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Chikara Kakizawa

A recent survey found that 75% of British children can’t boil an egg and in Australia obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness. Obesity in Britain has been rising since the 1980s, when ready-made and microwave meals as well as cake mixes became more prevalent in British supermarkets. It’s scary that today’s children don’t know how to cook at home, but it´s because their parents were never taught to cook. If you cannot cook properly it is impossible to know how to eat properly.

In Britain a 1 hour cooking lesson per week is, at least theoretically, compulsory for primary school children. In 2008 the British Government announced that cookery would be compulsory for 11-14 year-olds from 2011 . The Australian Government is now considering implementing cookery in schools too.

Many specialists agree that while cooking, children learn skills that benefit in other subjects, such as mathematics (measurements), chemistry (following instructions and chemical reactions) and language (through reading).

Cooking lessons at school teach the importance of a healthy balanced diet, nutrition and the importance of getting enough vitamins in an easy and fun way. They also make children more responsible and conscious consumers who know how to shop for food. The top five meal suggestions that a teenager should know how to prepare are soup, risotto, spaghetti bolognese, shepherds pie and casserole.

As a result of the British Government’s decision, there is an urgent need to recruit more food technology teachers and to give further training to current teachers. Pursuing a career in cookery might just be an excellent choice, so get it while it´s hot !

Tags: Australia, Cooking in Schools, Cooking Lessons, Diet and Nutrition, Food Technology, UK