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Public Sector Sustainable Food Procurement Initiative - Food Awareness Event

Case Study: Food Awareness Event

Region: Bristol

Organisation: Bristol City Council

Description:

Choices that people make about their food have a real impact on their lives, and of the lives of others. The food awareness event aimed to ensure that school pupils were made aware of the impacts and importance of food. Over two days six one and a half hour sessions were run and over 600 pupils were involved in an event held at the CREATE centre in Bristol. Each session included an initial interactive talk about nutrition followed by a visit to displays set up in the gallery next door. These included talks and games from the soil association, learning about Fair Trade from Day Chocolate, tasting sessions of local, organic milk, cheese, ice cream and tasting a vegetable stir fry that was cooked in front of the pupils. It also involved tasting and learning about vegetables. Pupils learned about where food comes from, the importance of nutrition and a balanced diet, the benefits of fair trade and of locally produced produce.

Benefits

  • The pupils learned, in a fun environment, all about food issues.
  • The event directly linked with other initiatives of Contract Services Catering, to reduce additives within school food. It also linked in with an organic meal served throughout Bristol schools in the same week as the food awareness event.
  • The event links in with food issues taught within the national curriculum.
  • The event brought together primary school pupils, Bristol City Council, nutritionists, local food, local food producers, and the soil association. This has helped to maintain, and establish new partnerships.
  • A competition was held on the day and the prize is a visit to an organic farm for the winning class. This continues the "plough to plate" theme and allows the pupils to continue to learn in a different and fun environment.

Lessons learned during implementation

  • The subject needs to be fun for the young age group involved
  • Having hands on involvement is important to ensure that the pupils learn and remember tastes and smells as well as information
  • A one off event might not be enough and follow up events and classroom learning should be considered more fully.

Future developments

This event was very successful and there was excellent feedback from both teachers and parents. It is hoped that another similar event will be held in the next academic year. In addition, staff from the council are available to go to schools to follow up this event.

Further information

For further information please contact:

Sue Burke,
Contract Services,
Bristol City Council,
Sandy Park Road,
Brislington,
Bristol
0117 9036267
sue_burke@bristol-city.gov.uk

Sustainable City Team,
CREATE Centre,
Bristol City Council,
Bristol,
BS1 6XN
0117 9224472
sustainable_city@bristol-city.gov.uk

 

 

Page last modified: 23 September 2005
Page published: 8 June 2004

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs