| Introduction Recently, food literacy has emerged as a framework for food education (Colatruglio and Slater, 2014; Vidgen and Gallegos, 2014). Although there is no universally accepted definition for food literacy, it includes at least four main domains: the food system from production to waste; the effect of food on health and well-being; the wider context of the food system including social, economic, cultural, environmental, and political factors; and development of skills and behaviours related to food (Bellotti, 2010; Cullen et al., 2015; Fordyce-Voorham, 2015; Vidgen and Gallegos, 2014). Many citizens of contemporary society have weak, unhealthy relationships with the food system (Colatruglio and Slater, 2014; Worsley, 2011). Loss of traditional food knowledge, skills, and cultures (Stuckler and Nestle, 2012), the adverse environmental effects of modern food production methods (Friel et al., 2014; Tilman et al., 2011), the nutrition transition and associated diet related non-communicable diseases (Popkin et al., 2012), health and social inequity (Desmarais and Wittman, 2014) have all resulted from these unhealthy relationships. School food literacy education could play a valuable role to re-establish the relationship between citizens and the food system (Colatruglio and Slater, 2014; Lichtenstein and Ludwig, 2010). Teachers are one vital group of stakeholders who are responsible for the success of school food literacy education (Gussow and Contento, 1984). Sumner (2013) emphasizes teachers’ roles in exposing learners to the broader aspects of the food system. These include discussions about global food contexts, food-related social movements, environmental issues associated with food production, processing, and consumption, and the role of food in health and well-being. According to the best of the authors’ knowledge, few secondary school curricula focus on these broad aspects of food literacy. For example, in Canada the revised Ontario Family Studies learning area is focussed on some broad food literacy areas (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). One of the curriculum assessment authorities in Australia, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), designed a new curriculum named Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Food Studies for senior secondary school students (years 11 and 12) in Victoria in 2015 and it was introduced to the students in 2017. It can be considered as a first attempt to incorporate broad aspects of food literacy at the senior secondary school level in Australia. This new curriculum replaced the older VCE Food Technology curriculum. It differs remarkably from the previous curriculum in many ways including, the inclusion of an interdisciplinary approach to food, less emphasis on food design processes ( food product development), inclusion of critical inquiry, and replacement of school assessed tasks (e.g. folio) with school assessed coursework such as practical reports and podcasts. |
