European Healthy Food

“Myths and Labels: How Healthy Is Our Diet, Really?”
• Duration: 1 hour
• Target group: High school students (Class 9B)
• Objective: Developing critical thinking regarding food marketing, reading labels, and understanding the actual composition of foods consumed daily.
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Activity Stages
1. The Label Challenge
• Student activity: The class is divided into groups of 4–5 students. They bring packaging from home for products popular among young people: carbonated drinks, energy drinks, “fitness” protein bars, fruit yogurts, chips, or processed meats.
• Task: Each group analyzes the packaging label and answers key questions:
o What is the first ingredient on the list (usually the most abundant one)?
o How many grams of hidden sugar does the product contain (calculated in teaspoons: 1 teaspoon = ~4g of sugar)?
o What additives/E-numbers are listed, and what is their function?
o Is the product truly “healthy,” or does it merely feature green packaging and appealing buzzwords (“natural,” “organic,” “fitness”)?
2. Debate: “Marketing vs. Reality”
• Each group presents one of the analyzed products for 2 minutes, either debunking or confirming the message on the packaging.
• A discussion follows regarding how companies use vague terms to mislead consumers. 3. Role-play / Mini-project: “The 20-Lei Menu / The Smart Menu”
• Task: Using their phones, students have 10 minutes to put together a quick, filling, and healthy lunch or snack they could buy from a shop near the school within a limited budget (e.g., 15–20 lei), justifying the intake of protein, fiber, and good carbohydrates.
4. Conclusions and class infographic
• On the board or in a collaborative document (Padlet / Canva), students list 3 “golden rules” they have learned and intend to apply starting tomorrow when buying their long-break snack.