β Wales Food Preparation & Nutrition
Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Food Preparation & Nutrition syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales Food Preparation & Nutritionsyllabus, 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 6: Cooking and food preparation
Module overview β- What affects the food choices people make, from cost and lifestyle to culture, beliefs and marketing?Factors affecting food choice: cost and income, lifestyle and time, health, religion and culture, ethical and moral beliefs, special diets, enjoyment and preference, and the influence of marketing and labelling.9 min answer β
- How do we store, prepare and cook food safely to prevent food poisoning?Food safety and hygiene: personal and kitchen hygiene, cross-contamination, the temperature danger zone, the bacteria that cause food poisoning, safe cooking and chilling temperatures, and date labels.10 min answer β
- What is sensory evaluation, why do food makers use it, and what testing methods are there?Sensory evaluation: the senses used to judge food, why sensory testing is carried out, the main preference and discrimination tests, and how to set up a fair sensory test.9 min answer β
Area 3: Diet and good health
Module overview β- How does a poor diet cause ill health, and what diet-related conditions and intolerances should I know about?Diet-related health: how poor diet causes obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, bone health problems and some cancers, plus food allergies and intolerances and how diets are adapted.10 min answer β
- Where does the energy in food come from, what affects how much we need, and what is energy balance?Energy in the diet: the energy values of macronutrients, basal metabolic rate and physical activity level, factors affecting energy needs, energy balance, and the effects of taking in too much or too little energy.9 min answer β
- What is a balanced diet, how do the Eatwell Guide and dietary guidelines help, and how do nutritional needs change across life stages?Planning a balanced diet: the Eatwell Guide, the current UK dietary guidelines, and how nutritional needs differ for different life stages and groups.10 min answer β
Area 1: Food commodities
Module overview β- What are bread, cereals, flour and potatoes, what do they give us in the diet, and how do they behave when cooked?Bread, cereals, flour and potatoes as a food commodity group: their nutritional value, the value of starchy carbohydrates in the diet, the main types, their working characteristics, and how they are stored.9 min answer β
- What are fats, oils and sugars used for in cooking, what do they do to the diet, and what are their working characteristics?Butter, oils, margarine, sugar and syrup as a food commodity group: their value and risks in the diet, the main types, working characteristics such as shortening, aeration and caramelisation, and storage.9 min answer β
- What do fruit and vegetables give us in the diet, how are they classified, and how should they be prepared, cooked and stored to keep their value?Fruit and vegetables as a food commodity group: their nutritional value, the five-a-day message, how they are classified, enzymic browning, how preparation and cooking affect vitamin C, and storage.9 min answer β
- What do meat, fish, poultry and eggs give us in the diet, how are they classified, and how must they be cooked and stored to be safe?Meat, fish, poultry and eggs as a food commodity group: their nutritional value as HBV protein foods, classification, working characteristics such as protein coagulation, the functions of eggs, and safe cooking and storage of these high-risk foods.10 min answer β
- What do milk, cheese and yoghurt give us in the diet, what types are there, and how do they behave when cooked and stored?Milk, cheese and yoghurt (dairy) as a food commodity group: their nutritional value, the main types, heat treatment of milk, working characteristics such as coagulation, and safe storage.9 min answer β
- What do soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds give us in the diet, and why are they important for vegetarian and vegan diets?Soya, tofu, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds as a food commodity group: their nutritional value as plant protein foods, protein complementation, their value in vegetarian and vegan diets, and their use and storage.9 min answer β
Area 2: Principles of nutrition
Module overview β- What are carbohydrates, why does the body need them, and what is the difference between sugars, starch and fibre?Carbohydrate as a macronutrient: its function in the body, sugars (simple) and starch (complex), free sugars, dietary fibre, food sources, and the effects of too much or too little.9 min answer β
- What are fats and oils, why does the body need them, and what is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat?Fat as a macronutrient: its function in the body, saturated and unsaturated fats, fatty acids, cholesterol, food sources, and the effects of too much or too little fat.9 min answer β
- What are minerals and why does the body need them, and why is water so important in the diet?Minerals as micronutrients (calcium, iron, sodium) and water: their functions, food sources, deficiency and excess effects, and the importance of hydration.9 min answer β
- What is protein, why does the body need it, and what is the difference between high and low biological value protein?Protein as a macronutrient: its function in the body, amino acids and essential amino acids, high and low biological value protein, protein complementation, food sources, and the effects of too little or too much.9 min answer β
- What are vitamins, why does the body need them, and what is the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins?Vitamins as micronutrients: fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B group and C), their functions, food sources, deficiency effects, and how cooking affects them.10 min answer β
Area 4: The science of food
Module overview β- Why do we cook food, how does heat travel into food, and what are the main methods of cooking?Why food is cooked and how heat is transferred: conduction, convection and radiation, and the main moist, dry and fat-based cooking methods with their effects on food.9 min answer β
- What are the functional and chemical properties of food, and why do ingredients behave the way they do when cooked?Functional and chemical properties of carbohydrates, proteins and fats: gelatinisation, dextrinisation, caramelisation, protein coagulation and denaturation, the Maillard reaction, foam formation, shortening, aeration, plasticity and emulsification.10 min answer β
- What makes food go off, what conditions do micro-organisms need, and how can we preserve food?Microbiology and food spoilage: the micro-organisms that spoil food, the conditions they need to grow, signs of spoilage, enzymic action, and methods of food preservation.10 min answer β
- What are raising agents, how do they make baked goods rise, and what are the main types?Raising agents: how they introduce gas to make mixtures rise, the main biological, chemical, mechanical and steam raising agents, and how each works.9 min answer β
Area 5: Where food comes from
Module overview β- How is food processed and made, what is the difference between primary and secondary processing, and why are foods fortified?Food processing and production: primary and secondary processing, the effect of processing on nutritional value, fortification and additives, and how staple foods such as flour, cheese and yoghurt are produced.9 min answer β
- Where does our food come from, what do food miles and food provenance mean, and what are the environmental and ethical issues?Food provenance and food miles: where food is grown, reared or caught, food miles and the carbon footprint, seasonality, local and organic food, and the environmental and ethical issues of food production.9 min answer β
- What is food security, how can food be produced sustainably, and how can we cut food waste?Food security and sustainability: the meaning of food security, the threats to it, sustainable food production including reducing waste and packaging, sustainable fishing and the impact of food choices on the environment.9 min answer β