We don’t just eat food, we talk about it – a lot!  We are all concerned about obesity and eating disorders, some of our biggest celebrities are chefs, and there is a great deal of discussion about the role of supermarkets and their stranglehold on both the nation’s weekly shop and farmers remuneration,  You’d think the government would be doing all it could to promote knowledge and understanding of food.  Not so!

Food A-level is likely to be abolished.  It is a qualification that spans science, politics, business, technology and design, and can lead to all manner of careers.  Students are likely to travel down such varied routes as becoming dieticians, food product developers, midwives, biologists, teachers  and doctors.

As Judith Baker, the Chief Examiner for A-Level Food says, “The frustration is that there seems to be mis-conception of the subject discipline. This A-Level is primarily an academic study of food science, nutrition and issues related to food production and manufacture”.

Consultation Cake – yes it really is a cake!

Delivering the consultation cake to the government as part of the campaign to keep the Food A-Level.

Teachers of the subject say that students see the value of this subject not just as a means of accruing UCAS points for universtiy, but because it offers knowledge, understanding and skills for life.  The new GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition is seen as a positive development and is proving to be a highly popular subject option for students. Teachers had expected and indeed looked forward to a new A-Level in Food, Nutrition and Food Science to allow progression from the GCSE course. But this is looking unlikely.

A-Level Food appears to have fallen foul of a view that some subjects are ‘Mickey Mouse subjects’ (media studies is the most often derided, of course), subjects that are not suitable for the imprimatur of the ‘Gold Standard’ of A level.  Surely it is the relevance and rigour of the study rather than the subject that should be decisive – otherwise we will have an education and qualification system fit of the 1950s rather than the 21st century.

The government consultation period is nearly over – so if you want to put in your views on this you will need to be quick.  Go to the relevant government web page.

There is more information on the Save Food Tech website.

Photo: Kelly Hunter

Tags: A Levels, Food, Food technology, Science