Messaging on Functional Foods

Overview

This 45-minute lesson is designed for Year 13 Health students in New Zealand as part of the unit "Understanding Functional Foods" (Lesson 3 of 8). The focus is on critically analysing marketing messages about functional foods, exploring intentions and motivations behind these messages, while developing students' critical health literacy and decision-making skills.

The lesson directly aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum's Health and Physical Education learning area, especially in the phase 5 (Years 11-13) critical focus: "Navigating pathways and developing agency to help shape the future." The lesson supports students in becoming informed consumers and responsible citizens through analysis and evaluation of real-world health-related media.

---

Curriculum Context and Learning Objectives

Curriculum Reference: The New Zealand Curriculum - Health and Physical Education (Years 11-13 - Phase 5)

• Health: “Students understand influences on health and wellbeing and can make informed, responsible decisions.”
• Key Competencies: Thinking; Using language, symbols, and texts; Managing self; Relating to others.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Analyse various marketing messages related to functional foods to identify persuasive techniques and underlying motivations.
2. Discuss the intentions behind these marketing messages and evaluate their impact on consumer choices and health.
3. Reflect on how marketing messages influence personal and societal perceptions of health and food.
4. Develop skills to critically assess health-related media messages in everyday contexts.

---

Lesson Breakdown (45 Minutes)

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Purpose: Set learning context; connect to prior lessons on what functional foods are and why they matter.
• Do a quick recap with the class on functional foods to ensure shared understanding.
• Introduce the idea that marketing around functional foods uses specific messages crafted to influence consumers.
• Pose the key question: "How do marketing messages about functional foods shape our understanding and choices?"

---

2. Activity 1: Group Analysis of Marketing Messages (20 minutes)

• Format: Small groups (4 students per group)
• Materials: Printed examples of different functional food advertisements, packaging claims, social media posts from both local NZ and global sources.
• Task:
• Identify the key messages, claims, and persuasive strategies (e.g., emotional appeal, health claims, celebrity endorsements, scientific jargon, testimonials).
• Discuss what the marketing is trying to achieve (e.g., sell products, build trust, fear of missing out, appeal to health-conscious consumers).
• Consider the reliability of the information and possible biases.
• Groups record observations on a shared worksheet.

Teacher Role: Circulate, prompt critical questions such as:

• "What words or images stand out to you?"
• "Who is the target audience? Why?"
• "What might the company gain by using these messages?"
• "How can we verify these claims?"

---

3. Class Discussion: Intentions and Impact (10 minutes)

• Each group shares highlights of their analysis.
• Facilitate a class discussion on:
• Motivations behind marketing functional foods (profit, brand image, consumer health benefit).
• Potential positive and negative effects of such messages on public perceptions and behaviour.
• How marketing can influence wellbeing and health decisions positively or misleadingly.
• Link discussion to the importance of critical health literacy and informed personal choice.

---

4. Reflection and Connection (5 minutes)

• Ask students to reflect individually in their journals or by quick written notes:
• How has today's analysis changed the way you view functional food marketing?
• What questions will you ask next time you see health claims on food packaging or ads?
• Invite a few students to share reflections.

---

5. Wrap-Up and Next Steps (5 minutes)

• Summarise key points from the lesson emphasizing critical analysis skills and awareness of messaging intentions.
• Preview next lesson: deeper exploration into nutritional evidence behind functional foods.
• Assign a short homework task: bring a functional food advertisement or packaging with health claims to the next class.

---

Assessment Opportunities

• Formative:

• Observation of group discussions assessing students' ability to identify marketing techniques.

• Class discussion participation demonstrating critical understanding of intentions behind messages.

• Reflection notes assessing personal connection and critical awareness.

• Developing Capability: This lesson supports students in building the Health and Physical Education key competencies of Thinking and Using language, symbols, and texts by critically evaluating media messages. It also fosters Managing self through reflective practice.

---

Pedagogical Notes and Differentiation

• Use real and relevant NZ-based examples alongside international ads to make content local and globally aware.
• For students who need more support, provide guiding questions and vocabulary cards (e.g., "persuasion," "bias," "claim," "evidence").
• For advanced students, encourage them to research and question the scientific validity behind claims or explore government regulation on food marketing.
• Integrate digital literacy by optionally showing short video ads or social media posts via projector.

---

By engaging students with authentic media to analyse functional food messaging, this lesson fosters critical thinking and health literacy aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum’s vision of empowered, informed young people who navigate health information wisely and advocate for their wellbeing and others’.