Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table

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MIDDLE LEVEL

SCIENCE

 

AND

 

 

OUR FOOD SUPPLY

Investigating Food Safety from

 

Farm

 

to

 

Table

Teacher’s Guide for Middle Level Classrooms

National

 Science

  Teachers

   Association

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SCIENCE

 

AND

 

 

OUR FOOD SUPPLY

Dear Teacher,

What captures the interest of students? Food! A proven motivator, interest in food can be used to 

engage students in inquiry-based science. Never before has food science received the public attention 

it’s receiving now — from scientists and public health officials to lawmakers and the media. 

Taking advantage of this broad public interest, coupled with the richness of advances in food science, 

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) 

formed a partnership to develop teaching and learning materials. FDA is an agency of the U.S.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

government authorized by Congress to inspect, test, and set safety standards for all food, except 

meat, poultry, and processed eggs. NSTA is the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to 

the teaching of science. Its mission is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and 

learning for all. Through this partnership, leading FDA food scientists from across the country provided 

their expertise in designing challenging laboratory experiments and activities for this program in 

collaboration with an expert panel of teachers coordinated by NSTA. 

We are pleased to present you with a copy of Science and Our Food Supply. This innovative, 

supplemental curriculum introduces students to the fundamentals of microbiology, while at the 

same time imparting important public health information. Custom designed for use by middle level 

teachers, the emphasis is on an inquiry approach, which is in alignment with current science education 

standards. It also provides a science and technology connection for those educators focusing on STEM 

in their classrooms. 

Science and Our Food Supply suggests many 

useful teaching ideas and strategies. FDA and 

NSTA have also partnered in the development 

and offering of a “Professional Development 

Program in Food Science,” designed to better 

prepare teachers in the use of the curriculum 

materials to maximize the learning opportunities for their students. If you are interested in this 

program or other workshops and support opportunities, please visit the program’s website at 

www.teachfoodscience.org. 

We are confident that you and your students will find Science and Our Food Supply to be a useful 

guide to an engaging and relevant learning experience.

Science and Our Food Supply is 

classroom-tested. It was developed 

in conjunction with an experienced 

team of middle level science teachers.