This article will be of interest to teachers, parents, governors and industrialists. It summarises the position of food in the National Curriculum (England), dispels some of the popular myths surrounding food education in schools, and argues the importance of a practical food education for all young people.

What is happening in schools?
One of the things that characterises articles about food education (other than cheesy puns) is misinformation, particularly about what is, or is not, happening in schools.

Despite public outcry about the need to improve the nation's understanding about nutrition, food safety and hygiene, the government decided, in their last round of curriculum revisions, against the well-supported proposal to make food a compulsory part of all young people's education within design & technology (D&T) at KS3 (11-14 years), and so it continues to be optional. The decision was justified on the grounds that to make it compulsory might have resource implications for a minority of schools that currently do not teach food at KS3. In fact, the great majority of schools do elect to make this provision within their KS3 D&T programmes - seeing this as the best place in the curriculum for it and because traditionally it has been home to the practical subjects. It is predominantly within D&T that the specialist food teacher is at work, helping students to use their knowledge and skills in practice.

Whilst few would disagree that young people should be taught about food, there is considerably more debate as to the best way of doing so. Two major changes in society have made a difference here. Firstly, food education is no longer confined to girls, in preparation for their assumed role as homemakers and caretakers. All citizens can benefit from food education, since in today's society no-one can assume that someone else will take responsibility for their daily needs. Secondly, the domestic context is no longer the only relevant one. A great deal happens to food before it reaches our homes, which impacts on its quality, and there are more food options available to us than in the past.

Dispelling the popular food myths
What do we want young people to know about food? Teachers, parents and government are usually in agreement on this. They want young people to have an awareness of the role and value of food in society; an understanding of food science and nutrition; a working knowledge of food safety and hygiene; and skills in food preparation and cooking. Yet there are still myths and misconceptions at large. "Food technology doesn't involve cooking." "It's theoretical - learning about, rather than having a go." "Children don't learn about healthy eating." Celebrity chefs proclaim a national scandal that children don't learn to cook at school.

In England, where the vast majority of schools teach food within D&T at KS3, children do learn to cook. Working with food is a compulsory part of D&T at KS1 and KS2. It is a very unusual primary school where children do not learn about food and work with it, although the extent of their practical experience may be limited by resources and facilities. D&T is essentially a practical subject - learning through doing. At KS4, approximately a quarter of those students doing GCSE D&T opt to do so through food technology. 60% assessment is through coursework where students demonstrate what they can do with food in terms of its development, production and making. Three objectives are assessed through this coursework (the application of knowledge and understanding about food; designing and making with food; awareness of the impact of food, design and technology on society) and the assessment objective relating to practical work with food has a higher weighting than the other two. So, Food Technology clearly is a vehicle for what students know about, and can do with, food. In GCSE Home Economics (where this is offered as an alternative to Food Technology) there is a similar level of practical food work.

The central purpose of the D&T curriculum is to develop students' awareness of the uses, applications and value of technology in the world around them and to develop knowledge, skills and practical capability. Food fits well within this model. People are presented with challenges, choices and decisions about food on a daily basis and this happens within the context of a technological world.

In food technology students are taught to apply their knowledge of nutrition, diet, food hygiene and safety in practical ways, as they would in life. Practical food preparation and handling skills are a key aspect of students' work when designing and making food products, dishes and meals, as is teaching consumer-related issues. Food technology still embraces the basic principles of previous incarnations of food education, but has broadened out beyond teaching simply about the domestic preparation of food.

This leaves the teaching of cooking where it has always been - as one part of a balanced food education. It is just as important for today's young people to be conversant with the issues surrounding food as it is to be able to boil an egg. Food issues change but are always topical - is society obese? is organic better? is our food safe? The context in which young people learn about food and cooking is also crucial. They should develop the knowledge and skills to problem-solve, create and innovate as opposed to just being taught to cook a standard range of dishes which may or may not prove useful in the future.

There are a number of initiatives in England related to food, diet and health, some of which are delivered piecemeal often by non-specialist food teachers and which confuse the issue between food in the formal curriculum and extra curricular activities. The latter are valuable in their own right, but cooking clubs are no substitute for curriculum entitlement (the formal curriculum).

The way forward
Food is not one discipline, and so may feature in many curriculum areas, studied from historical, economic, cultural and social perspectives, as well as from the scientific or technological. As preparation for life in a demanding and rapidly changing society, all young people need to become critical consumers, understanding food products that they make, buy and eat and making informed choices about food, diet, purchases and value for money.

High standards of teaching and learning in food safety, hygiene and food preparation are most likely to be achieved where carried out by specialist food teachers. Only in D&T are these related areas of knowledge and skill taught and experienced through practical contexts. This points towards food being taught within D&T whilst being extended and underpinned by teaching that arises in other curriculum areas - science and Personal, Social & Health Education in particular.

Only if coherent policies and practices are developed in schools will people become effectively prepared for the wide-ranging impact of food in their lives. If there is one priority for food education in the 21st century it would be this, and ensuring that food is a valued part of everyone's education for life.

February 2000

Ali Farrell is a leading food education specialist and Director of www.foodforum.org.uk

©foodforum.org.uk 2000. All rights reserved

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