FDF Scotland has today launched a new resource to help teachers and pupils understand food labels.
The handy and straightforward education resource can be used to teach students to read ingredients lists and understand nutrition information - enabling them to make informed food choices.
This includes the voluntary nutrition information you often see on a front of pack - sometimes with red, amber and green colour coding.
This allows consumers to easily check, compare and choose foods based on their nutritional characteristics. The resource also highlights useful information relating to food allergies and where to find allergen information on a food label.
The resource is available on FDF Scotland's website and has been welcomed by Education Scotland, Food Standards Scotland and Scottish Government.
Moira Stalker, FDF Scotland Schools Programme Coordinator, said,'We encourage educators to download this free resource to help their students understand how to read food labels. This resource could have a much wider reach than just the classroom and be used by anyone that wants to understand what is in their food and have the confidence to make informed choices.'
Alan Armstrong, Strategic Director of Lifelong Learning at Education Scotland, said, 'FDF Scotland has created a toolkit which supports Curriculum for Excellence and provides clarity for pupils and practitioners around understanding food labelling. There is no doubt that schools across Scotland will find this support very useful in exemplifying current food labelling systems.'
Stephen Hendry, Senior Policy Advisor at Food Standards Scotland said, 'A fun and simple way to learn about food labels is great for teachers and pupils. Resources like these will help highlight the importance of everything that goes into food, from nutritional information to allergy advice. This tool will not just help those in education, it will also help anyone with an interest in food to learn more about what they eat.'