🔬 The Science of Sustainable Food Challenge: A STEAM & Science-Based Game 🍽️♻️

💡 Concept:
Students (16 years old) become food scientists and sustainability experts, working to create the most eco-friendly and nutritious meal possible. Using scientific principles, they will analyze carbon footprints, food chemistry, and environmental impact to make informed, science-based decisions about food sustainability.

This game will engage students in experiments, scientific analysis, and problem-solving, reinforcing how science plays a key role in sustainable food production.

🕹️ Game Setup & Rules

📌 Teams: Groups of 4-5 students.
📌 Objective: Use science and research to design the most sustainable and nutritious meal.
📌 Time Limit: 60-90 minutes.
📌 Winning Criteria: The team with the most scientifically sound and environmentally friendly meal wins!

🔹 Round 1: The Carbon Footprint Lab (Environmental Science & Chemistry) 🌍🔬

💬 Which food ingredients have the lowest carbon footprint?

✅ Challenge: Teams receive a list of common ingredients (e.g., beef, chicken, lentils, rice, potatoes) with their carbon footprint per kilogram.

✅ Task:

1. Calculate the total carbon footprint of a meal made with their selected ingredients.
   
   
2. Use science-based reasoning to swap high-impact ingredients for more sustainable options.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: Teams with the lowest carbon footprint meal while maintaining nutritional balance score the highest.

🔹 Round 2: Food Chemistry & Preservation (Biology & Chemistry) 🔬🥩

💬 How can we preserve food to reduce waste?

✅ Challenge: Teams explore scientific preservation methods (e.g., fermentation, freezing, dehydration, vacuum sealing) to extend food shelf life and reduce waste.

✅ Task:

• Conduct a mini-experiment (if possible) on food preservation, such as testing how different storage conditions affect food spoilage.
  
  
• Predict which preservation techniques are best for their sustainable meal.
  
  

🎯 Points Earned: Best scientific explanation and practical food-saving solution.

🔹 Round 3: Nutritional Science & Balanced Meals (Biology & Data Analysis) 🥦📊

💬 Can we make a meal that is both sustainable and nutritionally complete?

✅ Challenge: Teams must ensure their sustainable meal provides a balanced intake of proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins.

✅ Task:

1. Use nutritional data to analyze their meal’s health benefits.
   
   
2. Compare plant-based vs. animal-based protein sources for sustainability.
   
   

🎯 Points Earned: Teams that scientifically justify their nutritional choices while maintaining sustainability get the highest score.

🔹 Round 4: Food Waste Experiment (Scientific Investigation & Environmental Science) ♻️🔍

💬 How much food is wasted in our daily lives, and how can we minimize it?

✅ Challenge: Teams must track and estimate the average amount of food waste generated in their school cafeteria, homes, or restaurants.

✅ Task:

• Conduct a waste audit (analyzing uneaten food, scraps, and packaging waste).
  
  
• Develop a scientific action plan to reduce waste in schools and homes.
  
  

🎯 Points Earned: The most data-driven, realistic, and science-based waste reduction strategy wins.

🏆 Final Scoring & Winner Announcement 🎉

• Teams tally up their science and sustainability points.
  
  
• The winning team is crowned “Eco-Food Scientists” and receives a green certificate or sustainability badge.
  
  
• Discussion & Reflection: How can science and research continue to improve food sustainability in the real world?
  
  

🌱 Learning Outcomes:

✅ Understand the environmental science behind food sustainability.
✅ Learn how chemistry and biology affect food preservation.
✅ Analyze nutritional value and its impact on health & sustainability.
✅ Apply scientific research methods to real-world food waste problems.
✅ Develop critical thinking and data analysis skills