Reading Food Labels

Year Level

Year 13 (Senior Secondary students in New Zealand)

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

20 students

Unit Context

This is Lesson 2 of 8 in the "Understanding Functional Foods" unit.

Lesson Title

Reading Food Labels

Lesson Description

Students will investigate food packaging to identify functional foods. They will learn to assess the credibility of health and nutrition claims using critical thinking skills. This lesson supports development in understanding personal health and well-being, and societal influences on health, per The New Zealand Curriculum’s Health and Physical Education learning area.

Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area

Health and Physical Education

Achievement Objectives & Key Competencies

Aligned with Year 13 Health, focusing on:

Personal health and physical development: Investigate factors influencing nutrition and well-being.
Healthy communities and environments: Critically analyse health-related claims and influences.
Key Competencies: Managing Self, Thinking, and Using Language, Symbols, and Text.

Specific Skills and Understandings from the Health Curriculum

Critically assessing influences on personal health choices.
Exploring the impact of commercial and cultural factors on dietary decisions.
Using critical thinking to assess information and make informed decisions about functional foods.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify and interpret information on food labels that indicate functional foods.
Critically evaluate the credibility of claims made on food packaging using scientific and nutritional knowledge.
Discuss the importance of understanding food labels in making informed health choices.
Use structured critical thinking questions to assess health claims.

Resources Needed

Examples of diverse commercial food packaging with nutritional labels and health claims (may include NZ brands where possible).
Worksheets with guided questions for label analysis.
Whiteboard or smartboard for group discussion.
Pens and paper.
Optional: projector for showing examples or videos brief on functional foods and claims.

Lesson Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description	Learning Focus
0-5 mins	Introduction	Briefly recall "What are functional foods?" from Lesson 1. Introduce the importance of reading labels for health literacy and functional foods.	Recalling prior knowledge; setting context.
5-10 mins	Vocabulary and Key Concepts	Present important vocabulary (functional foods, health claims, nutrient content, marketing, credibility, critical thinking).	Building specialist vocabulary as per NZ Curriculum emphasis on language use.
10-25 mins	Group Workshop: Investigating Food Labels	In groups of 4, students examine provided food packaging examples (physical or image). They complete a worksheet analysing:	Critical analysis, applying knowledge to real-world texts; collaboration.
		- Identification of functional food ingredients/components.
		- Types of claims made (e.g., “supports digestion”, “high in antioxidants”).
		- Evaluate claims using a critical thinking checklist (research source, scientific backing, hidden agendas, target audience).
25-35 mins	Class Discussion: Evaluate and Reflect	Groups share findings. Teacher facilitates discussion on:	Developing critical thinking; communication skills.
		- How credible were the claims?
		- What questions should consumers ask?
		- Implications for health choices and consumer awareness.
35-40 mins	Teacher Input: How to Identify Reliable Claims	Summarise key strategies for assessing food labels and claims, linking to nutrition science and regulatory standards in NZ (i.e., Food Standards).	Consolidating learning, connecting to real-world contexts, and regulatory frameworks.
40-45 mins	Plenary/Exit Ticket	Students complete a short reflective prompt: "What is one new thing I learnt about reading food labels today, and why does it matter?"	Encouraging metacognition and reflection; formative assessment to check understanding.

Assessment

Formative assessment through group worksheet completion and class discussion contributions.
Exit ticket provides quick insight into individual understanding and reflections on the importance of critical reading of food labels.

Teaching Tips and Differentiation

Support for diverse learners: Provide exemplars and glossaries for unfamiliar terms. Pair students strategically for peer support.
Challenge: Encourage students to compare New Zealand labels to international products or to question how cultural influences affect functional food claims.
Use real New Zealand food products where possible to reflect local supermarket context.
Encourage students to bring in food packaging from home for future lessons to deepen real-life relevance and engagement.

Links to New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) Principles and Values

Inclusion: Activities accessible to all learners through group collaboration and scaffolded tasks.
Community engagement: Understanding food labels connects personal health to wider societal health literacy.
Key Competencies: Building Thinking (critical evaluation skills), Managing Self (making informed decisions), and Using Language, Symbols, and Text (interpreting labels).

This lesson is designed to actively engage year 13 students in hands-on exploration of functional food claims, cultivating their ability to critically assess marketing information and make improved health decisions in line with New Zealand’s national curriculum goals in Health and Physical Education.

If you would like, I can assist in creating worksheets or critical thinking checklists tailored for this lesson.

Teaching Instructions