Life lesson on food and nutrition at inaugural conference

More than 120 primary and secondary teachers were given food for thought at the first national conference to enhance teacher knowledge about farming, cooking and nutrition.

The Food – a fact of life event presented messages on food security, nutrition, cooking and provenance for delegates to take back to the classroom and connect children with how the food on their plates is produced.

Hosted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), it highlighted the wide range of curriculum-linked resources on the recently relaunched Food – a fact of life website, a one-stop-shop for education about food. LEAF Education and the NFU also supported the conference, showcasing their educational activity to teachers in the break-out areas.

One delegate said: “It’s really important to have training like we had today because it highlights new innovations, new data and the information that’s out there.” Another commented that the Food – a fact of life site was a “great”, adding: “I use the website a lot, it has brilliant resources.”

Updated and improved, the site is packed with free resources and is compliant with curricula for nurseries and schools across the UK.

The work represents the latest phase of a three-year partnership between AHDB and BNF to empower young people to make informed choices about what they eat.

Roz Reynolds, AHDB Head of Education, Nutrition and Health, said: “There is a clear interest from teachers in food as part of the curriculum, helping children to understand what they’re eating and how it is produced.

“We’re pleased to be working with the BNF to give young people the life skills and knowledge for them to make informed food choices, including the role which farming plays in delivering what they buy, cook and eat – now and in the future. The resources have been created with input and feedback from teachers and education professionals, so we’re confident it will bring benefits for years to come.”

Webinars to train teachers and help them bring food education into classrooms across the country are also available on the Food – a fact of life website. To date, 367 teachers have registered to participate.

To tie in with the 2019 growing season, Grow Your Own Potatoes kits are now landing at schools, so children can learn how to grow potatoes in the classroom.

Teachers and farmers interested in AHDB’s educational activity can get in touch by email using: education@ahdb.org.uk or visit ahdb.org.uk/education to find out more about the strategy. The educational resources and training information is available at foodafactoflife.org.uk.