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WASSCE · 12 topics

Food and Nutrition

G3N tutors you through the full WASSCE Food and Nutrition syllabus offline — from Food for Healthy Living, Food Security, Food Production Technology and more — with adaptive lessons, instant quizzes and exam-ready summaries.

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Syllabus

What you’ll cover in Food and Nutrition.

The complete topic outline G3N teaches, mapped to the WASSCE curriculum.

Year 1

4 topics
Food for Healthy Living
  • Apply knowledge of food commodities to select and utilise food appropriately to meet the nutritional needs of individuals and families for a healthy lifestyle.
    • Explain basic concepts in food and nutrition and their implication to healthy living, including definitions of food, nutrients, nutrition, digestion and metabolism.
    • Classify food commodities under the Ghanaian six food groups (animal and animal products; cereals and grains; fruits and vegetables; fats and oils; starchy roots and plantain; beans, nuts and oily seeds) to enhance food selection and utilisation.
    • Analyse how convenience foods (ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook, ready-to-heat and baking mixes) are processed using methods such as freezing, canning, dehydration, pasteurisation and precooking, and describe their uses in household meal preparation.
    • Analyse the effect of heat on the nutritional values of food commodities, including dextrinisation and gelatinisation of carbohydrates, denaturation and coagulation of proteins, destruction of vitamins, leaching of minerals, caramelisation of sugar and release of pectin in fruits.
  • Apply scientific knowledge of nutrients and their effects on growth and development to promote healthy living.
    • Identify food nutrients and explain their effects on growth and development in the body.
    • Discuss the effects of nutrient deficiencies on individuals, families and society, including kwashiorkor and marasmus (protein deficiency), hypoglycaemia (carbohydrate deficiency), essential fatty acid deficiency (fat deficiency), and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals such as night blindness, beriberi, scurvy, rickets, anaemia, osteoporosis and goitre.
    • Discuss food habits and lifestyles and their implications on the nutritional status of individuals, families and societies, distinguishing between good habits (eating regularly, reducing salt, sugar, fats and oil, eating more vegetables, drinking adequate water) and poor habits (excessive fat, sugar, salt, skipping meals, food fads, excessive alcohol, eating late).
    • Analyse factors that influence food habits and lifestyle practices in daily nutrition, including geographical location, culture and ethnicity, technology, religion, education, income and economic status, and health status.
Food Security
  • Apply knowledge and understanding of basic food security concepts and their components to promote sustainable access to safe and nutritious food in everyday living.
    • Explain the concept of food security as people having physical, social, psychological and economic access to adequate, safe and healthy foods to meet nutritional needs for an active life.
    • Describe the key components of food security: availability and affordability; accessibility, quality and safety; utilisation and diversity; and stability and sustainable practices.
    • Analyse the factors influencing food security at the household and national levels.
  • Analyse ways of applying scientific knowledge and principles of food spoilage and food storage to prevent food deterioration and ensure food safety for healthy living.
    • Explain the concept and principles of food storage and their role in preventing food spoilage, including dry storage, refrigerated storage and frozen storage, and best practices such as airtight containers, proper labelling, and the First In First Out (FIFO) method.
    • Discuss the causes of food spoilage and its implication for food safety, including microbial spoilage (bacteria, mould, yeast), enzymatic activity (ripening, browning), chemical reactions (oxidation, rancidity) and physical factors (temperature, moisture, improper handling).
    • Demonstrate appropriate food handling, storage and hygiene practices to minimise contamination and ensure food safety, including correct storage of items such as fish, onion, mango, banana, beans and rice.
Food Production Technology
  • Assess the types, functions and layout of food laboratories used in food production and their role in ensuring efficiency and safety.
    • Discuss the concept of food laboratories and their functions in food production, including storage, preparation, cooking, serving, cleaning and equipment storage.
    • Discuss the types of kitchen laboratory layouts (traditional and modern) and compare their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the types of fuel used (LPG gas, kerosene, charcoal, electricity).
  • Plan and design a food laboratory layout to promote safety and the effective use of food laboratory equipment and tools.
    • Evaluate the factors that affect the planning and layout of food laboratories, including socio-cultural factors, economic factors, family needs, budget, fuel type, size and shape, position of doors and windows, equipment selection, functions and care of the laboratory.
    • Suggest ways of redesigning, renovating or refurbishing a food laboratory to promote safety, hygiene, efficiency, productivity, comfort and ease of maintenance.
    • Discuss ways of ensuring hygiene in the food laboratory, covering environmental hygiene (cleaning sinks, work surfaces and dustbins), food hygiene (covering foods, washing hands, using clean tools) and personal hygiene (bathing regularly, wearing clean aprons, trimming nails, brushing teeth).
Food Processing Techniques: Beverages
  • Apply scientific principles in food processing techniques to produce nutritious beverages.
    • Discuss the types of beverages and their uses, distinguishing between alcoholic beverages (soft: beer, wine, pito; hard liquor: gin, whisky, brandy) and non-alcoholic beverages (stimulant: coffee, tea, ginger drink; nourishing: Zonkon, milk drinks, cocoa; refreshing: carbonated drinks, fruit-flavoured drinks, punches, vegetable drinks).
    • Explain the scientific principles involved in the selection, processing and preservation of beverages, including factors influencing beverage selection such as nutritional content, health condition and sugar content.
  • Apply knowledge of nutrition to enrich and fortify beverages for improved health benefits.
    • Analyse how to enrich or fortify beverages using vitamins, minerals, proteins, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and plant extracts to meet the food, nutrition and social needs of individuals, families and society.
    • Conduct experiments to produce non-alcoholic beverages using local food commodities such as sobolo leaves (hibiscus flower), prekese and turkey berry, following steps from ingredient sourcing, mixing, blending, pasteurisation, filtration to packaging.
    • Evaluate how scientific principles influence alcoholic beverage production using local food commodities, including fermentation (microbial activity, enzymatic action), distillation (boiling point differences, fractional distillation), quality and safety control (pasteurisation, ethanol concentration measurement), flavour development (esters, aging) and preservation (pH control, natural preservatives).

Year 2

4 topics
Food for Healthy Living: Nutrition for Special Groups
  • Employ knowledge and understanding of the principles of nutrition and how different food groups contribute to healthy living in planning meals for special groups and other members of the family with special needs.
    • Explain the importance of consuming a balanced diet for maintaining good health.
    • Identify dietary-related diseases and their causes among individuals, families and the community, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
    • Analyse the effects of excessive consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks on health.
  • Explore and evaluate food and nutritional interventions available for households and individuals suffering from food-related diseases.
    • Explain basic concepts of nutritional interventions and how they address dietary-related health conditions.
    • Examine household-based and community-based food and nutritional interventions, including home gardening, livestock rearing, food preservation, meal planning, school feeding programmes, food banks and food fortification policies.
    • Apply basic research skills to assess the impact and challenges of household-based and community-based food and nutritional interventions, including use of questionnaires, interviews and observation checklists.
  • Plan and prepare meals that promote the well-being of individuals, family members and special groups with diverse food nutritional needs using healthy cooking methods.
    • Demonstrate appropriate cooking methods that help retain nutrients in food to promote healthy living, including steaming, grilling, poaching and boiling.
    • Develop a meal plan that meets the nutritional needs of different individuals and family members, including toddlers and weaning babies, adolescents, pregnant and lactating mothers, invalids and convalescents, manual workers, sedentary workers and vegetarians.
    • Plan special meals to support individuals suffering from dietary-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and anaemia.
  • Demonstrate skills using appropriate methods of preparation, cooking and serving of meals for individuals and special groups in the family.
    • Prepare and cook balanced meals that meet the dietary needs of individuals and special groups in the family, including toddlers, adolescents, pregnant mothers, lactating mothers, invalids and convalescents, and individuals with obesity or diabetes.
    • Apply proper serving techniques and table-setting skills suitable for different individuals and special groups, ensuring meal presentation is hygienic and appealing, including the use of appropriate tableware, flatware, glassware and table linens for different meal service styles (family-style, buffet, plate, English, cafeteria and room service).
Food Security: Food Preservation
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of food preservation and their importance in ensuring food security at the household level.
    • Describe the principles of food preservation and how they help maintain food quality and safety, including controlling microbial growth (using freezing, canning, pasteurisation, drying, salting and sugaring), inhibiting enzyme activity (using blanching, refrigeration and acidification), preventing oxidation (using vacuum packaging and antioxidants) and managing moisture content (using dehydration, desiccants and airtight containers).
    • Explain how food preservation contributes to reducing food waste and enhancing food security by extending shelf life, preventing wastage, reducing post-harvest losses and supporting efficient food distribution.
    • Differentiate between food preservation methods such as drying, freezing, fermentation, canning, pickling, salting and vacuum packaging, evaluating the advantages and limitations of each.
  • Apply appropriate food preservation techniques to extend the shelf life of perishable foods for sustainable healthy living.
    • Demonstrate the application of appropriate food preservation methods to support sustainable food security at the household and community levels, including preparing and packaging products such as marmalade, jam, pickles and shito.
    • Package and store preserved food under suitable conditions using scientific packaging principles (physical: protection, containment, structural integrity; chemical: chemical resistance, non-toxicity; biological: sanitation and pest control), and label products for exhibition.
Food Production Technology: Heat Transfer in Cooking
  • Exhibit the ability to apply knowledge and principles of heat transfer to select appropriate cooking methods for meal preparation and food processing.
    • Discuss the various methods of food preparation and processing that apply principles of heat transfer, including conduction-based methods (frying, sautéing, stir-frying, boiling, grilling, baking), convection-based methods (boiling, steaming, deep frying, baking in convection ovens, pasteurisation) and radiation-based methods (grilling, broiling, microwaving, infrared cooking and food irradiation).
    • Relate the various principles of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) to different methods of food preparation and processing, considering their impact on nutritional value, food safety, efficiency and sensory qualities such as the Maillard reaction and caramelisation.
  • Apply scientific knowledge of heat transfer, cooking tools, and fuels in food processing to ensure food safety.
    • Discuss sustainable methods of food preparation and processing including dry heat methods (baking, grilling, roasting, air frying, solar cooking), moist heat methods (poaching, stewing, steaming) and sustainable food processing techniques (pasteurisation, fermentation, drying, dehydration, freezing and vacuum sealing), as well as common food preparation terms.
    • Analyse the challenges of applying heat transfer principles in food preparation and processing, including uneven heat distribution and energy inefficiency (conduction), poor circulation and moisture loss (convection), and risks of overcooking, health concerns and equipment costs (radiation).
Food Processing Techniques: Additives, Condiments and Flour Products
  • Apply scientific knowledge, principles and skills to produce natural food additives and condiments for exhibition.
    • Distinguish between food additives (naturally or artificially produced substances added in small quantities to enhance flavour, colour or nutritive value, such as stock cubes, all seasoning and mixed spices) and condiments (preparations added to food after cooking to impart a specific flavour, such as vinegar, ketchup, table salt, mustard, ground ginger and ground pepper).
    • Conduct experiments to develop natural food colours from natural food sources such as beetroot, turmeric and karadafa leaves.
    • Prepare food additives and condiments using natural ingredients and label them for exhibition.
  • Apply scientific knowledge, principles and skills to produce enriched flour products that meet nutritional needs.
    • Explain the scientific principles underlying flour cookery, including gluten formation, gelatinisation and leavening, and classify types of flour (wheat, cassava, corn, rice and beans flour; soft, hard, all-purpose, composite and self-rising flour) according to their sources and usage.
    • Discuss the basic ingredients used in flour cookery and their functions: flour (structure), fat (colour, flavour, tenderness), sugar (sweetening, colour, preservation), eggs (nutritive value, colour, raising agent) and raising agents such as yeast, baking powder and baking soda.
    • Apply appropriate techniques to improve the texture and nutritional value of flour-based products through enrichment and fortification, using methods such as creaming (rich cake), rubbing-in (rock cake), melted fat method (gingerbread) and whisking (sponge cake), and incorporating fortifying ingredients such as moringa, soya, carrot, oat, garlic, coconut and vegetables.
    • Evaluate the quality of different flour products based on texture, appearance, taste and nutritional composition.

Year 3

4 topics
Food for Healthy Living: Ghanaian Festivals and Festive Meals
  • Explain the significance of Ghanaian festivals and festive occasions in promoting cultural identity, sustainable nutrition and healthy living.
    • Describe major Ghanaian festivals and their associated traditional foods, distinguishing between religious festivals (Eid-ul-Fitr, Christmas, Easter, Damba), cultural festivals (Homowo, Hogbetsotso, Aboakyere, Odwira, Akwasidae), harvest festivals (Yam Festival, Paragbiele, Kakube, Kundum) and national festivals (Independence Day, Republic Day, Founders' Day, Farmers' Day).
    • Analyse the role of traditional foods in promoting sustainable nutrition and their cultural, nutritional and health significance, including their use of indigenous and organic ingredients, energy-boosting properties, medicinal properties and role in disease prevention.
    • Analyse how traditional festive meals can be modified for improved health benefits and sustainability, using locally sourced ingredients, minimal food waste, eco-friendly cooking methods and healthy adaptations that reduce excess salt and oil while retaining cultural authenticity.
    • Examine the social and communal benefits of festive and festival dishes in strengthening relationships and enhancing overall well-being, including social bonding, cultural exchange, stress relief, promotion of critical thinking and economic benefits through tourism.
  • Plan and prepare nutritious special meals for different Ghanaian festive and entertainment occasions, considering health and sustainability principles.
    • Plan festive and festival meals suitable for various occasions and events such as Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, birthdays, weddings, graduations, funerals and ethnic festivals, selecting appropriate dishes for dinners, cocktails, luncheons and tea parties.
    • Prepare and cook dishes for festive, festival occasions and events, displaying cooked festive dishes for appraisal.
Food Security: Food Packaging and Entrepreneurship
  • Apply suitable packaging methods to preserve the nutritional value and safety of food products.
    • Explain the role of food packaging in maintaining nutritional quality, hygiene and food safety, including protection and preservation, convenience, extending shelf life, marketing appeal, consumer information and sustainability considerations.
    • Identify and evaluate types of food packaging materials including plastic (food storage containers, resealable bags), metal (aluminium foil, canned foods), paper and cardboard (bags, baking parchment, takeaway containers) and glass, discussing their advantages and disadvantages.
    • Describe the components of food labelling and explain why proper labelling is essential for consumer information, food safety and informed food choices.
  • Apply entrepreneurial skills in food production to promote healthy eating and sustainable nutrition practices.
    • Identify business opportunities in food production that support healthy eating habits and sustainable nutrition, including organic and natural food production, plant-based protein foods, functional and fortified foods, eco-friendly packaging, healthy snack production and sustainable beverage production.
    • Develop, package and market a nutritious food product that aligns with consumer health needs and industry standards, applying breakeven analysis (identifying fixed and variable costs, calculating the break-even point and evaluating business performance) and developing a business plan covering objectives, market analysis, product line, production plan, marketing strategy and financial plan.
Food Production Technology: Sugar Craft and Recipe Development
  • Apply creative and innovative principles and skills in sugar craft to decorate a variety of confectionery products.
    • Discuss the types, properties and functions of sugars and sweeteners in food production and sugar craft, including granulated (castor white, demerara brown, stevia), cube, liquid (honey, molasses, maple syrup, agave nectar, glucose syrup) and powder (icing sugar, date powder) forms, and the effects of dry heat (caramel, treacle) and moist heat (syrup, golden syrup, caramel, treacle) on sugar.
    • Demonstrate the application of creative and innovative sugar craft techniques to design and decorate confectionery products, using types of icing such as sugar paste (fondant), buttercream, royal icing, glacé icing and whipped cream.
  • Apply scientific principles to develop and modify recipes that enhance nutritional value, sensory appeal and overall food quality.
    • Explain the scientific principles involved in recipe development, including ingredient interactions (protein, carbohydrate, fat, acid-base interactions), cooking methods and their scientific principles (moist heat, dry heat, combination cooking), and the importance of recipes for standardisation, nutritional balance, food safety, innovation and cost-effectiveness.
    • Develop and modify recipes using scientific principles to improve taste, texture, nutritional content and presentation, including the use of leftover (réchauffé) dishes to create new recipes by storing leftovers properly, reheating safely, combining with fresh ingredients and adapting cooking methods.
Food Processing Techniques: Food Exhibitions and Careers
  • Plan, organise and manage food exhibitions and bazaars as marketing strategies to showcase food products and create entrepreneurial opportunities.
    • Plan and organise a food exhibition or bazaar to showcase newly developed food products to target consumers, identifying types of exhibitions (trade, consumer, product-specific, cultural, culinary competitions) and types of food bazaars (street food, seasonal, charity, themed, health and wellness), and considering planning factors such as objectives, target audience, venue, budget and licensing.
    • Apply marketing and promotional strategies to attract consumers and enhance the visibility of food products, including pre-event promotion, attractive booth design, product sampling and free tastings, pricing and discounts, branding and packaging, digital marketing using social media and influencer partnerships, experiential marketing through food festivals and cooking demonstrations, and partnerships with food delivery services.
  • Explore career opportunities and work ethics in the food industry.
    • Explore career opportunities in the food industry, including nutrition and dietetics careers, food science and technology careers, culinary and food service careers, food production and agribusiness careers, research and development careers, food marketing and entrepreneurship careers, government and regulatory careers, and education and training careers.
    • Discuss work ethics in the food industry, including punctuality, honesty and reliability, and identify key competencies required for careers in food production and service such as attention to detail, sense of hygiene, pleasant personality, initiative, creativity, teamwork and interest in the career path.
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