Food labels for safety
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain where different food should be stored safely.
Key learning points
- Food labels show us information about how to store the food correctly, and when it should be eaten (date marks).
- Depending on the food, they can be stored in kitchen cupboards or on the worksurface, in the fridge, or in the freezer.
- Food stored in sealed packets, cartons or cans, or kept cold in the fridge or freezer, will keep safe to eat for longer.
- Some foods have labels that tell us more about how they were grown or reared, such as Red Tractor.
Keywords
Food label - conveys information about a food on its packaging
Use by - a date mark to indicate the last day a food can be eaten for safety
Best before - a date mark to indicate when, after a date, the food may not look or taste as good, but will be safe
Storage instructions - tell us where best to store food so that it is safe to eat
Common misconception
'Use by' and 'best before' date marks are the same. The food is still safe to eat after the date passes.
'Use by' and 'best before' date marks are not the same. After the 'use by' date passes, the food is not safe to eat. After the ‘best before’ date passes, the food will probably be safe to eat, but may not look or taste as good.
Teacher tip
Use food packaging props to allow pupils to find and disucss different food labels, such as storage instructions, ingredient lists, and date marks. Talk about how these can be used when buying, storing and using food. (Check that the packaging is empty and clean.)
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What information on food packaging helps us know by when to eat the food?
Q2.We should wash raw fruit and vegetables to remove dirt, __________, and __________.
Q3.What allergens are highlighted in this ingredient list?
Q4.True or false? Some food is sold without food labels, e.g. no date marks or storage instructions.
Q5.If we eat food by their date marks ...
Q6.Food and safety rules should be followed by staff when preparing food in shops.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Do not buy food with __________ packaging, such as torn bags, trays or boxes, or dented cans or cartons.
Q2.Match the following for good food storage:
are usually kept in the cupboard.
in the fridge, such as cheese and cooked meats.
in the freezer, such as ice cream and frozen peas.
Q3.True or false? 'Use by' and 'best before' date marks are the same. The food is still safe to eat after the date passes.
Q4.When storing food, we should keep the fridge __________ and the freezer __________.
Q5.Foods which are unpackaged do not have date-marks. What checks should you make?
Q6.This type of food label shows that food has been made to high standards of food or animal welfare.
To help you plan your 6 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Food labels for safety, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Food labels for safety, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 cooking and nutrition lessons from the Safe and edible food unit, dive into the full primary cooking and nutrition curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.