鈥淭he Scottish Government is interested in changing the way that children connect with food and understand where food comes from,鈥 Vivian explains. 鈥淩egaining cooking skills is a key element too 鈥 it鈥檚 a life skill that we need to put back again. Many parents don鈥檛 cook anymore and we are trying to really give this confidence back to the children, and involve the parents where we can.
鈥淪ustainability is a real concern for schools, the community and the Government too so we鈥檙e looking at increasing awareness among children about food waste and food provenance 鈥 showing why it鈥檚 better to eat local and seasonal.鈥
To date, the project has worked with over 1,210 nurseries and schools in 28 out of the 32 Scottish local authorities. Pupils find out about sustainable food production from growing their own produce and also trying out recipes.
It鈥檚 an interdisciplinary approach that not only connects pupils with food but develops numeracy and communication skills.
A key focus of Vivian鈥檚 work is to connect businesses with schools, from small scale suppliers to well-known high street brands. 鈥淢y role is to provide skills and build bridges between the local businesses and the schools. That covers everything from the local butchers to supermarkets like Waitrose.鈥
It鈥檚 not just food suppliers that get involved 鈥 numerical and entrepreneurial skills are important and Vivian has worked with the likes of Lloyds Bank and Clydesdale Bank to bring different aspects of food education into the classroom.
I don鈥檛 think I was making the connection between production and consumption at that age.
鈥淚 had a school which wanted to create an enterprise project,鈥 she explains. 鈥淭hey were growing food and wanted to sell the produce to local restaurants to shorten the supply chain and create an income. We provided a finance masterclass for them with a bank to make sure it was financially sound.鈥
While the schools benefit from the partnerships, it鈥檚 not just a one-way street. Businesses reap rewards too. According to Business in the Community Scotland (who run the Food for Thought project) 100 per cent of the businesses involved have had a 鈥榩ositive experience in the school鈥 and participating businesses have gained opportunities such as networking, increasing the customer base, equipping staff with increased communication and leadership skills and an 鈥榓ffirmative recognition amongst the local community鈥.
One example that Vivian gives shows that the message is getting through to young people: 鈥淚 was working with a class and while we were waiting for a dish to be ready, I asked them why it was important to reduce food waste,鈥 she says. 鈥淥ne eight-year-old child told me: 鈥榃ell, look at this carrot 鈥 it took a lot of work for the farmer to grow this and we can鈥檛 just throw it in the bin if we don鈥檛 eat it鈥. I don鈥檛 think I was making the connection between production and consumption at that age.鈥
Vivian Maeda, 91大神 2010