Written by Paris Kazemian Food literacy is more than just knowing what to eat — it’s about understanding how to plan, prepare, and choose food that supports long-term health. While we may think we know what’s best for ourselves and our families, rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases in Australia tell a different story.
This article explores what food literacy means, why it’s essential for our children, and how schools can play a leading role in embedding this vital life skill into education.
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What Is Food Literacy?
In the Australian context, food literacy refers to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required to plan, manage, select, prepare, and eat foods that support a healthy diet. These skills help individuals become more resilient to food marketing, food insecurity, and health misinformation.
According to nutrition experts Helen Vidgen and Danielle Gallegos, food literacy is:
“The scaffolding that empowers individuals, households, communities or nations to protect diet quality through change and strengthen dietary resilience over time.”
Put simply, food literacy helps people take control of their diets — and their health — through informed choices and lifelong habits.
Why Food Literacy Must Start in Schools
Schools are one of the most effective places to teach food literacy. They offer consistent access to students at a young age — the most critical time to shape lifelong behaviours. A supportive school environment, paired with well-designed nutrition education, can lead to healthier eating and better lifestyle habits.
In Victoria, many schools have adopted the Health Promoting Schools Framework through initiatives like The Achievement Program, aiming to improve child health and wellbeing. However, many teachers still struggle with limited time, low confidence, and a lack of ready-made resources.
One teacher from a recent study put it this way:
“Parents seem to get a bit testy about you interfering with decisions that are made at home, like eating… I’d love to have that discussion, but, it’s just not my place.”
The Problem: Food Literacy Is Missing from the Curriculum
Although food literacy plays a vital role in health and wellbeing, curriculum developers have not made it a priority. Currently, they dedicate only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum to food and nutrition, focusing mainly on the Technologies and Health and Physical Education learning areas.
Teachers face a crowded curriculum, with English and Mathematics taking precedence. As a result, many struggle to include food literacy without cutting into essential subjects.
But we can change that.
Rather than treating food education as a separate topic, educators can weave it into existing lessons — a method known as cross-curricular learning.
How to Integrate Food Literacy into Existing Subjects
Embedding food literacy into other learning areas can enrich student understanding and make abstract concepts more relatable.
Here are a few examples:
Mathematics: Calculate energy density and portion sizes.
Geography: Study food cropping patterns and local food systems.
History: Explore how food culture has evolved over time.
English and Media Studies: Critique food marketing and discuss media influence on food choices.
As Margaret Miller, a senior researcher, states:
“Embedding food and nutrition into existing subjects enhances, rather than detracts from these subjects, making them more relevant and applied to daily life.”
The Way Forward: Cross-Sector Leadership for Food Literacy
A recent IPAN study led by Dr Penny Love found that teachers and health professionals overwhelmingly support the integration of food and nutrition across all learning areas.
However, several challenges were identified:
Lack of teacher training and confidence
Few curriculum-aligned resources
Concern about appearing judgmental toward families
The solution? Stronger leadership and collaboration between the health and education sectors. Food literacy must be treated as a core educational priority, just like Sustainability and Indigenous History — both of which are already embedded across the Victorian Curriculum.
Why Food Literacy Matters for the Future
As childhood obesity rates rise and health literacy declines, the need for food literacy in schools has never been greater. Embedding it throughout the curriculum ensures all children — regardless of background — receive the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy lives.
