With the right knowledge and enthusiasm, kids can have a positive influence on food waste in their home.  Veg Power and Baylab, Bayer UK’s free laboratory for schools, have co-created #FoodWasteWarrior – a flexible education resource for teachers of students aged 7 – 11, to increase understanding about food waste and future food supply. Focusing on how important the reduction of food waste is for protecting our environment, the ‘Food Waste Warrior’ activity has been designed in line with Key Stage 2 learning opportunities. 

Available online, the resource offers class material and homework activities. ‘Food Waste Warrior’ addresses the fact that global population is predicted to reach 10 billion by 2050, meaning we will need to be producing 50% more food to feed the world.  It explores how food systems are a huge contributor to climate change, yet the majority of food wasted is in fact edible. 

With a ‘field to fork’ approach, Veg Power and Baylab have developed a series of exciting missions encouraging children to play their part by reducing food waste in the home.  Utilising analysis, literacy, and numeracy skills, students will need to be responsible for monitoring food waste in their home in order to gain an official Food Waste Warrior title and certificate!

With veg as a focus, shared homework tasks are a great way to get kids and grown-ups to consider how to store veg efficiently, ways to eat more parts of a vegetable, and inspire them to make the most out of leftovers.  Any vegetables left on the plate at the end of one meal are the building blocks for the next meal, reducing what lands in the bin, and saving money at the same time.  

Food production takes energy and natural resources – land, soil, water, minerals, fuel.  It contributes to air, soil and water pollution.  We should be enjoying every delicious, edible mouthful of the food we buy in the UK, to help reduce #foodwaste .  This classroom initiative seeks to educate and inspire.

On behalf of everyone involved in this collaboration, we’re delighted to be offering Food Waste Warrior as a permanently available, free of charge resource for Years 3 – 6 teachers and their students.

Find the resources here.

#PledgeToWasteLess @Bayer4CropsUK @UKBayer