Understanding the Food System

Understanding the Food System

Where does our food come from?

• This is a trickier question than you might imagine!

• We get it from the grocery store, right?

• Before that, it comes from farms, ranches, and oceans where hardworking people grow or raise our food.

Agriculture

the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock

Changes to Agriculture

It used to be that families or villages would raise their own food. It was sustainable and small-scale. In the developed world, agriculture has become "industrialized."

Agriculture: A Timeline

https://www.foodspan.org/_pdf/lesson-plan/unit1/lessonb-industrialization-slides.pdf

Poll

What do you think is beneficial about industrialized agriculture?

• More food

• Happier animals

• Less pollution

• More jobs

Poll

What do you think is the downside to industriallized agriculture?

• Happier animals

• Increased food-borne disease

• More food

• Climate impact

• Sustainable practices

Multiple Choice

What is a Food System?

• What you eat every day

• All processes included in keeping people fed

• The process of growing or raising food

Food Miles

In today's food system, food is transported from farm to processing- sometimes far and wide.

Multiple Choice

What are food miles?

• The type of food you are consuming per food group

• The number of miles your food traveled from its place of origin to get to your plate

• Where your food comes from

I had pineapple for dessert. This pineapple came from Costa Rica

What are the approximate food miles of this pineapple?

Poll

Why is it a good idea to lower food miles?

• Support the local economy

• Keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere

• Local foods are higher in nutrients

• Local foods are often safer