The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) is calling for stronger action around food education to support healthier, more sustainable futures in its new white paper, Food Education: The Missing Ingredient in a Healthier, More Sustainable Future.
Published amidst growing concern over children’s health, the paper underscores the important role food education has in addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges, including child obesity and food insecurity.
Despite this, the subject has been neglected, with the paper showing stark disparities in how it is delivered across the four devolved nations and among schools within those regions.
“Food can shape children’s health, learning, life chances and their understanding of the world around them. Yet, despite its importance, food education is often overlooked in wider discussions about education, public health and sustainability,” said Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation.
England has already lost the Home Economics and Food Technology A levels, which some teachers say led to fewer pupils, reduced funding, lower subject status and less curriculum time at Key Stage 4.
Proposed reforms to GCSEs now risk exacerbating the issue further, with the subject under threat of removal from timetables at KS4.
Even where a school prioritises the subject, practical constraints shape what can be taught. These include issues with teacher recruitment, curriculum time and ingredient costs, all of which place increased pressure on delivering high-quality, practical food education.
While the white paper shows there is an appetite among young people for more practical food skills and information around diet, health and nutrition, it also argues that there is no clear national mechanism for ensuring schools are equipped to meet that demand.
There is also currently limited and inconsistent inspection and monitoring of food education across the UK, making it hard to build a clear picture of the quality and extent of provision, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that all pupils have access to high-quality food education.
At the same time, in the absence of formal education, young people are turning to social media and online content, which is rife with misinformation.
Against this backdrop, the BNF sets out eight recommendations for policymakers, educators and industry:
- Recognise and integrate food education within prevention policy
- Fund the ingredients and equipment schools need
- Protect food education from further marginalisation
- Strengthen monitoring, inspection and accountability for food education
- Embed food education within school food and whole-school health policy
- Treat food literacy with equal importance to digital, media and financial literacy
- Link food education to sustainability and food systems policy
- Connect food education with the workforce, skills and economic growth
“Food education goes far beyond learning how to cook. It helps children understand nutrition, food safety, sustainability, where food comes from and the many career opportunities available across the food system,” said Frances Meek, education services manager at the British Nutrition Foundation.
“As a former food teacher, I’ve seen first-hand the impact that developing food knowledge, skills and confidence can have on young people, both in the classroom and beyond.
“Teachers consistently tell us they value food education, but they face significant challenges, including limited curriculum time, funding pressures and the need to keep pace with emerging issues such as nutrition misinformation online.
“By strengthening food education and supporting those who deliver it, we can help ensure that young people leave school with food knowledge and skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”
The white paper builds on the BNF’s long-standing commitment to food education through Food – a Fact of Life, its flagship UK education programme. Established in 1991, the programme provides free, curriculum-aligned resources for those aged 3 to 18 on healthy eating, cooking and where food comes from.
