It’s a Date!
Learning about best before and use by dates and why they are important for food safety.
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HWB 1-33a - I am becoming aware of how cleanliness, hygiene and safety can affect health and wellbeing and I apply this knowledge in my everyday routines such as taking care of my teeth.
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HWB 2-33a - Having learned about cleanliness, hygiene and safety, I can apply these principles to my everyday routines, understanding their importance to health and wellbeing.
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HWB 1-16a - I am learning to assess and manage risk, to protect myself and others, and to reduce the potential for harm when possible.
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HWB 2-16a - I am learning to assess and manage risk, to protect myself and others, and to reduce the potential for harm when possible.
- We are learning the differences between best before and use by dates.
- Understanding the importance of looking at the label for use by and best before dates.
- Understanding the difference between best before (taste) and use by (food safety).
- Understanding 'use by' is related to bugs, pathogens.
Resources
- Teacher's notes on food safety and food labelling.
- Food label images (and real examples from home) with best before and use by dates printable on sheets.
- Teacher resource sheet on best before and use by dates.
- Watch our video on best before and use by dates.
Setting up
Food labels from home and FSS printable labels – teachers to fill in dates as directed – print off sheets, fill in dates and photocopy for the class.
Children sort the labels by date:
- free sort
- sort by best before and use by.
Activities
Discuss the differences between foods in each group from sorting exercise:
- why foods have either best before or use by dates
- what the implications are for food safety
- food waste – why you should plan your weekly meals depending on the use by/best before dates.
Plan a week long menu based on the use by and best before dates using the foods in sheets 1 and 2. Think about:
- which foods should be eaten at which points in the week to provide safe food?
- pupils can design their own weekly menu template.
Ordering by dates:
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pupils place food labels in order of dates.
Assessment opportunities
DO – I can plan a weekly menu using best before and use by dates
SAY – I can explain the terms best before and use by
SAY – I can explain what happens to food past its best before or use by dates
DO – I can identify the best before and use by dates on food labels
Consider CfE Benchmarks, for example:
- Explains the different between use by and best before dates.
Cross-curricular links
Literacy – listening & talking
Maths – tallies
ICT – iPad/iMovie
Expressive arts – posters or play or iMovie or advertisement or song or news report.
Differentiation
Support
- Introduce best before and use by dates as characters.
- Simplify dates/use days of week or visual calendar or simply refer to as ‘before’ or ‘after’.
- Highlight dates on labels and blank out other distracting information.
Challenge
- At home activity:
- note best before and use by dates on food labels at home
- go food shopping with parent or carer
- discuss how best before and use by dates are used when shopping.
- Explore best before and use by dates in context of food waste and food banks – long-life food.
- Class trip to a supermarket to understand best before and use by dates.
- Create a board game using best before and use by dates and different types of food.
