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Schools sign up to Recipe for Success
19/02/2010
Scotland's young people are to be educated on the benefits of eating fresh, seasonal food, how it's produced, and career opportunities within the food chain.
As part of a new drive the Scottish Government has today unveiled over £250,000 to teach children about the supply chain and where food comes from, highlighting how it effects their health, the wider environment and economy.
The package includes:
- Funding for the Royal Highland Education Trust to get 1800 primary school pupils involved in food and farming visits over the next 12 months
- Cooking demos for over 1000 pupils at this summer's Royal Highland Show
- Farmers' market schools pilot
- Work with Learning and Teaching Scotland to provide additional support for teachers and pupils through Curriculum for Excellence
- Backing for the Scottish Food and Drink Federation's national programme to educate more pupils about the industry and consider it as a career choice
- Making food and drink a theme for the 2010 International Eco-Schools Conference
- A secondary schools parliamentary debate on food and the environment
- A new procurement guide for SMEs, including those who cater for schools, to be launched next month
Unveiling the plans at the NFU Scotland AGM in St Andrews today, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"These are exciting times for Scotland's food and drink industry. Farmers, processors and retailers know that Scotland's larder is one of our key economic strengths. Demand for Scottish produce both at home and abroad continues to soar.
"Last year we published 'Recipe for Success', Scotland's first ever national food and drink policy. Much has already been achieved, but 2010 can be the year people start to really believe that Scotland is a land of food and drink.
"What better way to build on this reputation than to educate the next generation about the food they eat, from plough to plate? I am today announcing a substantial package of support and investment to make this happen.
"I want children across Scotland, from Castlemilk to Caithness to Castle Douglas, and Glasgow to Galloway, to learn more about the health and environmental benefits of eating fresh, seasonal produce. We must also ensure that our young people continue to be well served by our groundbreaking Curriculum for Excellence. We are working with Learning and Teaching Scotland to ensure pupils get to grips with the food and drink agenda across the entire school curriculum.
"In order to create a strong, safe, prosperous and sustainable Scotland we need to revalue our relationship with food and Scotland's food producers. The potential for food from Scotland is huge. We already have a fantastic global reputation for quality food and drink, but there is so much more we can all do to build on it."
Flora McLean, director of SFDF, said:
"This is a significant investment by the Scottish Government and SFDF is proud to continue to have a central role to play in helping to make the food and drink manufacturing sector a career destination of choice. It is crucial for the industry's future growth and success that we attract an adequate supply of skilled people.
"Building on the success of our short careers film 'A World of Opportunities' - also made possible by a Scottish Government grant - we now plan to roll out a robust programme of activity across both primary and secondary schools. The national programme will be designed to inspire and help school children make the connection between the food on their plates, what they are learning in school and employment in our dynamic industry. With rewarding careers in roles as diverse as engineering, marketing or new product development, our industry really is a world of opportunity."
Kate Campbell, Manager of Eco-Schools Scotland said:
"Eco-Schools Scotland is delighted to be working with the Scottish Government on 'Recipe for Success'. This offers a unique opportunity to help children learn, not just about the benefits of healthy eating, but also about the environmental and sustainability issues surrounding food production and consumption. Development of such a programme will also have the added benefit of educating our young people about food and the environment in the context of sustainable development issues, a major theme of the Curriculum for Excellence."
Royal Highland Education Trust Manager Alison Motion said:
"We are grateful to the Scottish Government for their support. The funding we will receive from the overall package allows us to develop our work in helping children make the link between primary production on the farm and the food that they consume. RHET has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that children and teachers get the message about the provenance of Scottish food, its role in a healthy diet and how its production impacts on the countryside and the environment."
Learning about Scottish produce from plough to plate is one of the key areas highlighted in the National Food and Drink Policy. 'Recipe for Success' recognises that some of our children do not understand how their food is produced, how it is cooked, what is healthy and how it effects their long term health and wider environment.
The Scottish Government will provide over £250,000 in three separate grants to help children find out more about where their food comes from and potential careers available in the industry. The food and drink Industry is a key sector of the Scottish Government's Economic Strategy and has strong skill needs in areas including engineering, science and food technology. The Scottish Food and Drink Federation, working with Learning and Teaching Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, Improve and Scotland's Food and Drink Skills Academy, will develop a two year national programme in primary and secondary schools across Scotland. The aim is to encourage children to learn more about the food and drink industry and consider it as a career.
The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) will take 1800 children out to food and farming events across Scotland over the next 12 months. The RHET will organise and run food and farming outdoor educational events for 180 primary six pupils from six schools per area. Ten areas will be covered over the period 2010/2011. In addition, at the 2010 Royal Highland Show they will show 1000 children how to cook healthy, simple recipes using Scottish produce in the Children's Cookery Theatre.
A farmers' market will also be piloted within a school as an enterprise initiative, highlighting the benefits of sourcing local produce. This is modelled on a schools project provided by the Mid Wales Food Trust. Schools learn more about the food which is served along with some of the economics of selling it; the community has improved engagement with the school and has first hand experiences of farmers' markets and local produce.
The Eco-Schools programme is a worldwide recognised award scheme, over 950 Scottish schools have achieved the prestigious green flag status. To help children become more aware of environmental issues around food, we have funded Eco-Schools to arrange a parliamentary debate for schoolchildren. The Scottish Government is also supporting the Eco-Schools Programme to hold the International Eco-schools conference in Scotland in November.