β Scotland Health & Food Technology
Scotland Β· SQASyllabus
Health & Food Technology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Scotland Health & Food Technologysyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Area 3: Contemporary Food Issues
Module overview β- How are consumers protected when they buy food, and which laws and organisations look after their interests?The laws that protect food consumers and the organisations that uphold consumer interests, including Food Standards Scotland, trading standards, environmental health and consumer advice bodies.9 min answer β
- How is National 5 Health and Food Technology assessed, and what does the assignment involve?An overview of the course assessment: the question paper and the assignment, what each is worth, and the skills they test, including how to approach the assignment.8 min answer β
- Why do people choose the foods they do, and what factors are behind those choices?The factors that affect consumer food choice, including cost and budget, availability, lifestyle and time, likes and dislikes, health, religion and culture, and advertising.9 min answer β
- What information must a food label carry, and how does labelling help the consumer make choices?The information that must by law appear on a food label, including the name, ingredients, allergens, weight, dates, storage and cooking instructions and nutritional information, and how labelling helps consumers choose.9 min answer β
- How has technology changed the food we can buy, and what are the benefits and drawbacks?Technological developments in food, including functional foods, fortification, food additives, genetically modified foods, novel foods and modern packaging, and their benefits and drawbacks for the consumer.10 min answer β
Area 1: Food for Health
Module overview β- What are the different types of carbohydrate, what do they do, and why does the type we eat matter for health?The function and dietary sources of carbohydrate, including starch, sugars and dietary fibre (NSP), and the effects on health of eating too much sugar or too little fibre.9 min answer β
- What is the current dietary advice in Scotland, and how can a meal be changed to follow it?Current Scottish and UK dietary advice, including the Scottish Dietary Goals and the Eatwell Guide, and how to adapt food choices to meet that advice.9 min answer β
- Which health conditions are linked to diet, what causes them, and how can diet help prevent them?The diet-related conditions linked to poor food choices, including coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, osteoporosis, anaemia, high blood pressure and bowel disorders, and the dietary changes that reduce their risk.10 min answer β
- How do a person's dietary needs change at different stages of life, and why?How dietary needs change at different stages of life, including babies and children, teenagers, adults, pregnant women and older adults, and how to adapt meals to meet them.10 min answer β
- What do fats and oils do in the body, what is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat, and why does eating too much matter?The function and dietary sources of fat, the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, the role of cholesterol, and the effects on health of eating too much fat.9 min answer β
- Which minerals does the body need, what do they do, and why is water just as important?The function, dietary sources and effects of deficiency or excess of the minerals calcium, iron, sodium and phosphorus, and the function of water in the body.9 min answer β
- What does protein do in the body, where do we get it, and what happens if we eat too much or too little?The function and dietary sources of protein, the difference between proteins of high and low biological value, and the effects on health of eating too much or too little protein.9 min answer β
- Which vitamins do we need, what does each one do, where do we get them, and what happens if we go short?The function, dietary sources and effects of deficiency of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D and the water-soluble vitamins (the B group and vitamin C).10 min answer β
Area 2: Food Product Development
Module overview β- Why are new food products developed, and what factors shape what a manufacturer decides to make?The factors that influence the development of new food products, including consumer demand and lifestyle, healthy eating and nutrition, cost, technology, and environmental and sustainability concerns.9 min answer β
- What jobs does packaging do for a food product, and how do environmental concerns shape packaging choices?The functions of food packaging, including protecting and preserving food, carrying information, attracting consumers and making food easy to transport, and the environmental issues raised by packaging.8 min answer β
- What jobs do ingredients do in a recipe, and how does understanding them help develop food products?The functional properties of ingredients in food, including aeration, binding, bulking, coating, dextrinisation, emulsification, gelatinisation, shortening and thickening, and how they are used when developing food products.10 min answer β
- How do manufacturers test what a food product tastes, looks and feels like, and why does it have to be done fairly?Sensory testing of food products, including the senses used, the main types of test (preference, discrimination and ranking or rating), and how testing is carried out fairly to give reliable results.9 min answer β
- What are the stages a food product goes through from idea to shop shelf, and why is each one needed?The stages of developing a new food product, from identifying a need and writing a specification through generating and developing ideas, prototyping, testing and evaluating, to the final product and launch.9 min answer β