Food Technology 2021 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they understand its intent and requirements
• engage with any stimulus material provided and refer to it in the response
• for extended response questions, use the first page of the answer booklet to develop a plan
• communicate ideas and information using relevant examples.

Question 21

In better responses, students were able to:

• summarise the roles of idea generation and screening, for example, idea generation helps manufacturers create an initial idea of a profitable product, while screening identifies whether or not a product is marketable to consumers and can make a profit (a)
• provide examples of a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat in relation to the given 'me-too' (b), for example, 
  Strength: a version of the 'me too' product that is slightly altered but possibly better, for example, with size or packaging 
  Weakness: consumers may doubt its quality being a 'me too'
  Opportunity: the ability to produce a line extension product or products 
  Threat: if it fails in the market or sales do not increase due to buyer preference or brand loyalty.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring that all four areas of the SWOT analysis are completed (b).

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• summarise one emerging technology in the Australian food industry, for example, the use of data embedded barcodes on meat and poultry labels to provide information, or the use of drone technology as used in the Agriculture and Fisheries sector (a)
• provide characteristics and features of the benefits of one emerging technology in the Australian food industry, for example, data embedded barcodes benefit the food retail sector by assisting retailers in managing product recalls, reducing food wastage, and may also promote sales of the product leading to a growth in revenue in stores. Drones are able to visually map a farm or property to check on crops and stock, so fewer people and machinery is required (b).

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly name and summarise more than one feature of household equipment, for example, small scale, manually operated and safe (a)
• correctly name more than one raw material specification and provide characteristics and features, such as chemical characteristics, including moisture content and pH (b)
• put forward more than one waste management strategy with detailed information relevant to food manufacturing, for example, composting, packaging recycling, energy, and water usage (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing information about the features of equipment rather than listing types of equipment (a)
• providing information about raw material specifications rather than features and types of raw materials, (b)
• providing information about waste management strategies with reasoning and examples, rather than listing two strategies (c).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly name and summarise the main reasons for the deterioration of cut fruits and vegetables, for example, cut apples turn brown due to oxidation (a)
• provide a reason in favour of a preservation process that could be used to prolong the shelf life of a fruit or vegetable, for example, apples can be dehydrated to remove water and extend shelf life and, canning peaches extends shelf life by use of high temperatures to kill microorganisms and removal of air creates an environment where microorganisms cannot survive (b)
• demonstrate a strong understanding and show cause and effect of how food product developers have responded to consumer demands for healthier products. For example, manufacturers have added soluble fibre to pasta to address issues associated with low fibre diets and associated health conditions and smart pastas have been developed in response to consumer demand for low glycaemic index products (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing the specific question, rather than providing general information on the causes of food deterioration (a)
• being familiar with current examples of new food product developments in response to consumer demand (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly identify a specific group in Australia, example the elderly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, individuals with health conditions such as Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) or those on restricted diets (a)
• summarise how food product developers can respond to the group’s specific nutritional needs, for example, milks with added plant sterols have been developed to assist individuals suffering from CVD (a)
• correctly identify a food organisation, such as Nutrition Australia or the National Heart Foundation, and sketch in general terms how this organisation promotes health in Australia, for example Nutrition Australia inspires healthy eating through information, education and consultation services (b)
• make evident the physical consequences of malnutrition including the cause and effect of the deficient nutrient and the related physical consequence, for example, deficiencies in vitamin D and calcium can lead to reduced bone density and brittle bones which could result in osteoporosis (c).

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify an appropriate organisation within the Australian food industry that belongs in a sector/s, for example, McDonalds is part of the Food Service and Catering sector
• provide characteristics and features of specific strategies that are employed by the chosen organisation to provide consumers with quality assurance, for example the use of a quality management system, such as Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Points (HACCP), raw material and final product specifications, use of computerisation for temperature control and use of sensors and metal detectors to detect foreign objects. For example, raw material specifications are used to ensure that apples, used for canning, are free from damage, pests and insects, are a suitable size and shape and have the correct degree of ripening and level of sweetness
• support their response with specific industry examples that relate to the activities of the chosen organisation, for example, computerisation is used to control and monitor the pasteurisation temperature during the processing of apple juice
• incorporate the use of terms relevant to quality assurance and activities within food industry organisations, such as consistency, standards, critical control points, critical limits, specifications, visual inspections and quality control inspections
• make a relationship evident between quality assurance strategies and the ability of the chosen organisation to provide consumers with consistent, safe and high-quality produce, product/s or service that meets their expectations, for example, metal detectors are used to detect foreign objects that might have fallen into biscuit dough during mixing, which could be a choking hazard to consumers and impact on the safety of the biscuit product.

In better responses, students were able to:

• correctly name two legislations, for example, Workplace, Health & Safety Act (2011) and Food Act NSW (2003)
• summarise the role of the legislation in food manufacture such as ensuring food is safe for human consumption and keeping employers and employees safe in food manufacturing settings (a)
• identify a food packaging test, for example, storage test, drop test, sensory assessment test, and provide characteristics of the named test, for example, a drop test will drop a variety of packaging materials from a variety of heights to assess the suitability of the package (b)
• describe advantages of consuming the specified nutritional modifications and show how the modifications relate to improved health (c), for example, reducing the amount of sugar in the juice will reduce the overall kilojoules in the diet which may help improve obesity rates.

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a clear judgement of the amount or type of response by each sector, identifying each of the sectors and how they responded to both convenience and societal changes, for example, to respond to the changing needs of families leading busy lives supermarkets have developed additional ranges of heat and eat meals or food service and catering outlets offering more vegetarian options on their menus
• discuss both societal changes such as dual income families, aging population, single households, busy lifestyles, environmental and health concerns and consumer demand for convenience such as single serving sizes, heat and eat meals, food delivery services and packaging that provides convenience such as included bowl and utensils
• identify a range of food product examples to support the societal and consumer demands, for example, yoghurt containers with spoons, functional food products that improve health such as probiotic drinks or phytochemical enriched breads
• respond in a logical and cohesive manner using structured paragraphs.

Areas for students to improve include:

• identifying the sectors of the Australian food industry using correct terms, for example, agriculture and fisheries, food processing and manufacturing, food services and catering, and food retail
• differentiating societal changes from consumer demands for convenience
• showing a clear understanding of the sectors and making direct links to a changing society and demand for convenience
• providing relevant food product examples for each of the sectors, for example, biodegradable packaging is now extensively used in food processing and manufacturing in response to consumer concerns about the environment. In the agriculture fisheries sector, traceability of raw materials is becoming important as consumers are now more concerned about the origins of raw materials and impact of food miles.