An event to help educate the next generation on red meat has been hailed a huge success by organisers.
Around 70 teachers attended the Meat and Education Conference in Birmingham, as part of an ongoing Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) programme to support secondary food education and provide free online and printed resources to schools.
The programme, which is a joint initiative by AHDB, HCC Meat Promotion Wales and Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland, covers nutrition, healthy eating and cooking techniques for red meat.
The aim is to engage with a younger audience and provide accurate, up-to-date and clear information to key stage three and key stage four students.
The Birmingham conference, which was organised and managed for AHDB by the British Nutrition Foundation and supported by Red Tractor, provided teachers with information on a range of activities including a butchery demonstration, nutrition advice in the teenage years, provenance, recipe ideas and resources for the classroom.
Elsa Healey, Senior Education Manager at AHDB, said: “We were thrilled that our Conference attracted attendees from all across the country and the feedback we have received has been very positive.
“With everything from hands-on activities, to seminars and talks from nutrition experts, the conference provided teachers with a range of clear and accurate information, all of which could be easily adapted for the classroom.
“We believe it is vital to engage with the younger generations to help educate them on the many benefits of eating red meat as part of a healthy varied diet and teach them how to make nutritious and flavoursome meals, that the whole family can enjoy.”
Among the many activities was a Masterclass by AHDB butcher Martin Eccles, designed for GCSE teachers to give them a better understanding of meat products.
He said: “When you are buying a steak there are many things to look for. A good steak will have a nice marbling of fat running through it and steak needs to be matured for a certain period of time to help with tenderness.”
Attendees were also shown how to tie a butcher’s knot, trim a lamb rack, recipe ideas for pork tenderloin and the nutritional benefits of eating lamb kidneys.
The Birmingham event was the third of four Meat and Education Conferences being held in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the first held in London in October last year. The final conference will take place in Northern Ireland on April 1.
