, to discuss latest developments in the curriculum, and hear about the latest resources available to help teach about the origin of food, the impact of the cost of living crisis on child nutrition, as well as farming and the environment.
Organised by Food a Fact of Life and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), the conference for secondary school staff at Cardiff’s Angel Hotel heard from expert speakers and leading food teachers.
Ewen Trafford, nutrition officer for the British Nutrition Foundation, presented research on how the increasing cost of living was leading to diet inequalities, and the effect of this on learning, while John McKendrick, co-director of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit in the Glasgow School for Business and Society, outlined the impact of increasing costs on cooking lessons and the sourcing of ingredients
The important differences between systems of farming in different parts of the world were the topic of a keynote presentation by HCC’s head of Sustainability and Future Policy, Rachael Madeley-Davies. She discussed the realities of modern farming in Wales, and how the sector was already ahead of many parts of the world in addressing its environmental footprint.
Conference chair Elwen Roberts of HCC said: “We were delighted to see a full room of teachers at our conference. The presentations were all extremely insightful, and led to a fruitful discussion of how children could be helped to engage with questions of where their food comes from.
“The key theme throughout the conference was the cost of living, with practical examples presented of how teachers can deliver practical cooking sessions within these limitations.
“It was also a great opportunity to present a range of new resources, produced by both HCC and Food a Fact of Life, which were designed in conjunction with teachers especially for the curriculum in Wales.”
Bookings open for LMC primary school cookery demonstrations
Welsh Beef traceability system can offer reassurance to consumers, says HCC
