Factors affecting food choice
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify and explain the different factors that affect food choice.
Key learning points
- There are a range of factors affecting food choice, including preference, religion, health, location, culture and money.
- Food choice depends on many personal and lifestyle factors, such as body image and role models, as well advertising.
- The eating occasion and location, as well as who we eat with, can change our food choices.
- Food labels can be used to make informed food choices, such as nutrition and allergy labelling.
- When planning to cook, the time available, cost of ingredients, and food skill experience should be considered.
Keywords
Factors - a fact or influence that affects what food people decide to buy, cook and/or eat
Food choice - what food people decide to buy, cook and/or eat
Informed - to make a decision based on having knowledge of a subject
Common misconception
We only make conscious food choices about what food we buy, cook and eat, based on a range of factors.
We make conscious and unconscious food choices about the food we buy, cook and eat.
Teacher tip
To bring 'making food choices' to life, use a range of food labels and/or restuarant menus (downloaded online) and ask pupils to make choices based on a range of factors for different people, e.g. having an allergy, following a vegan diet, reducing salt intake. Pupils should explain their reasons.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? We should drink more when it is hot or when we are active.
Q2.Which would you choose to help towards your 5 A DAY?
Q3.Which of the following can be used to help make better food and drink choices for health?
Q4.When choosing food, why should we have less of these types of foods: cakes, biscuits, ice cream, crisps, and lemonade?
Q5.Packaged foods have food which can help us make decisions.
Q6.Match the food to the occasion.
breakfast
party
picnic
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which sandwich would you choose if you wanted one lower in fat?
Q2.What might influence what we eat consciously?
Q3.Match the location to the most likely food.
breakfast, e.g. cereal and toast
picnic, e.g. sandwiches
snack, e.g. popcorn
birthday cake
Q4.Which allergens are being identified on this label?
Q5.Food labels can be used to make food choices.
To help you plan your 7 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Factors affecting food choice, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Factors affecting food choice, 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 3 cooking and nutrition lessons from the Informed food choices unit, dive into the full secondary cooking and nutrition curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.