Introduction

Why choose food and nutrition?

The WJEC in Food and Nutrition will equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. It will encourage you to cook a range of dishes and will give you the required knowledge and understanding to enable you to make informed decisions about food and nutrition. With the knowledge you gain you will be able to feed yourselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life.

By studying Food and Nutrition you will:

Demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking a variety of food commodities whilst using different cooking techniques and equipment.
Develop knowledge understanding of the functional properties and chemical characteristics of food as well as a sound knowledge of the nutritional content of food and drinks.
Understand the relationship between diet, nutrition and help, including the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health.
Understand the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural influences on food availability, production processes, diet and health choices.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food.
Understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional Welsh, British and international) to inspire new ideas all modify existing recipes

Course content

You will study:

1. Food crop groups:

carbohydrate foods
dairy foods and alternatives
fats and oils
fruits and vegetables
protein foods, including eggs, fish, meat and other plant-based options.

2. Nutrients for a balanced diet:

Macronutrients
Micronutrients
A balanced diet

3. Diet and health:

How nutritional needs change over life stages
Dietary needs and nutritional deficiencies
Other factors affecting food choices

4. Cooking food:

Why we cook food
Heat transfer methods
Cooking methods

5. Food decline:

Storage and temperature control
Hygiene and safety • Preservation
Food poisoning

6. From farm to fork:

Origin of food
Food and the environment
Primary and secondary food processing

Assessment

Unit 1: Principles of Food and Nutrition: on-screen written examination, I hour 30 minutes (40% of the qualification)

Unit 2: Food Investigation: non-examination assessment, 8 hour task, (20% of the qualification)

This will involve practical experimental work and written work based on a specific food commodity

Unit 3: Food and Nutrition in action: non-examination assessment, 12 hour task, (40% of the qualification)

This will involve research to a given brief, plus planning, preparation, cooking (1 x 3 hour session) of 3 dishes to form a menu

Examining body

School contact

Mrs Rhian Ruddall

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