Task 8

Materials and tools for a working group:

• different food packaging

The activity focuses on what kind of information can be found on the food packaging. At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher can discuss with pupils whether they have noticed that some people in the shops „study“ labels on food packaging. Through the interview, he finds out why they think people do it, whether they (or their parents) are reading the food packages and what they can find on the food packaging. Subsequently, the teacher distributes the various products to the groups and asks pupils to study what is on the packaging. He will provide each group with at least 2-3 products so that pupils can compare them. What do they have in common? What makes them different? What is on each package? What can you learn from the packaging?

They write down what they have observed. The teacher discusses their findings. The common information we can find on each food package are as follows: food name, weight, composition, nutrition information, manufacturer information, etc. They differ in packaging – its materials and sizes. Of course, they also differ in the composition itself, with the basic ingredients of food being proteins, carbohydrates and fats, which we call macronutrients. To put it simply, proteins are building materials, they provide „body building“, carbohydrates supply us with energy important for movement and thinking. The role of fats is very complex – they are also a source of energy for the body (they are much richer in energy than carbohydrates), but their presence in the body ensures and conditions many other processes in the body (eg some vitamins dissolve in fats, fiber, etc.)

After identifying the information on the packaging, each group retains one product and searches for specific information on the packaging:

• product name,
• packing weight,
• composition,
• energy value per 100g,
• how much carbohydrates, fats, proteins it contains,
• vitamin content,
• salt content.

At the end, they compare each item/food. The teacher discusses with the pupils why it is important to know the information (e.g. to find out the expiration date, the energy value of the food, the composition of the food, etc.). Students will become more skillful in searching for important consumer information of different products.