CFA has developed Chilled Education a unique suite of resources to address the long term training and education needs of the chilled food industry. Chilled Education aims to increase understanding about the range of career opportunities in the chilled food industry and inspire potential new entrants of all ages to get involved.
Chilled Education is working with thousands of teachers and students in ‘Cool Schools’. They are using the range of free lesson plans and innovative hands-on resources designed and developed in a partnership between teachers and CFA food science professionals and are designed to be delivered by teachers, CFA members and STEM Ambassadors working in the industry. (STEM Ambassadors are volunteers from industry who work with young people to inspire interest in their subject and its application to the ‘real world’.)
Lesson plans for each of four key stages (1-4) have been produced by teachers and food science professionals within CFA. The lesson plans cover all key aspects of the chilled food industry from new product development, to microbiology and biochemistry, to labelling to hygiene.
The lessons are in several formats:
- Science lesson plans for primary and secondary teachers and STEM Ambassadors. Developed by CFA in partnership with science teachers
- Science lesson plans for secondary teachers. Developed in partnership with the Association for Science Education’s School Science initiative: the effect of pH on yeast activity in fruit juice, microbes in yoghurt, investigating the pinking of lettuce, modelling microbial growth and species variation and genetic adaptation.
- Lesson plans for primary and secondary food teachers. Developed by CFA in partnership with the D&T Association.
‘Chilled Education’ is supported by the Food Standards Agency, the Design and Technology Association (D&TA), the Association for Science Education (ASE), the Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) Ambassadors network, the Science Council, School Science and the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST).