Healthy Snack Design

Overview

Students work in teams to design, make and test a single-serve healthy chip-and-dip product for the school tuck shop. They identify the needs of their users, select suitable ingredients, develop a recipe and packaging concept, follow food-safety procedures, and use feedback to improve their design.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify the needs and preferences of primary-aged tuck-shop customers
• select natural, nut-free, low-sodium ingredients for a healthy snack
• develop and customise a recipe for one chip-and-dip serving
• apply safe and hygienic food-preparation procedures
• product test and use feedback to evaluate and improve a design

Success criteria

I can:

• explain who my product is for and what their needs are
• create a unique, quick, healthy, low-sodium, nut-free chip-and-dip recipe
• make and package one attractive single serving safely
• collect and display feedback about taste, crunch, texture and appearance
• suggest a specific improvement based on evidence

Curriculum links

• Technology: technological practice — identifying a need, developing a brief, planning, making, testing and evaluating a food product.
• Technology: technological products — understanding how ingredients, preparation methods and packaging contribute to a fit-for-purpose product.
• Health and PE: Self-care — making food and drink choices that support daily function, energy levels and overall health.
• Health and PE: Nutrition — recognising that food packaging and advertising can influence choices, and considering how healthy products are presented.
• Social Sciences: Economic Activity / Financial Education — considering a product’s potential customers and the purpose of selling it.

Lesson structure (90 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Hook and design challenge. Teacher opens with the hook and design challenge slides and shows a contrasting image of an appealing snack and its packaging. Ask: “What would make a healthy snack popular at our tuck shop?” Students discuss the target customer and identify possible needs: good flavour, crunch, attractive appearance, affordable ingredients, easy eating and safe packaging.

2. 8–20 min · Brief, criteria and safety. Teacher introduces the design brief on the brief, success criteria and safety slides: “Design one unique, single-serve chip-and-dip combo for primary children. It must be quick and easy to make, healthy, natural, low sodium, nut free, tasty, appealing and well packaged.” Explicitly model handwashing, tied-back hair, clean surfaces, safe knife use, avoiding cross-contamination, checking labels for nuts and sodium, and not tasting with shared utensils. Students help clarify the brief, assign group roles and record their intended customer needs on the healthy snack design brief worksheet.

3. 20–35 min · Ingredient investigation and recipe planning. Teacher displays the suggested ingredient bank through the ingredient investigation and planning slides. Suitable options may include plain unsalted corn or wholegrain wraps for chips, vegetables such as carrot, kūmara or cucumber, and dips based on plain yoghurt, beans, peas, avocado or roasted vegetables. Discuss flavour, colour, texture, nutrition, cost and preparation time; remind students that “natural” does not mean every ingredient is automatically healthy. In groups, students choose ingredients, check labels, customise flavour using herbs, spices, lemon or garlic, and complete a one-serving recipe with quantities and method on the worksheet.

4. 35–55 min · Make and package. Teacher checks each plan, confirms allergy information and organises equipment before groups begin. Students follow their recipe, with roles such as hygiene manager, ingredient measurer, preparer, recorder and packager. They prepare the chips and dip, taste only their own hygienically served product if permitted by school policy, and make adjustments to flavour or texture. Students place the single serving in a suitable food-safe container, keeping chips separate from dip where necessary to preserve crunch, then add a simple label showing the product name, ingredients, allergy warning, date and storage advice. Teacher monitors hygiene, equipment use and safe food handling throughout.

5. 55–72 min · Product test. Teacher explains that testing must be respectful and based on evidence, then opens the product-testing instructions and rating-scale slides. Groups exchange samples only according to school allergy and food-safety procedures; alternatively, the teacher provides teacher-approved tasting portions. Testers rate taste, crunch, texture and appearance using a consistent scale, such as 1–5, and add one short comment. Students record results on the worksheet and calculate or compare group totals. No student is pressured to taste, and comments focus on the product rather than the maker.

6. 72–84 min · Evaluate and communicate. Teacher models how to turn results into a clear chart and how to identify a design improvement. Students create a feedback chart showing taste, crunch, texture and appearance, then complete a labelled drawing of the product and packaging. Their drawing should show the chip portion, dip container, lid, label, serving size and any feature that keeps the product fresh or easy to eat. Groups write a short evaluation explaining whether the product meets the brief and one change they would make before selling it.

7. 84–90 min · Share and exit reflection. Groups give a 30-second tuck-shop pitch using the sharing and reflection slides: product name, key ingredients, customer benefit and improvement. Students finish with the reflection exit-ticket slips by answering: “Which design decision best met our customer’s needs, and what evidence supports this?” Collect recipes, charts and drawings for assessment.

Resources

• the healthy snack design slide deck
• the healthy snack design brief worksheet
• Ingredients: unsalted wraps or corn tortillas, vegetables, plain yoghurt, beans, avocado, herbs, spices and lemon
• Food-safe containers, small dip pots, lids, labels and markers
• Chopping boards, child-safe knives, measuring spoons, bowls and serving utensils
• Handwashing facilities, aprons, paper towels and sanitising spray
• Allergy and ingredient-label checklist
• Prepared feedback rating sheets or worksheet tables
• Calculator or board for comparing feedback totals

Assessment

• During planning, check that each group has identified a customer, selected nut-free and low-sodium ingredients, and written a workable one-serving recipe.
• Observe hygiene, safe equipment use, role participation and decision-making during preparation.
• Assess the completed recipe, feedback chart, labelled packaging drawing and evaluation against the design brief; use the exit ticket to identify students’ understanding of evidence-based improvement.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-supported ingredient cards, a partially completed recipe, a word bank and sentence starters such as “Our customer needs…” and “The feedback shows…”.
• Offer pre-cut ingredients or a reduced equipment role for students requiring motor, sensory or medical support; follow individual health plans and school allergy procedures.
• Pair students strategically and use clear group roles, visual safety reminders and teacher modelling for EAL learners.
• Extend confident groups by asking them to justify packaging choices, compare two flavour variations, estimate ingredient cost per serving or improve the design while keeping it low sodium and within the time limit.