Discovering the food system

An Experiential Learning Program For Young and Inquiring Minds

Rachel Kennedy

Jennifer L. Wilkins, PhD., R.D., Senior Extension Associate, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University Marcia Eames-Sheavly, M.S., Senior Extension Associate, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University April 2003

An Experiential Learning Program For Young and Inquiring Minds Table of Contents Funding and Acknowledgements Program Overview -- Who, What, Why, When, Where and How of Discovering the Food System

Goals and Objectives Organization of the Program A Primer on Community Food Systems Section 1: You and Your Food System Introduction Lesson 1: Food and You Introduction: Activity 1: The Power of Pyramids Activity 2: There’s a Reason for the Season Activity 3: The School Lunch Laboratory Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background material Lesson 2: Food System Basics Introduction Activity 1: From Field to Table Activity 2: Steps in the Food System Activity 3: Food Thread Activity 4: Food For Thought Journal Going Further Background

Lesson 3: Think Globally, Eat Locally Introduction Activity 1: Defining the terms “local,” “regional,” and “global” Activity 2: Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison Activity 3: Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison FollowUp Activity 4: Miles in Your Breakfast Activity 5: Food For Thought Journal Going Further Background Lesson 4: Food Labels and the Food System Introduction Activity 1: Reading Food Labels Activity 2: Food System Labels Activity 3: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Lesson 5: Food System Challenges [in development] Introduction Activity 1: Food Product Development Activity 2: Food Advertising Activity 3: Community Poverty and the Food System Activity 4: Health Food Costs Activity 5: Food Bank Simulation Activity 6: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Section 2: Discovering The Food System Project Introduction Step 1. Finding Food System Facts Introduction Activity 1: Preparing for the search Activity 2: Developing your search Activity 3: Searching for specific food system data Activity 4: Wrapping up the search Activity 5: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Step 2: Learning from People in the Food System Introduction

Activity 1: Putting People in the Food System Activity 2: Identifying people in the Food System Activity 3: Developing interview topics Activity 4: Deciding how to interview Activity 5: Preparing for the interview Activity 6: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Step 3: Community Survey – Getting Ready Introduction Activity 1: Choosing the topic Activity 2: Choosing a survey sample Activity 3: Preparing a Food System survey Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Step 4: Conducting a Community Survey Introduction Activity 1: Distributing the Questionnaire Activity 2: Sharing the Results Activity 3: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Step 5: Sharing Food System Stories with Your Community Introduction Activity 1: Presenting the Food System Facts Activity 2: Presenting the Interview Experiences Activity 3: Presenting the Survey Results Activity 4: Reaching Out Activity 5: Wrapping Up Activity 6: Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background Glossary

Discovering the Food System: An Experiential Learning Program For Young and Inquiring Minds Funding and Acknowledgments

Funding We would like to acknowledge generous support from the Cooperative States Research Education and Extension Service for the development and pilot testing of this resource. This project is one of several underway in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University and is supported by a Special Grant (99-34324-8120) entitled "Individual Differences in Setting and Meeting Nutritional Requirements." This grant supports a number of research projects that focus on a broad range of issues of relevance to setting and meeting nutritional requirements. Areas of investigation range from improving our understanding of the key roles of nutrients at the molecular level to the development of improved strategies to enable consumers to adopt newly created knowledge easily and effectively. At the community nutrition level, the grant supports developing an increased understanding of the issues related to food insecurity among the elderly in the U.S., the use of a distance-learning strategy linking nutrition and dietetics practitioners with university researchers, and the development of educational programs and tools to promote positive dietary change and food system sustainability. This project addresses the last of these community nutrition aims.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the teachers and students who participated in the pilot testing of this educational resource. We would especially like to thank the home school students for their valuable insights and the Cooperative Extension educators for providing county-based coordination. (Pilot testers, grad students involved, CCE contacts.) Several graduate students have been involved in the development of this resource at various stages. Shannon Hayes provided excellent support in the formative focus group interviews, coordinated much of the pilot testing of lesson activities and assisted in revisions to the lessons. Nicole LaDue added

many creative ideas that turned into activities for the lessons. Three graduate students from the Cornell University Department of Education, Annalisa Lewis Raymer, Laura Torbert, and Amy Bonn also provided much enthusiastic assistance, support and creativity to the development and pilot testing of the lessons. Gwen Beck, a Lansing Middle School teacher, was most generous and helpful in the development of this experiential learning program. She opened her 6th grade science class to us as a place to try out lessons and activities. Many thanks to her students who made us believe we were on the right track. We’d like to thank Andra Benson, Peter Signor, Stephen Ast, Jacoba Baker, Shirley Cuykendall, and John Bender for giving of their time and telling their food system stories to groups of Gwen Beck’s students. We thank them for sharing so much about the work they do in their part of the food system and for responding so earnestly to the questions the students had prepared for them. We also acknowledge the contributions provided by Anne Meyer-Wilber whose expertise in learning standards and lesson activity development and evaluation has been invaluable to the project. Finally, conversion of this tool into a widely accessible web based-educational resource was facilitated with careful editing by Jennifer Watkins, and technical expertise of Craig Cramer. The cover graphic/website logo is by Rachel Kennedy.

Overview WHO is Discovering the Food System for? This guided experiential learning program is designed primarily for youth ages 12 to 18. Given the potential level of complexity involved in conducting a community research project (Part 2) and the community action it may inspire, elements of this program may also be suitable for some undergraduate college level courses. But really, Discovering the Food System is meant for anyone who is curious about food, how it gets from farm to table, and how we, as eaters, are involved in that system. Such people with inquiring minds might be: •

a traditional student working with a teacher to develop an enrichment project. This could also be an independent team project that students could work within a block format.

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Home school students and their parent-teachers

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Alternative school students working independently

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Community-minded groups like the 4-H, service minded groups, Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

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Anyone interested in food!

WHAT is Discovering the Food System? Discovering the Food System is a guided discovery of the food system. This experiential process of discovery is grounded in the places we live, eat, work, learn, and play. With Discovering the Food System, we will use our own "backyards" -- the school cafeteria, local food stores, nearby canneries, restaurants and farms -- as our laboratory for learning about the food system. In this way the food system will move from the abstract to the real. Through experiential learning activities, we will meet real people that represent different parts or aspects of the food system - farmers, grocers, restaurateurs, processors, and marketers, as well as community citizens, who eat, just like us. Discovering the Food System provides a basic understanding of the food system and our connection to that system through the choices we make every day. Because this experiential learning program promotes an in-depth understanding of our own community food system, what is learned can be applied directly in local actions for community change. We can become involved in community action by asking questions, seeking answers and drawing conclusions about possible alternatives within our communities.

Through the Discovering the Food System program, we will meet people in our local and possibly distant food system, explore the differences between a "community" and a "global" food system, and learn ways in which the food we eat and the food system are interrelated. WHY do we need Discovering the Food System? Young people today are hungry – hungry for food and hungry for knowledge about the world around them. All of us, and increasingly our children, teens, and preadults, have to make food purchases for ourselves and do our shopping for our families. For teens, and even for many adults, the complexity of the food system that feeds us is largely unknown. A walk down the aisles of today’s supermarkets provides a glimpse into our global food system -- one that offers consumers a safe, affordable, abundant, consistent and convenient food supply that comes from all over the world. Lost amidst most of the more than 30,000 food items available to shoppers is the connection food can provide with our community, local economy and the natural environment. Indeed, the food system is, for the most part, hidden from view. But the food system can be discovered by the sharp and inquiring minds of today! By learning more about our food system we can make food choices that improve our health and the economic, social and environmental sustainability of our communities. Why is food system awareness important? We all need to eat. Our biological need to eat is met by a complex set of interdependent processes from seed to table. This complex system depends on a tremendous amount of resources - natural, economic, social, political. While most of us enjoy food quite often – usually several times a day – the larger food system is virtually invisible to us. How can we learn about the food system? Food labels are excellent at providing nutrient content information but, for the most part, reveal little about how food is grown, where it was grown and processed, who was employed to grow and harvest the crop, or what mode of transportation was used to get the food to market. These are just some of the multitude of questions that might be asked about a food product that, if we had the answers, would tell us a lot more about the food system. Another reason for our food system ignorance is that all of us, including today’s youth, are exposed to numerous and often-conflicting messages related to food, nutrition and the food system. In the school cafeteria, local supermarkets and fast food restaurants we are exposed to a vast array of food choices. The typical household has shifted from consuming food prepared in the home to consuming quick, prepared or prepackaged foods. As adolescents we grew up or are growing up with supermarkets and fast food rather than homegrown and homemade food. Throughout our lives,

we have probably seen little connection between food and the setting in which it is produced. During pilot testing of this curriculum, we asked young people where their food comes from. Most answered, “the store.” Through the Discovering the Food System program, we will gain an appreciation of our relationship to the local food system and the factors affecting food supply.

WHEN should we use Discovering the Food System? Discovering the Food System lessons have classroom applications or "curriculum links" to Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Music/Art and Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS). Because of the many links to a wide variety of subject areas, portions of Discovering the Food System can be incorporated easily into existing curricula.

WHERE should we use Discovering the Food System? Since one of the principles underlying the study of food systems is that food has a connection to a specific place, the context in which Discovering the Food System is used needs to be taken into account in a very conscious way. Discovering the Food System is very much about place – where we live, where we eat, where our food is grown, processed and marketed – and the people associated with those places. To get the most out of Discovering the Food System, we need to become familiar with the agriculture and food system in our own geographic region - state, county, region of the country. Most of the examples used in the lessons and the project description come from the Northeast – the region where the curriculum was written. However, the activities developed to engage us in learning about our food system can be applied to any region and other countries as well. Some basic food system questions to ask ourselves include: What crops are grown in my area? Are there food processing businesses in my county, or state? Where are foods that grow in my area changed (processed) into products that I see on the supermarket shelves? Is there a farmers' market in the town I live in? What kinds of food stores are there in my community and where are they located? How are the foods the same and how are they different in the different stores? Are there any community gardens in my town, and who gardens in them? Of course, most of us are creative and curious. So you will have many of your own interesting questions to ask about the food system. Your local Cooperative Extension office can be a valuable resource throughout the Discovering the Food System program as nutrition and agriculture educators maintain strong connections with people who grow, market, process, prepare, serve and donate food.

HOW can we use Discovering the Food System? Discovering the Food System is designed primarily for middle school to high school age students. Many of the activities are suitable for grades 6 and 7 as well. While this program was developed primarily for use in a classroom setting, several of the activities are compatible with a variety and non-formal educational settings, Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development programs, home schools, school-aged childcare programs and community-based educational environments.

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Learn through direct exploration about our food system.

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Engage in cooperative and inquiry-based learning with our peers.

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Enhance our awareness of the food system and foods or our region.

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Understand the links between food choices and the food system.

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Distinguish between foods that are likely to support the community food systems and those which are less likely to do so.

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Immerse us in highly participatory, community-based experience, involving interviewing community members and gaining information about the food system.

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Foster relationships with our community and between the agricultural and non-agricultural community.

Organization of the Program Discovering the Food System is organized into two major Sections. Section 1: You and Your Food System This section contains instructional lessons designed to help you better understand how nutrition, diet and the food system are connected. This section introduces the food system components and concepts and an overview of dietary guidelines and the food guides, and how food choices every day influence and are influenced by the food system. Lesson 1: Food and You introduces the dietary guidelines for Americans. It shows how these guidelines support our health yet have little relationship to the food system. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid is compared with the Northeast Regional Food Guide, which is designed to promote healthful diets from foods grown and processed in the Northeast. This lesson explores the ways that dietary guidelines and food guides can impact upon the food system. Lesson 2: Food System Basics introduces the concept of a system and then the various components of the food system. Lesson 3: Think Globally, Eat Locally introduces a comparison between local and global food systems and the complexity involved in making such a comparison. There are no neat distinctions between the "local," or "community" and "global" when it comes to the food system. This lesson asks: what do these terms mean and how should they be used to examine the food system? Lesson 4: Food Labels and the Food System helps you learn how to read the Nutrition Facts food labels, and to explore "food system" information that might also be included. What's on food labels and what is not can provide insights into why our food system is often mysterious and hard to know. Section 2: Discovering The Food System Project This section provides a guide for conducting a Discovering the Food System project. You will be provided with tools for exploring your food system. What you choose to focus on and the methods you use are flexible and should be guided by your interests or those of the class, club, or after school program of which you are a part. It is this flexibility that assures a high level of engagement on your part. The food system discovery is accomplished through a search of existing food system facts, interviews with people who represent the food system and a public survey about some aspect of the food system that interests you the most. The program does not end with discovery, however. It also provides tools to teach you how to share your newly obtained food system understandings with the community with an eye for creating community change. You will learn

about the potential impact information can have on policies in a school, or in the broader community. Step 1: Finding Food System Facts provides tools and guidelines to locating and understanding data that has already been collected on the food system, and is therefore available for use and interpretation. This is very much like the processes being used across the country to conduct community food assessments. Also, food systems stories are frequently in the news. You will learn about the breadth of issues that are related to the food system that you might read about in any daily newspaper. Step 2: Learning from People in the Food System will give you a better understanding of your food system by interviewing some of the people whom you will identify as being part of the food system. This step in the food system project builds on the previous lesson by clarifying the aspects of the food system that most interest you, identifying who is directly involved in those aspects, and formulating questions about issues for those most likely to have interesting insights. This step in the Discovering The Food System Project provides an opportunity for you to gain experience with a qualitative social science methodology: the openended, in-person interview method. You will practice basic interviewing techniques in a role play, contact community members who are part of the food system, arrange to meet them, and finally, actually conduct inperson interviews. Step 3: Community Survey: Getting Ready will provide you with an opportunity to work with a classic quantitative social science methodology: the survey. You will identify topics that interest you (from previous research and your interviewing experience) and design a questionnaire. Step 4: Conducting a Community Food System Survey will take us beyond the design stage and into the actual survey experience. You will have the opportunity to choose a population sample, distribute the survey and compile the results. In doing so, you will learn how some segment of the broader community feels about food system issues. Step 5: Sharing Food System Stories with Your Community will help you develop methods of taking your newly won food system knowledge and presenting it to your local community with the eye towards community change. You will learn how to present your food system facts, interview experiences and survey results and how to wrap up your project experience in a cohesive manner. Discovering the Food System - The Lessons •

Summary The summary is a brief paragraph to help you identify what types of activities you will engage in for the particular lesson. It will be an introduction to the concepts and activities that will be covered in the lesson.

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Learning Objectives For each lesson, we have defined what we think are the most important concepts for the you to learn. The objectives are intended as guidelines for you to assess what you have learned upon completion of the lesson.

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Key Concepts Each of the lessons introduces concepts that are relevant to understanding the food system and the relationship between consumers and the food system.

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“Getting to the Core” Throughout this curriculum the themes being explored are applied to a consistent example – apples. In each lesson and in each part of the project description, how the topic applies to apples is described. For example, in Section 1, Activity 1, we have given you information about where apples are found on the food guide pyramids, the nutritional value of apples, and how apples fit into a nutritious diet. These “Getting to the Core” sidebars provide a quick and easy example of how the concepts being developed can be applied to real food. One of the reasons we chose apples for this purpose is that there are many varieties of apples grown and marketed in our state of New York. I you like, you can develop your own “food thread” as you go about discovering your food system. This food might be a potato, tomato, strawberry or orange, or a product native to your location. Or, if you are quite ambitious, you might chose and food product that contains more than one food from more than one food group – yogurt for example. The important thing is that the food that is chosen should have some meaning and relevance to the food system that is being discovered.

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Activities Each lesson has several activities within it. For example, to understand what a food system is you need to be familiar with the setting of the food system, what aspects are part of the food system, and other important basic concepts. Therefore, each lesson will have many parts to help build a complete concept. The activities will be numbered to help guide you through the lesson. Also, some of the activities will have numbered steps to make the procedure clear.

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Going Further You may be interested in learning more and have the time for further investigation of a topic. We have provided ideas for optional activities that will help reinforce what you have learned in the lesson. Some of the additional activities are also geared to help you connect with your community before the interviewing and survey lessons.

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Background

The lessons are designed to meet the needs of a formal classroom setting as well as a variety of non-formal educational settings. The background section provides a discussion of important aspects of the food system on the specific topic of the lesson. This section will help provide you with the necessary background information to navigate the lesson. If you are a teacher using this curriculum at a group or class level, it will provide you with the information you need so that you are able to better educate your students and guide discussion. Our goal to provide enough information so that you will feel well-versed in the major issues and questions involved in discussing lesson topics. In one or more of the lessons, it may be beneficial to use the Internet as a resource for gaining information about the food system. In any of the lessons that suggest the use of the Internet we have also provided alternative non-electronic sources of the comparable information for groups using the activities which do not have Internet access. •

Lesson Resources Some of the lessons will guide you in investigating your local food system. In a few of the lessons you will need to seek data about the food system. In each lesson we will provide any resources we recommend using to obtain data not supplied in the lesson itself. The resources might be websites, phone numbers, or names and addresses of community organizations and governmental agencies.

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Food for Thought Journal and other handouts Each lesson will have a journal entry to bring the material covered in the lesson to the context of the your day-to-day lives. In addition to the journal, there may be other handouts that you will need to copy. Once you have completed the worksheets you can collect them to make up a Discovering the Food System Portfolio.

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Student Portfolio To assess your progress through the Discovering the Food System curriculum, we suggest collecting work produced in each of the lessons in a Discovering the Food System Portfolio. The resulting collection will help display how your understanding changed through the completion of all of the lessons and will provide you with a reference packet as you prepare to share your work with the community in the final lesson.

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Glossary Throughout the lessons certain words and phrases appear in bold type. These are defined in the glossary which follows Section 2.

A Primer on Community Food Systems: Linking Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Introduction The term "food system" is used frequently in discussions about nutrition, food, health, community economic development and agriculture. The food system includes all processes involved in keeping us fed: growing, harvesting, processing (or transforming or changing), packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming and disposing of food and food packages. It also includes the inputs needed and outputs generated at each step. The food system operates within and is influenced by social, political, economic and natural environments. Each step is also dependent on human resources that provide labor, research and education.

Community Food Systems Several qualifying terms have been used to describe the food system: simple, complex, local, global and regional. A community food system is a food system in which food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of a particular place. A community food system can refer to a relatively small area, such as a neighborhood, or progressively larger areas – towns, cities, counties, regions, or bioregions. The concept of community food systems is sometimes used interchangeably with "local" or "regional" food systems, but by including the word "community" there is an emphasis on strengthening existing (or developing new) relationships between all components of the food system. This reflects a prescriptive approach to building a food system, one that holds sustainability – economic, environmental and social – as a long-term goal toward which a community strives. Four aspects distinguish community food systems from the globalized food system that typifies the source of most food Americans eat: food security, proximity, self-reliance and sustainability. • Food security is a key goal of community food systems. While food security traditionally focuses on individual and household food needs, community food security addresses food access within a community context, especially for low-income households. It has a simultaneous goal of developing local food systems. • Proximity refers to the distance between various components of the food system. In community food systems such distances are generally shorter than those in the dominant or global food system. This proximity increases the likelihood that enduring relationships will form between different

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stakeholders in the food system – farmers, processors, retailers, restaurateurs, consumers, etc. Self-reliance refers to the degree to which a community meets its own food needs. While the aim of community food systems is not total self-sufficiency (where all food is produced, processed, marketed and consumed within a defined boundary), increasing the degree of self-reliance for food, to be determined by a community partnership, is an important aspect of a community food system. Sustainability refers to following agricultural and food system practices that do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their food needs. Sustainability includes environmental protection, profitability, ethical treatment of food system workers, and community development. Sustainability of the food and agriculture system is increased when a diversified agriculture exists near strong and thriving markets, when nonrenewable inputs required for every step in the food system are reduced, when farming systems rely less on agri-chemical fertilization and pest control, and when citizen participation in food system decision-making is enhanced.

Goals of Community Food Systems Building a community food system requires comprehensive or holistic approaches to meeting the food needs of people living in a particular place. Efforts to develop community food systems address multiple goals simultaneously: • Optimized health, reduced risk of diet-related chronic diseases, and increased enjoyment of food among community members. • Dietary change that complements the seasonal availability of foods produced and processed by the local food and agriculture system. • Improved access for all community members to an adequate, affordable, nutritious diet. • A stable (or in some cases, expanding) base of family farms that use integrated production practices to enhance environmental quality, • Marketing channels and processing facilities that create more direct links between farmers and consumers, and, by shortening the distance between these partners, conserve resources needed for transporting food. • Food and agriculture-related businesses, resulting in stronger community economies through job creation, and re-circulating financial capital in the community. Such businesses could include food processing, or value-adding processing to expand opportunities for locally produced food to be consumed locally. • Increased public participation in food and agriculture policies that promote local food production, access to local retail and processing markets, and institutional procurement of local agricultural commodities.

Elements of Community Food Systems There are several well-recognized elements of a community food system: • Farmers’ markets provide the opportunity for eaters to meet and talk directly with the people who grow the food they are buying. By the same token, farmers can learn more, in a direct way, about what their customers want and need to know about the food from their farms. By decreasing the amount of fuel used to move food around, this proximity to food sources increases the environmental sustainability of the system. • Community and school gardens are recognized as an important source of fresh produce, particularly for underserved populations in low-income neighborhoods, thereby increasing dietary quality and food security. They provide spaces for community interaction, decision-making, problemsolving, creativity and celebration. Community gardens also provide opportunities to learn about food production, develop job skills, increase agriculture literacy, generate food-related businesses, and create links to nearby restaurants and soup kitchens. • Community supported agriculture (CSA) farms are arrangements whereby a group of people buy shares into the eventual harvest of a farm before the crops are planted. In exchange for their investment into the farm, shareholders receive fresh fruits and vegetables (and sometimes, other products such as local cheeses, fresh flowers, eggs and meats), on a weekly basis throughout the harvest season. By making this investment, CSA members accept part of the financial risks associated with farming. Further, the farmer receives a portion of the cost of production at a time when it is most needed. Many CSA farmers also market through local farmers' markets, which can increase farm profitability and stability. • U-Pick operations and roadside farm stands provide access to fresh produce direct from the farmer who grew it. Through a U-Pick, the price paid to the farmer is reduced substantially in exchange for harvest labor. In the process, eaters come in contact with farmers, experience another aspect of the food system, and increase their intake of fresh and processed local produce (if some of what they harvest is preserved through freezing or canning, for example). • Community kitchens are facilities where locally produced, gleaned or recovered foods can be further processed or preserved for members of a community. Food product development often takes place at these facilities, thereby creating income generating opportunities and products with local identity. • Small-scale food processing and decentralized root cellars provide infrastructure and technical expertise necessary to launch new food-based businesses. Much of the food we eat is processed in some way and in areas with relatively short growing seasons, such as the Northeast. The use of canned, frozen and stored fruits and vegetables when produce is "out of season" is another way to develop community food systems.

Externalities The word externality is an economic term used to describe costs or benefits generated by an agent (say a farmer, or a truck driver) that do not register as a cost or benefit to that agent or end-user. The pollution generated by transporting food is not paid for by the trucking company in the price of the fuel, or by the consumer in the price of the food. The external environmental and social costs related to food production, processing, storage, and distribution are seldom accounted for in the price we pay for food at the grocery store register. Community food systems, by narrowing the distance between producers, processors and consumers, have a greater chance of “internalizing” any externalities in the food system and actually reducing many. For example, since the distance food is transported in a community food system is shorter, less fossil fuel is burned, less pollution generated and less wear and tear on trucks and roadways results from the transportation of food. Likewise, because more of the steps in the food system are carried out locally, the loss of food system-related jobs is minimized. Actions to Create a Community Food Systems As individuals, consumers can do a lot to support and collectively strengthen community food systems: • choose a diet rich in locally grown and processed foods. Regional food guides, such as the Northeast Regional Food Guide, provide guidelines to help consumers choose healthful local and seasonal diets. • ask food stores to buy from local growers and processors. • ask where items on restaurant menus came from and express interest in eating locally produced and processed foods. • shop at farmers' markets and food co-ops (which are more likely to offer local, in season, and often organic choices). • buy a share in a CSA farm or sponsor someone else's share. • participate in a community or school garden or start a home vegetable garden and share excess with neighbors, a community kitchen or local soup kitchen. • cook from scratch. • support policies that favor local farms and other elements of community food systems, join or create a food policy council to assess community assets with respect to the local food system, identify areas of need, and develop strategies collectively to meet those needs. In order to support local community food systems in their food choices, consumers need: • access to local foods, • ways to identify local alternatives, • ways to learn meal planning and preparation skills, • an understanding of seasonal variation,

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knowledge of the local food and agriculture system, and an appreciation of the benefits of eating seasonally and locally.

Nutrition practitioners can do a lot through their professions to support community food systems as well, such as: • include considerations about seasonal availability of locally produced foods when providing dietary advice to clients, • substitute non-local foods in meal plans with foods that are nutritionally equivalent and are produced locally, • create seasonally varied institutional food service menus that reflect local agricultural production. This might include, for example, the use of root vegetables in the winter in northern climates, • shift procurement strategies in food service operations toward local food sources, and include information about the sources of foods at the point of purchase. Conclusion We all can benefit from learning more about our own food system, and participating in its development. Community food systems offer an alternative to our current approach to meeting our daily food and nutrition needs and promises several social, environmental and economic benefits. As individual stakeholders, we all have a role to play in shaping the future of our community food systems. References Allen, P. 1999. Reweaving the food security safety net: Mediating entitlement and entrepreneurship. Agriculture and Human Values 16:117-129. Garrett, S. and Feenstra, G. 1999. Growing a Community Food System. Community Ventures: Partnerships in Education and Research Circular Series Topic. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Puyallup, WA. June. Gillespie, A. and Gillespie, G. 2000. Community Food Systems: Toward a Common Language for Building Productive Partnerships. Cornell Cooperative Extension. Harmon, A., Harmon, R. and Maretzki, A. 1999. The Food System – Building Youth Awareness Through Involvement. A Guidebook for Educators, Parents, and Community Leaders. The Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences. Sobal, J. Khan, L.K. and Bisogni, C. 1998. A conceptual model of the food and nutrition system. Social Science and Medicine 47:853-63.

Winne, M., Joseph, H. and Fisher, A. 1997. Community Food Security: A Guide to Concept, Design, and Implementation. Community Food Security Coalition. Los Angeles, CA.

Section 1: You and Your Food System Introduction This section contains instructional lessons designed to help you better understand how nutrition, diet and the food system are connected. This section introduces an overview of dietary guidelines and food guides, the food system components and concepts, and the effect and influence every day food choices have on the food system and vice versa. Lesson 1: Food and You introduces the dietary guidelines for Americans and how these support our health, yet have little relationship to the food system. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid is compared with the Northeast Regional Food Guide that is designed to promote healthful diets from foods grown and processed in the Northeast. This lesson explores the ways that dietary guidelines and food guides can impact upon the food system. Lesson 2: What is a Food System? introduces the concept of a system and then the various components of the food system. Lesson 3: Think Globally, Eat Locally introduces a comparison between local and global food systems and the complexity involved in making such a comparison. There are no neat distinctions between the "local," or "community" and "global" when it comes to the food system. This lesson will explore what these terms mean and how they should be used in examining the food system. Lesson 4: Food Labels and the Food System teaches how to read the Nutrition Facts food labels, and helps to explore "food system" information that might also be included. What is on food labels and what is not can provide insights into why our food system is often mysterious and hard to know.

Lesson 1: Food and You (or “You (and your food system) are what you eat”) Summary Today we face an array of food choices in our supermarkets, school cafeterias, and homes. Because of the importance of establishing healthy eating habits at an early age, we are never too young to need a good understanding of how what we eat impacts our nutrition and health. Eating is also a very real way that knowingly or not, we connect with our food system – several times each day! Food and You makes connections between the foods we eat, our health, and the food system. This lesson introduces the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the national nutrition education tool that implements these guidelines – the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid. Other food guides have been developed for specific places, people and goals. For example, the Northeast Regional Food Guide (NERFG) is designed to promote healthful diets from foods grown and processed in the Northeast region of the United States.

In this lesson, we will analyze the content and meaning of these important resources in terms of diet and health. We will also compare and contrast the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Food Pyramid with the NERFG to identify the differences and similarities between national and regional food guides. We will learn how seasons affect the availability of certain foods in our area and what different forms foods can take on the supermarket shelf. Completing the Lunch Laboratory will teach us how to design a balanced, local and seasonal menu using our school or home lunch menu, or the Discovering the Food System Café menu provided. Finally, the Food for Thought Journal for this lesson will help us reflect on our own daily food choices. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we should be able to: • Use the USDA Food Pyramid to identify the food groups, the proper number of daily servings from each group and how to choose a healthy diet.

• • • •

Describe the similarities and differences between the USDA Food Pyramid and the Northeast Regional Food Guide. Identify examples of seasonal differences in produce availability in the Northeast Identify the different forms in which food is available in the supermarket. Recognize that other forms of the food guide are used in other parts of the world.

Key Concepts • Nutrition • Food Guide • Food Group • Dietary Guidelines • Seasonal Availability • Food Choices • Food Forms - processing and preservation • Plant Foods • Animal Foods “Getting to the Core” Because apples are fruit, they appear in the “Fruit Group” of the food pyramid – both the USDA and the Northeast Regional versions. The apple pictured on the USDA Food Pyramid looks like a very familiar apple. Several different varieties of apples grow in the Northeast. How many different kinds can you see on this food guide? Apples, in many forms (fresh, applesauce, apple butter, juice, etc.), will fit in the fruit food group. Being a fruit, apples have no fat, are low in calories, are a good source of fiber and provide a modest amount of vitamin C. Definitely a good snack item! Activities • The Power of Pyramids • There’s a Reason for the Season • The School Lunch Laboratory • Food for Thought Journal

Activity 1: The Power of Pyramids Summary: To help us become more familiar with food guides, the first step is a short activity to identify the differences and similarities between the USDA Food Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines and the Northeast Regional Food Guide (NERFG). You may have been introduced to food guides in previous grade levels, but you are likely to be unfamiliar with the Northeast Regional Food Guide. Materials: • Photocopies of the USDA Food Pyramid, U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the NERFG • Transparencies (for use on an overhead if available) of the USDA Food Pyramid and the NERFG. • Writing board and markers • Paper and pencils/pens

Before class Prepare the photocopies and transparencies as needed. Review the tables provided in the Background section about the USDA and NERFG food guides and any other background information needed.

Class itself 1. Look at the USDA Food Pyramid. Have you ever seen the image before? Have you heard of the term food guide? Describe what a food guide is. This is the food guide developed by the U.S. government for all Americans. What is the nutrition background to the USDA Food Pyramid (pertinent information is in the Background section of this lesson and includes links to various web sites you may be interested in investigating after the lesson)? 2. Look at the Northeast Regional Food Guide. This is a food guide that was developed for people living in the northeastern United States. 3. On the board or a piece of paper, write two column headings: “Different” and “Same.” 4. With both food guides visible, look for ways in which the two food guides are the same and ways in which they are different. List the comments in the appropriate column. 5. Continue listing differences and similarities until you run out of ideas.

Activity 2: There’s a Reason for the Season Summary In activity 1, we learned that one of the differences between the NERFG and the USDA Food Pyramid is that the regional food guide includes lists of foods available in the Northeast during each of the seasons. One way to support our community food system is to eat seasonally available produce. Although we cannot harvest fresh strawberries from our gardens in January, we can enjoy local foods throughout the year. The way we do this is by consuming produce that was grown by local farmers and then preserved in order to be eaten long after harvest. Materials • • •

Photocopies of the "Seasonal Availability of Produce" list on the Northeast Regional Food Guide Writing board and markers Paper and pens/pencils

Before class Prepare photocopies as needed Class itself 1. Look at the “Seasonal Availability of Produce” chart. 2. Why are some of the items listed in summer and fall missing from the winter and spring lists. Fruits (except for tree fruits) and vegetables are planted and harvested at a certain times of the year and not others; this is called the "growing season." 3. Pick a few produce items (e.g., apples, tomatoes, or corn). On the board or paper, make a list of the different forms in which they can be found in a grocery store. For example, tomatoes are found fresh in the produce section and in cans as whole tomatoes, sauce, paste, crushed, etc. If necessary, find other examples of food that are fresh, stored, canned, and dried. Which do you prefer to eat?

Activity 3: The School Lunch Laboratory Summary Now that you are familiar with the two food guides and understand in what forms food can be stored, we can put the knowledge to work creating healthy, Northeastern meals. In order to continue building on what you already are familiar with, we will use our school or home lunch menus to practice creating balanced Northeast-based meals for various seasons. If you do not have access to a school or home menu, we have provided the Discovering the Food System Café menu with the lesson.

Materials • • • •

Photocopies of the complete Northeast Regional Food Guide from Activity 1, a school lunch menu (or similar home menu), and the School Lunch Laboratory handout Photocopies of the Discovering the Food System Café menu if needed Transparency sheets or posterboard and markers if available Paper and pens/pencils

Before class Prepare photocopies as needed

Class itself 1. Make sure you have a copy of the complete Northeast Regional Food Guide from activity 1, a sample menu and the School Lunch Laboratory handout. 2. According to USDA regulations, school lunches are required to meet onethird of the recommended daily allowances for vitamins, minerals and protein. Therefore we need to build lunches to contain approximately one-third of the servings suggested in the food pyramid. For example: the USDA recommends 2-3 servings from the protein group for a full day. Therefore, for lunch we want to plan needs 1 serving of protein. 3. Complete Meal #1 to become familiar with the activity. If there are a large number of you, divide into groups and assign each group to do one of the other three meals. When each group has finished creating their meals, they can share them with the other groups via verbal response or by creating their own transparencies and using it as a basis for their explanation. If you do not divide into groups, finish the other three meals yourself. If you wish, cut out pictures from magazines to create illustrations of your meals and create a poster.

Directions: Use the USDA Food Pyramid and the Northeast Regional Food Guide (NERFG) to compare meals on the school lunch menu. When planning each meal use the EVALUATE 1-2-3 method! 1. Which Food Group is it from? Fill in the part of the meal that fits into each food group. 2. Is it Local? Using the Northeast Regional Food Guide, determine if this food item could be locally grown. Write “local” if it can be produced locally or “global” if it cannot 3. What Form is the Food in? Is the food fresh, canned, frozen, dried or stored? Next to the food group, write what form the food item is in. Meal #1 Choose a meal from the menu calendar you would like to eat and evaluate it. Describe the meal: Evaluate 1-2-3: 1. Which Food Group is it from? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________ 2. Is it Local? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________ 3. What Form is the Food in? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

Meal #2 Create a meal for the fall that only includes foods from the Northeast region using the lists in the Northeast Regional Food Guide. To accomplish this, you can use a meal that is already on the menu calendar and substitute Northeastern foods for non-regional foods. Example: instead of peas as the vegetable, use broccoli. Evaluate 1-2-3. Describe the meal:

Evaluate 1-2-3: 1.

Which Food Group is it from? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

2.

Is it Local? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

3.

What Form is the Food in? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

Meal #3 Create a meal for the winter using the NERFG. Evaluate 1-2-3. Describe the meal:

Evaluate 1-2-3: 1.

Which Food Group is it from? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

2.

Is it local? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

3.

What Form is the Food in? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

Meal #4 Create a meal for the spring using the NERFG. Evaluate 1-2-3. Describe the meal:

Evaluate 1-2-3: 1.

Which Food Group is it from? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

2.

Is it Local? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

3.

What Form is the Food in? Grain ____________________________________ Fruit ____________________________________ Vegetable ____________________________________ Dairy ____________________________________ Protein ____________________________________

Discovering the Food System Café Menu WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Hamburger Deluxe Cheese Pizza Yogurt, Bagel & Fruit Pepperoni Pizza Garden Salad and Apple Carrots Milk Milk Pudding Cake

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Spaghetti w/meatballs Caesar Salad Garlic Bread Milk Pears

Chicken Patty on Bun Pasta Salad Green beans Milk Fruit Cup

Cheese Pizza Pepperoni Pizza Garden Salad and Apple Milk Brownie

Cheese Ravioli Tossed Salad Bread Sticks Milk and Fresh Fruit Make your own Sundae

Hot Sausage Sub Cold Sandwich Salad and Fresh Fruit Milk Juice Icees

Cheese Pizza Pepperoni Pizza Garden Salad and Fruit Milk Brownie

Baked Chicken & Roll Cold Sandwiches Green Beans Milk Apple Pie

Spaghetti w/meatballs Garlic Bread Caesar Salad Milk Pears

Ham & Cheese Melt Macaroni Salad Carrots Milk Spring Cake and Fruit

FRIDAY Tomato Soup Toasted Cheese Macaroni Salad Milk Apple Crisp

Chicken Rice Soup Tater Tots Veggie Sticks Milk Sliced Peaches

Chicken Nuggets w/roll Sweet Potatoes Corn Milk Cookie Choice of Fruit Tacos w/toppings PB&J Carrots Milk Cookie and Fresh Fruit

Bacon Cheeseburger Baked Beans Carrots Milk Rice Krispie Treat Choice of Fruit BBQ Ribs on a Bun French Fries Corn Milk and Fresh Fruit Cake

Clam Chowder Yogurt & Bagel Carrots Milk Fruit Cup

Hamburger Deluxe Cold Sandwiches Salad Milk Apple Crisp

Chicken Nuggets w/roll French Fries Green Beans Milk Ice Cream and Fruit

Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal

Summary Finally, as an independent assignment, complete the Food For Thought Journal for Lesson 1.

Materials • •

Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” Pens/pencils

Before class Prepare photocopies as needed Class itself or homework In the journal you will describe a meal you have eaten recently. In the process of analyzing the meal, you can begin to understand how your food choices affect your local community food system. Keeping the journal is strongly recommended as it can be used as an assessment tool.

Questions of the Day: ¾ Describe a meal that you ate today or yesterday.

¾ Did you help prepare the meal?

¾ Which food groups were represented in your meal?

¾ Describe a food that you eat regularly that you know is canned.

¾ Describe a food that you eat regularly that is usually fresh.

¾ Which foods generally taste better to you, canned or fresh? Why do you think it tastes better?

If time permits, describe the growing season in your area. You can either keep track of the weather forecasts or contact your county Cooperative Extension office to get information about frost dates for your community. To help you understand the relationship between the calendar seasons and agricultural seasons, note the date of the beginning of the growing season on a calendar. This activity will demonstrate that the agricultural seasons are not fixed dates for each year, unlike the solstice and equinox, which are used to define the calendar seasons. Another idea, which you can try if you are truly motivated, is to research various meals or recipes from certain parts of the country or world and see if and how they fit into the pyramid. Many countries and regions around the world use these as guides for food selection and health education. Commencement Level Challenge It might surprise you to discover many other countries or regions have food guides/pyramids. Examples are Thai, Asian, Mediterranean, etc. Check out websites and download information. If you like, create a visual with pictures and words. Compare and contrast similarities and differences as modeled above with the USDA and Northeastern Regional Food guide. One possible site to try is www.oldwayspt.org.

Background One of the most important things about the food system, from our standpoint, is that it provides us food to eat and enjoy and with which we can maintain good health. Of course, some food choices are better than others, and a food guide is an educational tool designed to help people make food choices that are healthy and will prevent a number of dietrelated diseases. A food guide translates recommendations on nutrition intake into recommendations of food intake. It organizes foods into categories or “food groups” that are similar in nutrient content. A food guide provides recommendations on what food groups to choose from and the number of servings of food from each group in order to get a nutritionally adequate and wholesome diet. A National Food Guide At the national level, the USDA has been publishing food guides since 1917. The first food guide contained five food groups: flesh foods, starchy foods, fat foods, watery fruits and vegetables, and sweets. This food guide reflected the state of knowledge about nutrition at that time. The USDA has published several food guides since that time, changing to reflect advances in nutrition science and in our understanding of the relationship between diet and health. For a bit of history on the development of food guides in the United States, visit the USDA National Agriculture Library website: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/history/. The latest national food guide, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, provides an outline of what to eat each day based on the Dietary Guidelines. The fifth edition of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint publication of the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, was released on May 30, 2000. The food groups on today’s Food Guide are: fruits; vegetables; breads, cereal, rice and pasta; meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts; fats, oils and sweets; and milk, yogurt and cheese. The Food Guide Pyramid is not a rigid prescription but a general guide that lets us choose a healthful diet that takes into account individual food preferences. The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the essential nutrients and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain healthy weight. The new guidelines also emphasize physical activity as important for healthy living, more than just for weight management. For the first time, there is a guideline that focuses on keeping food safe to eat, particularly on the need to keep and prepare foods safely in the home. The standard USDA Food Pyramid and Guidelines have been included in the handout section of this lesson. The latest edition of these dietary guidelines can be viewed at www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/.

A Regional Food Guide The Northeast Regional Food Guide (NERFG) is based on the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, it goes further to include guides for healthy community food systems. The NERFG is based on the same dietary guidelines as the USDA food pyramid, but its focus is on the Northeast food system. The complete NERFG is included as a handout at the end of this lesson. To understand how the guides differ refer to the following comparison tables: Comparing the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and the Northeast Regional Food Guide The Northeast Regional Food Guide and the USDA Food Guide Pyramid have several elements in common. However, there are several important differences as well. Below is a comparison of these two food pyramids. The NERFG includes a guideline to help people support their local community food system.

Format Food Groups

Food Images

USDA Food Guide Pyramid Pyramid shape Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta; Vegetable; Fruit; Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese; Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts; Fats, Oils, & Sweets. Foods represent variety in each group.

Forms for fruits and vegetables

Foods are pictured in their fresh form only.

Foods at the top of the Pyramid

Symbols for fat and sugar, no foods pictured.

Seasonal Availabilit y of Produce

None.

Northeast Regional Food Guide Pyramid shape Food groups are identical to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, but the word order is changed for the high protein food to reflect an emphasis on plant foods in the diet: Dry Beans, Nuts, Eggs, Fish Poultry, & Meat.

The number of foods pictured on the NERFG is much greater than on the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. The foods pictured on the NERFG are foods that do currently, or can potentially, grow in the Northeast region. The names of the fruit and vegetable group include the various forms in which these foods can be found (fresh, canned, frozen, and stored). Eating a diet based on the availability of locally grown foods means that the form in which we eat foods might change throughout the year. For example, we might not have fresh tomatoes in the winter, but canned tomatoes or sauce would be consistent with local foods. This section actually has foods pictured. These foods, such as jams, jellies, honey, butter and syrup provide little more than sugar and fat (empty calories) but they represent food products of the region that add to the agricultural economy of Northeast communities. Contains lists of fruit and vegetable available for each season. In the winter, the foods listed will need to be provided from storage.

USDA Food Guide Pyramid

Northeast Regional Food Guide

Aim for Fitness ƒ Aim for a healthy weight. ƒ Be physically active each day.

Aim for Fitness ƒ Aim for a healthy weight. ƒ Be physically active each day.

Build a Healthy Base ƒ Let the Pyramid guide your food choices. ƒ Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains. ƒ Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. ƒ Keep food safe to eat.

Build a Healthy Base ƒ Let the Pyramid guide your food choices. ƒ Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains. ƒ Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. ƒ Keep food safe to eat.

Choose Sensibly ƒ Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat. ƒ Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars. ƒ Choose and prepare foods with less salt. ƒ If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Choose Sensibly ƒ Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat. ƒ Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars. ƒ Choose and prepare foods with less salt. ƒ If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Support a Community Food System ƒ Choose a diet with plenty of foods produced in your state and region. ƒ Choose a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables when they are available from local farmers. ƒ Choose a variety of root vegetables during the winter and early spring. ƒ Choose a diet low in out-of-season produce. ƒ Choose a diet low in foods that are not produced in your state or region.

What is a Season? Usually we think of seasons as having very specific starting and ending dates. Looking at our calendars we can see that summer officially begins on the summer solstice, or on June 21st. The first day of fall is on the autumnal equinox, or September 22nd. These dates are based on the tilt of our planet in reference to the sun. Depending on how close or far our part of the earth is from the sun, we may have longer periods of sunlight or more intense sun exposure. The changes in the Earth's position relative to the sun is important to what crops we can grow at various times through the year. In the Northeast, seasons greatly affect our crop production. Since varieties of fruits and vegetables have different growing seasons, it is difficult to specifically identify growing seasons. In general, growing seasons are based on when frosts occur. The primary growing season is the average length of the frost-free period between the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall. We may not notice when the first and last frosts occur in our area because they will occur when the temperature drops at night. The local weather bureau or Cooperative extension office keeps records of the frost dates. The NERFG includes lists of seasonal vegetables available in the Northeast. In general, most of our produce grows well during the summer season. This includes the more delicate fruits and vegetables. Depending on location in the Northeast, fall produce may be available from one to several months before very cold weather sets in. Winter produce consists of those hearty root crops harvested in the fall that can be stored for long periods of time. In milder sections of the Northeast, more tender vegetables may be available all winter. Several crops are also available from greenhouses, and there are always a wide variety of canned and frozen alternatives available during the Northeast winter. As winter ends, the temperature warms again. Since the Northeast region covers a large variation in climate conditions, the variety of produce available in the spring will vary greatly. One of the most helpful aspects of the Northeast Regional Food Guide is the list of seasonal produce available in the Northeast. Saving for a Snowy Day At first, it may seem logical to us that we simply cannot enjoy our Northeast summer fruits and vegetables in the middle of winter unless we purchase them from other parts of the country and world. However, we often consume foods that have been changed so that we can enjoy them long after they are harvested. It is difficult to compare the efficiency of the various ways to store food. Each form has a trade-off. For particular foods one method may be preferred over another to preserve the most taste or nutrition.

Fresh/Frozen: If we had a garden full of strawberries and were not about to eat them all, several options would be available to us. We could clean and freeze them to enjoy the same garden grown strawberries well into the winter. Many varieties of produce can be frozen to enjoy at a later time. Of all the processes to preserve food, freezing fruits and vegetables maintains the nutritional quality closest to that of fresh, raw food. (Newsome, 1980) Frozen foods must be frozen quickly and maintained at a constant temperature to preserve the highest level of nutritional quality. This form may a good choice for preserving your homegrown produce! Climate-controlled: Ever notice how some produce perishes quickly in your lunch bag but keeps for days in the refrigerator? The cool environment of the refrigerator helps us keep food fresh well after it has been picked. Some foods can be stored longer than others and maintain freshness. For example, many of the apples and potatoes we enjoy in the winter are stored in temperature-and humidity-controlled environments for months until they are eaten. The best temperature and humidity to maintain produce varies considerably for different fruits and vegetables. Sweet crops such as corn and peas need to be kept near freezing (32° F) because at higher temperatures sugar reactions speed up and ruin the eating quality (Frisch, 1986). Root crops such as carrots and beets need to be kept below 45° F to avoid becoming inedible. Crops such as broccoli and greens will keep twice as long at 32° F as they do at 40° F. Obviously this is tricky business, but in the proper environments some fruits and vegetables can be maintained for a considerable length of time. Canned: In many communities, families still preserve their homegrown produce by canning. This process keeps food in an airtight container that is impermeable to the organisms that cause food to rot. Food may be canned in large glass jars or in aluminum cans. Most grocery stores have an extensive stock of canned food because it stores well and is generally inexpensive. This form of food storage is able to preserve foods for many years. However, after one year of storage, the quality of the product begins to deteriorate. Dehydrated: Another method used to preserve food is dehydration - or removing most of the water. Most young people have eaten raisins. Raisins are dried grapes that can be kept for many months. Dried fruit concentrates the natural sugar of the fruit and can taste as sweet as candy. Although it is more common to notice dried fruit, other produce is also dried to save it for long periods of time. Dehydrated vegetables can be found in some prepared dry soup mixes available.

Before freezing, canning, or dehydration it is common to heatprocess fruits and vegetables to remove air, which can destroy contamination from microorganisms but also leads to decreased shelf life, and (Newsome, 1980). Heat processing can consist of exposing food to boiling water, steam or hot air for a short period of time. The result of this necessary step in food preservation is nutrient loss. Due to slowing down or stopping the enzyme process, the type of heat processing necessary varies from one type of produce to another. Most food preservation techniques require the input of energy and other material resources. It is difficult to weigh the preservation techniques based on how much energy is required to produce and maintain the food in various forms. In addition, the technique used to preserve the food depends largely on the type of fruit or vegetable you are trying to preserve. About the lesson… Most of us will have had an opportunity to learn about the basic food groups. We have probably seen the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Food Pyramid on display in school cafeterias. The first activity will help us rediscover the food guide. By exploring the Northeast Regional Food Guide, we will see how our community is connected to the food guide through the variety of foods available in our region. Most of us get our food from grocery stores that import food year round so that fruits and vegetables are available even in the winter. However, it is important for us to become aware that many of the foods we regularly consume do not come from the community near us. Much of the food our families purchase can come from local sources if we are able to make educated food choices. Also, using the variety of food preservation techniques currently available, we can preserve and maintain local produce through the cold Northeast winter. Lesson Resources: We have included the USDA Food Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines as a companion to this lesson. To find out more about the USDA guidelines you can find information on the Internet at: www.usda.gov For more information on the Northeast Regional Food Guide, direct your browser to: www.nutrition.cornell.edu/FoodGuide/ For more information about food preservation and processing, you may want to consult: http://britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/printable/4/0,5722,120854,00. html

Lesson 2: Food System Basics Summary Although we participate in the food system each day by eating, most of us are likely not to be aware of how food gets from the field to table. Even young people from rural areas are increasingly becoming removed from their local food system. Food System Basics will help us develop an understanding of the food system by building on what we already know and experience. Several models have been created to help us conceptualize the many complex interconnections that exist in the food system. In the first activity of this lesson, we will follow the path of a simple food item, such as fruit juice, from farm to table. We will create informal illustrations of the path of the food item. If you are working as a large group, have the instructor help you create a master class list of the activities in the food’s path. We can compare the steps that we were able to think of to the list provided at the end of this lesson. We will also make a list of activities or processes that occur within each step in the food system. This activity will help us think more critically about all of the steps involved in creating the food supply available in our grocery stores, cafeterias, and restaurants. Finally, we will discover what “local” means in terms of our food system. This lesson will create the basic framework for exploring more in-depth issues and concepts related to the food system in the coming lessons. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we should be able to: • Identify, define and describe steps in the food system. • List several activities that occur at various steps in the food system. • Explore the meaning of the term “local” in reference to the food we eat. • Describe our individual participation in the food system. Key Concepts • Systems • Interdependence

• • • •

Inputs Outputs Food System Models

“Getting to the Core” If we look at how apples work themselves through the food system, we can find them at every stage of the system. Apples are grown (they grow on trees), they are harvested, etc. Growing – Apples grow on trees in orchards. Sometimes trees are attached to wire frames so that they are spread out horizontally and the fruit is easy to reach for picking. Harvesting – Apples are harvested by hand. In the United States, apples are picked by migrant or resident farm laborers from Mexico and Latin America. Ladders are used in the case of freestanding trees in order to reach all of the apples. The pickers will fill bags that are attached to their ladders and lower them into boxes being towed with a tractor. Washing, grading and waxing – Apples are washed, graded, and waxed. Storing – Apples are sorted by size and then packed into 40-pound cartons. Transporting – If not sold locally, a buyer arranges for shipment and a trucking company is contracted for shipment (4-5 days from Washington State to the East coast, for example). Temperature-controlled trucks travel 2,800 miles from Spokane, WA to Maryland. Changing (also called Transforming or Processing) – Not all apples are sold as fresh fruit. Apples can be canned, made into pie filling or applesauce, or added to many different products. How many food products can you think of that contain apples? Packaging – The packaging of apples is different, depending on how the fruit is sold: fresh and whole, or as part of a food product. Marketing/Retailing – Apples can be marketed a number of different ways and through different sales channels. Cooking – Apples of course can be eaten without any cooking – right from the tree! But they also can be baked whole or in pies and other pastries, made into sauce, or made into a fruit salad – such as Waldorf salad.

Consuming – Yum! Disposing, composting and Recycling. Apple cores can be composted! If apples are made into a food product, the package needs to be disposed of or recycled.

Activities • • • •

From Field to Table Steps in the Food System Food Thread Food for Thought Journal

Going Further Background

Activity 1: From Field to Table

Summary Since a good way to introduce a new concept (such as the food system) is to put the idea in the context of something familiar, the first activity consists of discussing a commonly consumed food product.

Materials • • •

Simple processed food products or the labels of such products Writing board and markers Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Collect labels of commonly consumed food products.

Class itself •

•

•

•

Write down on paper a common whole and a processed food product. For example, whole fruits and vegetables are “whole” foods, and food products such as bread, ready-to-eat cereal, grape juice, applesauce, tomato soup, or strawberry jam are processed foods. Think about the path of those products from the field to your table. First think about the “whole” foods and then the processed foods. Think about the fresh fruit or vegetable the processed product was made from - grapes, applesauce, tomatoes, or strawberries. You might think about the kind of plant the food came from. Have you ever seen the plant or grown it in a garden or on a farm? What are the steps involved in changing a raw food into the final product being considered? Considerations about the packaging, the label, and other ingredients are all part of this picture. If you are leading a discussion for a large group, you may want to refrain from “answering” the students’ questions at this point. The goal of this activity is to generate thinking about what a food system is and how a food product ends up in the grocery store. Think about how the food item got to your grocery store. You may want to use the guiding questions below to help focus your thinking to particular parts of the food path. Draw informal

illustrations of the path that the food item followed from the farm to your table. This activity is a way to bring out the your understanding of the food system. When you are done, put your name on the drawing and put it aside. You will use it for later activities, and at the end of the unit, you may want to make another illustration so you can compare what you initially thought about the food system to what you learned during the activities.

Guiding Questions • • • • • • •

Where do the ingredients in this food product come from? How were they grown? What do you have to do to the ingredients to make it look this way? What was added to make this product? What did we do to it to make it look the way is does? Where does the container come from? What do we do with the container when it is empty? Ex. throw it away (where does it go?)- landfill?, re-use, recycle, burn it,

Activity 2: Steps in the Food System

Summary Beyond identifying the steps in the food system, it is important to have an idea of what activities go on in each step.

Materials • • • •

Labels used in Activity 1 Writing board and markers Paper and pens/pencils Photocopies of Steps in the Food System list

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed. Class itself • Look at your list from the last lesson. What steps did you include and why? If you have a large group, use the writing board to create a master list. Ideally, several of the steps in the food system from the Steps in the Food System list (provided with this activity) will be identified during this exercise. What are the similarities and differences between your list and the Steps in the Food System list? •

To help you think more deeply about the steps of the system, pick a step in the food system. Make a list of several activities that take place in each step of the system. For example, if you choose the step of Growing, you might write down: cultivating the soil, planting, watering, buying seed, testing soil, spraying, etc. Design your own job title for something that a person might do in that part of the food system. If you have a large group, divide into smaller groups so that each step of the food system is covered.

Steps in the Food System Growing | Harvesting | Storing | Transporting | Changing (Transforming or Processing) | Packaging | Marketing | Retailing | Preparing | Consuming

Activity 3: Food Thread

Summary Now that you have identified not only the steps in the food system but various activities within each of those steps, you should cement your understanding by creating a “Food Thread” for one item. This activity will also introduce you to the concept of “local” in the food system. Materials • Photocopies of “Getting to the Core” from this lesson • Writing board and markers • Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Make photocopies as needed. Class itself 1. Creating your own “Food Thread.” Read the “Getting to the Core” for this lesson, which applies the food system concepts to apples. Choose other food items to trace through the food system. Draw the path this food item would take, or how it would “thread” its way through the food system. This food might be a potato, tomato, strawberry or orange depending on what interests you, or a product native to your location. Or, if you are quite ambitious, choose a food product that contains more than one food from more than one food group – yogurt for example. The important thing is that the food that is chosen should have some meaning and relevance to the food system you are discovering. 2. What does “local“ mean? This term can have many meanings depending on how it is approached. Refer to the Background section for information about local food systems.

Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal

Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Lesson 2.

Materials • •

Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” Pens/pencils

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed.

Class itself In the journal you will be able to study one of your own meals to think about where your food comes from in the context of the steps of the food system.

Questions of the Day: ¾ Describe a meal that you ate today or yesterday.

¾ Did you help prepare the meal?

¾ Was there anything in your meal that you think may have been grown or produced locally before it was in the grocery store or your cabinet?

¾ How would you find out if it were grown or produced locally?

¾ What steps in the food system are represented in what you ate today? Which foods were represented by which step?

¾ If you could ask someone anything about the foods you ate today, what would you ask and why?

If time allows, try one of these games: 1. Continue Activity 2 by playing a top ten game. Designate point keepers for the game. Have groups take turns guessing what activities other groups have listed for their step in the food system by acting out (without words) the particular step or activities. This could lead to a discussion about which steps you think are most expensive, which steps might use a lot of resources, which steps take place within your community. This is a time to have the group brainstorm together now that they are better versed in what the food system is. Also, you can use the telephone book to find out if there are any food producers or processors in your town. 2. Are you in the food system game? Before the game: Make a copy of the “Steps in the Food System” list. Game: At the start of the game give each group a copy of the 10 steps. Give them about 4 minutes to list people who are members of each step. Have them use specific names, for example: Mr. Williams in the produce department at Greene’s store. Have them list as many names as they can think of next to the step within which the person works. You might be surprised to find that even you are involved in working within a food system, as a bus-person at a local restaurant or a cashier at a fast food establishment. At the end of the designated time ask the groups to count all persons listed in each step of the food system. Ask a spokesperson from each group to share their total points and the step with the most and least names recorded in their group. Record the results. This could be an indication as to which steps you are most and least familiar with. Creating a list of family and/or friends who work within the food system would not only be interesting, but also introduce different career possibilities that you have not yet considered. Post the results.

COMMENCEMENT LEVEL CHALLENGE Food for Thought Journal 2 Things to think about: List the 10 steps within a food system. 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9 5. 10. Which of the steps would occur in a local market? Which of the steps would occur in a regional market? Which of the steps would occur in a global market? Does the number of steps through which a food goes affect the cost of the food? ___yes ___no___maybe Give some examples of foods grown and marketed locally, regionally and globally. List the advantages and disadvantages for the consumer choosing foods grown in different areas. Examples of a locally grown food advantages

disadvantages

Examples of a regionally grown food advantages

disadvantages

Examples of a globally grown food advantages

disadvantages

What is the basis for peoples’ choices when selecting foods?

Background You probably know more about the food system than you can readily express. If we ask ourselves where a food might come from we will often respond, “the grocery store.” However, most of us do understand that apples grow on trees somewhere and that farms grow most of our food. It may take time and discussion to define many of the steps in the food system that we are less familiar with or have not experienced. The primary goal of the lesson is to identify the major steps of the food system and explore some of the activities that take place in each step. Each step is defined and discussed below to help gain a clear idea of how food-producing activities are arranged in the food system. What is a System? A system is a group of interacting, interrelated, and oftentimes interdependent elements that function together as a complex, unified whole. One core concept of a system is that a change in one element of a system has an impact, either directly or indirectly, on one or more additional elements in that system. Another core concept is that systems generally require inputs to function and produce outputs that need to be dealt with one way or another. Inputs and outputs in the food system are too numerous to list here, but every component of the food system uses inputs and results in outputs. For example, the “Growing” segment of the food system requires seeds, soil, water, sunshine, fertilizer/compost, human work, machinery and energy to run the machinery as inputs. “Growing” generates crops that serve as human foods, and waste that may be incorporated back into the soil or disposed of in another way. Inputs and outputs vary a great deal depending on the type of food system being considered. In a true system the components of that system are treated or considered as a whole and cannot be considered in isolation from other related components or elements of the system. Relationships and interdependencies between the components are key elements of a system. Systems vary in the degree to which they are "open" or "closed" -that is, the degree to which system components interact with, or are insulated from, the larger external environment. Given the nature of food systems, which have biological, physical, and socio-economic aspects, there is a high degree of interchange both among the subsystems and with the larger environment. Dynamic adjustments in the food system to external and internal forces, including our research and education programs, are on going and must be given greater consideration as we conduct our work.

Steps in the Food System: Food Production involves many of the activities that take place on a farm, at an orchard, in bodies of water, or in greenhouses and fish-farm tanks to produce our food. Food production depends on the "input" of several resources, both natural (soil, water, climate, seeds, and human labor) and human-made (machinery, fuel, fertilizers, pesticides). A farmer owns or rents land to plant crops, or tend animals. The inputs required vary depending on what is being grown or raised and the type of agricultural system that is in place. For example, many of the pesticides and fertilizers common in most of our agriculture are not allowed in organic agriculture. Harvest can be very labor-intensive step in the food system if we are talking about many of the fruits and vegetables that are too delicate to be harvested by machine. Other fruits and vegetables are harvested with machines. Mechanical harvesters that require fuel to run harvest most grain and cereal crops. Depending on what is harvested, different resources may be needed. Some of the inputs required for this step in the system are labor, fuel, raw materials, built equipment, and packing materials. Storage refers to keeping a stock or supply of a certain crop to maintain safety and quality for some future use. Storage is required for all crops that are not marketed soon after harvest. Different crops can be stored for different lengths of time. Most fruits and vegetables are highly perishable unless processed or preserved from their fresh form. Exceptions to this include apples, root vegetables (potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips), bulbs (onions, shallots, garlic), and cabbages (red and green), all of which store well for extended periods of time, if the proper temperature and humidity are maintained. Grains and cereals store well for years with no energy input. Apples are often kept in controlled atmospheres to make them available many months after they are harvested. Of course, we store food on a daily basis in our refrigerators. The inputs required for storage include energy to maintain the cool environment, gases, packaging, buildings and land. Distribution is the process of dividing up, spreading out, and delivering food to various places. Farm products can be taken from their original sources and delivered to supermarkets, other food stores, or farmers’ markets for sale as a whole fresh product - like many fruits and vegetables. Alternatively, farm products can be transported to a site where they will be transformed in some way, combined with other ingredients, made into food products, packaged and then distributed through a number to marketing channels. Most of what we find in

grocery stores today has been transported great distances and has undergone some degree of processing. We currently transport food by truck, train, boat, and plane. A few foods (tomatoes and bananas primarily) that will be transported a significant distance are usually harvested before full ripeness so that they will withstand the bumps along the way. Transformation or Processing changes made to a food's structure, composition, character, or condition, is another way to make food available at times or places that it might otherwise not be. Much of the food we eat on a regular basis is transformed in some way before we eat it. Think of the bread on your sandwich, the juice you had with breakfast, tomato sauce and the pasta is covers, or the cheese you had on a cracker (and the cracker itself!). During processing, food is changed in some way to enhance flavor, make it last longer than the processed raw foods it came from, or create new products altogether. There are many different ways to process a food. Turning fresh strawberries into jam, making juice from fresh apples, pre-cutting and cooking potatoes for frozen French fries are all ways to process food. It may include drying, cooking, freezing and canning, or adding preservatives to lengthen shelf life. Processing may enhance the nutritional content of a food, and in many cases may decrease nutritional content. Depending on the type of food and processing technique, a variety of inputs are necessary for this step in the food system. Some of them are labor, machinery, water, fuel for cooking and freezing, sugar, and preservatives. Packaging is a way to protect food from spoilage on its way to our grocery stores. Almost everything we purchase at the grocery store is packaged in some way. Strawberries are put into plastic quart containers, bread is packaged in plastic or paper bags, pasta is kept in cardboard boxes, etc. Packaging is also a way to divide up the goods in a standard way so that people can purchase a known quantity quickly. It can provide a place for advertisement of the goods contained within. Some of the inputs necessary to make packaging are paper, plastic, cardboard, aluminum, glass, ink, and machinery. Marketing, Sales and Purchasing is the process of determining and catering to the consumer’s wants or needs, (or it may give the illusion of need in an effort to get people to buy a product!). A significant portion of the money we spend on each food item goes to marketing teams who determine what people want from the food they eat. Marketers determine how to make food appealing to consumers. The inputs for this step in the system are people’s labor and time, in addition to advertising and packaging.

Retailing is how food is brought to the consumer. Food can be sold to groups of businesses that sell the products in grocery stores or restaurants. Another way of retailing is bringing goods to a market for consumers to purchase, such as a farmer’s market. Some of the inputs needed for retailing may include transportation to the market, packaging to hold and label goods, and fuel to maintain the food. Cooking can happen in the home, at restaurants, or in institutional kitchens that feed hundreds of people. If we start with fresh ingredients, cooking “from scratch” can be quite involved and enjoyable. With many food products available today, “cooking” amount to nothing more than re-heating and presenting a dish or entire meal on a plate. When we purchase food from a restaurant, someone else does the cooking. The inputs needed for cooking depend on what is being done with the food. Some inputs may be water, heat, and various appliances, as well as our time. Consuming is the step of the system when we purchase or eat food. People studying the food system may consider the purchasing of food to be consumption because that is when it is taken out of, or “disappears” from, the retail sector of the food system. A family might consider consumption to be when they eat food because that is the time when a meal is enjoyed together. The primary input for this step is financial, since we pay for the food item and all of the activities required in bringing the food to our table. Disposing, composting and recycling -- Some food that is purchased, cooked and served as part of a meal is not eaten and instead is thrown out. This food can go into the garbage or can be added to a compost pile and turned into a valuable, rich fertilizing material to add to a home garden or a farmer’s field. Food packages may also have different fates with different environmental impacts. All food packages, of course, can be thrown away and added to the solid waste accumulated by a community. However, many food packages can be recycled. Food packing materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, glass and tin can be recycled depending on the services provided by the community. Models of the Food System Since we cannot “see” the whole food system at one time, models have been developed to help us understand this complex and interdependent system. The food system has been conceptualized [and modeled] in several different ways (Sobal et al, 1998). Models may be linear in nature -starting with production and proceeding to transportation, processing,

marketing, and consumption. However, the food system is undoubtedly more complex than it might appear from a linear model. Each component or subsystem depends upon inputs both natural and man-made, and produces by-products that are either recycled or end up as waste that is absorbed by the larger environment. In addition there are feedback loops by which one component or subsystem affects another. A model developed for the Northeast Network for Food, Farm and Health Policy Education places this linear model in the biophysical, socio-cultural, and economic-political spheres, which greatly influence the food system and are, in turn, influenced by it. Figure 1:

Sobal, et al. (1998) have also placed a linear schematic of production, consumption, and nutrition in a broader context of biophysical and social realms. There are other ways to think about the food system, including food webs and food circles or cycles, which are departures from the linear approach. They can more clearly reflect the complexity of the interaction among the system components and may convey the sense of a closed system. The model developed as part of an elementary school curriculum -- The Whole Story of Food -- is an example of a circular portrayal of the food system. But, as the model shows, the food system is not closed as depicted by the "disposing" step directed away from the cycle. In addition, the uni-directional flow clockwise around the cycle,

misses the impacts any step might have on the one preceding it. Further, in actuality each of the steps in this circular model is dependent on inputs (most obviously energy) from outside the system. Likewise, each step results in outputs that are at least in part absorbed beyond the bounds of the system. It is worth noting that although closed systems may be an ideal for which to strive, they are rarely seen in the real world because any defined system could also be redefined as part of a larger system with which it inherently interacts. Figure 2:

For Discovering the Food System we have taken elements of several food system models and created a new one. This model emphasizes the interdependencies of each of the components and the inputs necessary and outputs that result from each step. These steps of the food system are presented in a typical order. Sometimes the steps may occur in a different order depending on what food product is being produced in the system. Most likely you can bring up steps that might happen out of this order. For example, often food is stored at home in a refrigerator after it has been purchased from the retail store. Also, some people will purchase fruits to process and

package at home by making jam. Adding to this arrangement of steps in the food system by exploring different foods will help you understand the parts of the system more deeply. Figure 3:

About the lesson… In activity 2, you can create drawings of all of the steps you think it takes to get food from farm to table. The goal of this part of the lesson is to think about the food system, to see what you already understand about it and to build on that understanding. The length of time for this activity should be limited to approximately half of an hour. The activities in this lesson are adaptable for most learning environments. A key point to keep in mind during the lesson is to explore your ideas. This may take time and patience but will help you identify what you already know. Once you know what you already understand, you can build upon that understanding. Pre-existing ideas about food and food sources will vary with the geographic location, educational setting, experience with gardening and farming, and the type of food and level of cooking in the household, etc. This provides an opportunity to gauge your perspective of food systems.

Lesson 3: Think Globally, Eat Locally Summary When we hear the common saying, “Think Globally, Act Locally,” food may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, what we choose to eat is connected to a food system. That food system may be very local, such as an apple from a neighboring orchard, or global, such as apples coming from New Zealand, Japan, or Canada. The major goal of this lesson is for us to become familiar with local and global aspects of our food system. The first activity will help us define the terms “local,” “regional,” and “global.” We will then participate in an activity to demonstrate these differences in energy consumed in local and global food systems. Other ideas are offered in the Going Further section. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we will be able to: • Have an increased understanding of how the steps in the food system are interrelated. • Explore the concepts of "local," "regional," and "global" food systems. • Have an increased awareness of how energy is needed and used in the food system. • Explain how our food choices can affect the community and global system. Key Concepts • Local food system (and “localization”) • Global food system (and “globalization”) • Regional food system (and “regionalization”) • Community • Sustainability • Food Miles • Cost versus Price

Activities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Defining the terms “Local,” “Regional,” and “Global.” Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison Follow-up Miles in Your Breakfast Food for Thought Journal

Activity 1: Defining the terms “local,” “regional,” and “global” Summary In order to understand food systems and how they are interconnected, we must first understand the terms used. This lesson will help us define “local,” “regional,” and “global” for future use.

Materials • •

Writing board and markers Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Review Background material and guiding questions

Class itself •

•

• •

Start this lesson by discussing or thinking about the meaning of the terms, “local”, “regional”, and “global.” The distinctions between these different systems are based on the distances between the sources of the food (where it is grown, raised or caught) and the place where it is purchased for consumption. Much of the food found in a grocery store arrived there through a food system that is global. Discuss or think about what the term “global” means. Where do your oranges come from? What areas of the world do other foods you buy come from? Using the guiding questions below, brainstorm to focus your ideas. Once you have generated ideas, we will define the terms for this lesson. Refer to the Background section for definitions.

Guiding Questions • • • • •

What do you think the term “local” means? What makes a food a local food? What makes up your local area? What does the term “regional” mean to you? What is your region? What does the term “global” mean to you?

Activity 2: Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison

Summary To help us learn about the amount of energy and other resources used and outputs generated by the food system, we will compare a local with a global food system. We will first set a number of parameters about either a global or local food system. Then, using a food system worksheet, we will calculate the amount of energy in the food system. For each food system, we will follow the path of a strawberry – in a form they choose and from a place and type of farm that they choose. We will first decide on a food system “scenario” for their strawberries, then using the energy worksheet, calculate the amount of energy used for the kind of strawberry food system we chose. There are examples to give you ideas as well. The strawberries used in this example could be fresh, frozen or in jam and they could come from a local, small farm or come from across the country. One of the important points in this lesson is that all food systems (local, regional and global) require the input of natural and human resources. Even a very local food system will require some resources and generate some level of output. Food systems, however, vary a great deal in the level of inputs required, the level and kind of outputs generated, and the benefits or costs that result for a given community.

Materials • • • • • •

Photocopies of Strawberry food system story Photocopy of “Steps in the Food System” list from Lesson 2 Photocopies of the Energy worksheets as needed Local and national road maps, if needed Writing board and markers Paper and pens/pencils

Before class To prepare for this activity, make copies of the strawberry food system story. Make copies of the local food system. Review the food system model and have a copy of the “Steps in the Food System” list from Lesson 2 on hand to which to refer during the activity. Check with your local cooperative extension to find out where strawberries are grown in your area.

Class itself 1. Think about your experiences with strawberries. • Do you eat strawberries? • Have you ever picked strawberries? If so, where do you pick strawberries? • What is your local season for strawberries? (When are they ready for picking?) • Can you pick strawberries here in the winter? • Where are the strawberries grown that you buy in the winter? • What are some of the different ways that you can buy strawberries in the supermarket? (Frozen, jam, in yogurt, fresh). 2. Look at the strawberry food system story. 3. Complete the worksheet, filling in the missing information as you go along. Some of this information will be based on data that you will have ahead of time (i.e. location of strawberry farms nearby) and other information will be a matter of some judgment (i.e. the gas mileage for the truck). [Note: To make this exercise as “real” as possible, to use a location for the market near where the you live and a farm location that is between 50 and 100 miles from your town for the local food system, a few thousand miles away for the global food system.] Decide on the type of farm. There may be other particulars that you think of to add to the worksheet not noted there. This is fine and should be encouraged. To determine distances between specific locations, use a road atlas or Mapquest. 4. Complete the worksheets after all the missing pieces of food system information are added. Calculate the energy and resources used and the amount of CO2 and garbage generated as “outputs” or “externalities.” Record your results in the appropriate column of the energy and resource score sheet. 5. Once you have completed the worksheets and score sheets, try another scenario (global if the first was local, or vice versa. If there are enough of you, divide into 2 groups and one take the local scenario and one the global). Compare the results of the two sheets so that you can see the differences on energy and resource use between the two systems.

If ever there were a taste of summer, the strawberry would be it! The strawberry has become one of the most popular small fruits in the United States. On average, Americans eat about 6 pounds a year. Not only does this fruit taste good, it is good for you. Strawberries are good source of vitamin C, and as a fruit contain no fat. Most strawberries produced in the United States are grown as annuals (plants that are planted each year and last for one season) in California and Florida over a long season and then shipped to be sold fresh in supermarkets all over the country from December through October. Strawberries can be found fresh, or processed into juices, jams, jellies, or frozen whole or sliced for use in ice cream, yogurt and toppings. How many of these ways have you had strawberries? There are many different varieties of strawberries. Here in the northeast, several varieties are grown locally to be marketed as fresh berries. There is definitely a “season” for strawberries here in our region. The fruits ripen over a three- to five-week period beginning in late May and ending mid-June. The precise length of the strawberry season will vary depending on the location. In the Northeast (as in Canada and the Midwest), strawberries are generally grown as perennials, that is, they will bear fruit for several years before needing to be replaced with new plantings. Few farms grow only strawberries – most strawberry growers produce other fruits and vegetables as well, because the strawberry season is so short. If this were the only crop a farmer grew, all his/her income from farming would have to be made in a few weeks out of the year! On a conventional farm, strawberry production can involve inputs of synthetic herbicide (for weed control) and a synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Weeds are a problem mostly in June, July and early August of the year the plants are planted. On an organic farm, the strawberry fields are usually fruited for only two years, because it is difficult to maintain enough nitrogen from organic sources. Since plants will not produce much fruit without sufficient nitrogen, other crops are planted on the field when strawberries are not planted and manure is used to fertilize the soil.

Labor costs tend to be higher in organic production, but chemical (herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers) costs are likely to be lower. Yields also tend to be lower as well. Average organic yields are about 5,000; 4,000; 2,000; and 1,000 quarts per acre in consecutive years on an organic farm, where as on a conventional farm average yields are about 7,000; 7,000; 4,000; and 3,000 quarts per acre. Organic strawberry production can be as profitable as conventional production if the price of the organic fruit is about 30% - 40% higher than conventional. Strawberries can also be grown in controlled, high-technology environments for off-season production. These can be plastic tunnels over raised beds in the field or full greenhouses. In addition to the building materials for the structures, greenhouses are heated with the input of energy. Strawberries are extremely perishable. That means they ripen quickly and even faster after harvest. They maintain quality for only a few days at room temperature (that’s the strawberry’s shelf life) and about a week refrigerated – depending on the variety that is grown. This means that once ripe strawberries are picked, they need to be handled carefully, kept cool, and transported quickly to a processing facility or to where they will be marketed fresh. If a berry is picked before it is fully ripe it will have a longer storage and/or shelf life than those harvested at the fully ripe or overripe stage. Have you seen strawberries with white tips? These not yet fully ripe berries will retain their firmness much longer than those harvested fully ripe (making them better long-distance travelers) and will lose less water during storage. This sound good, doesn’t it? But, the down side of this is that these berries usually do not develop the same intense flavor as fruits harvested at the fully ripe stage. Because berries ripen so quickly, frequent harvesting of the field (once every two days) is critical. The berries headed for the fresh market (store or farmers’ market where they’re sold as fresh and whole fruit) are placed into commercial containers. Containers can be made of pulp (inexpensive but stain easily), wood (also stain and are expensive), clear plastic containers, like clamshells (reduce moisture loss but juice can gather in the bottom), or colored plastic mess boxes.

To maintain quality after harvest, berries must be stored at low temperatures, with high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels. Cooling – and doing it quickly! - is probably the most important step to take after harvest to maintain good quality. This is critical for berries that will be transported great distances. Forced air cooling is the most frequent method used. This involves channeling refrigerated air through the containers holding the fruit. Large producers may have a separate forced air cooling facility specifically designed for removing field heat. Smaller forced air units can be improved with a small walk-in cooler and a few fans! Regardless of size, cooling with forced air will require resources for the unit or facility and will use energy to do the cooling. Remember, strawberries are very fragile and need to be handled carefully at every step along the distribution chain from farmer to consumer. The fewer steps, the less loss from decomposition and rot. The average total loss of strawberries from harvest to the consumer’s table is estimated to be more than 40%! A 14% loss occurs from farmer to wholesaler, a 6% loss from wholesaler to retailer, and a 22% loss occurs from retailer to consumer. These losses can be decreased with good handling practices. If the berries are to be transported great distances, say from California to New York State, many steps are involved. After the berries are transported from the field and pre-cooled, the flats (the wooden crates in which pint-sized cartons of strawberries are placed for transport) might then be wrapped, loaded in a refrigerated truck, transported to a distribution center and unloaded into a warehouse. At some later time, they would then be loaded into a truck, transported to a retail store, unloaded and stacked in the back room, and finally set up on the produce display for sale. Of course, if a farmer plans to sell the berries directly to consumers at a nearby farmers’ market, the berries will be picked and placed directly into cartons, kept cold over night, loaded onto a smaller truck along with other products and transported to the market the next morning. Other marketing options include customer harvest (pick-your-own) and processed (frozen, jams, jellies, etc.). As this story reveals, there are many steps involved in getting strawberries from a farmer’s field to your table! And the path can vary quite a bit. Source for “Strawberries From Farm and Table”: Pritts, M. and Handley, D. (Eds.). 1998. Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada. Natural Resource, Agricultural, and Engineering Service. Cooperative Extension. 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 148535701. 162 pages. NRAES-88; ISBN 0-935817-23-9.

Worksheet: Energy use in the food system – Strawberries Objectives: To calculate and compare the energy costs of providing strawberries for several food system scenarios *. Instructions: (refer to example as needed) 1) Fill in the blanks in the header of the energy cost worksheet. Choose the type and location of farm that the strawberries come from, the form of berries, the location of the market, the location of the consumer and his/her mode of transportation, and the type of shopping trip. Refer to Table 1: Choosing A Scenario (see below) for guidance. 2) Using the Energy Key below, find the energy cost per unit for each stage of the food system appropriate for the strawberry scenario you selected (i.e. farm, berry form, etc.). Enter the appropriate values onto the energy cost worksheet. 3) Using a road atlas, determine the approximate distance the strawberries are transported from farm to market and the distance the consumer travels from the home to the market and back. Enter distances onto worksheet. 4) Using the Energy Key, determine the length of time the berries will be stored. Enter the amount onto the worksheet. 5) Choose the amount of strawberries that will be purchased during the trip (Hint: a quart container of berries weighs approximately 1.3 pounds). Try to be as realistic as possible. Enter amounts onto worksheet. Note that for the “Consumer” stage of the food system, you will enter the total weight of food purchased during the shopping trip. See Energy Key for details. 6) Calculate the total energy use in each stage of the system by performing the mathematical operations indicated. Enter values onto worksheet. 7) Sum the values for each stage to calculate the total energy used in the food system to provide x pounds of strawberries for the given strawberry scenario (x = the number of pounds of strawberries purchased. Note: if less than a pound is purchased, use a decimal. For example, .5 pounds for a half of a pound). 8) Repeat steps 1 through 7 for as many scenarios* as desired. Compare how energy use

differs depending on the food choices made (i.e. source of strawberries, form consumed, mode of transportation used by consumer).

* NOTE: A scenario is a hypothetical situation described by several key factors. It is often compared with variations of the same general situation. For example, demographers often compare population projections that are calculated based on different sets of assumptions, such as low, medium and high birth rates. Each set of assumptions is a scenario.

Table 1. Choosing a scenario. Category Farm Type: Small scale

Retail

Wholesale

Processing

Berry Form

Market Type Roadside stand Farmers’ market Cooperative Grocer Supermarket

Consumer Transportation

Helpful Information The farmer raises only a few (2 to 4) acres of strawberries and sells them directly to the customer from a roadside stand or at a farmer’s market. Few external inputs are used (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides) and yields are modest. The farmer raises a medium acreage (approximately 10 acres) of strawberries and sells them directly to the customer from the farm (a pick-your-own operation) or from a farmers’ market. Inputs are greater than small scale and yields are higher. The farmer raises a large acreage (50 or more acres) of strawberries and sells them to stores or distributors. There is no direct connection with the customer. Yields and inputs tend to be high. The farmer raises a large acreage (50 or more acres) of strawberries and sells them to a processing plant to be made into a strawberry product (such as jam). There is no direct connection with the customer. Yields and inputs vary. Strawberries are available in a variety of forms. They are commonly sold fresh, frozen, or as jams and jellies. The transformation of berries into different forms requires additional inputs of resources. A building (often simple) located on a well-traveled road that is on or near the farm. A large (often open-air) structure at which many farmers sell produce or other farm products. The market is usually located near a population center. A medium sized store that sells produce and hundreds of other food and non-food items. It is usually oriented toward whole foods and health-conscious customers. The market is usually located near a population center. A large store that sells produce and thousands of other food and non-food items. The market is usually located near a population center. Availability of local produce may be limited. Though the automobile is certainly the most common mode of transportation, several options may be available. Consumers may be able to walk, bike, or take public transit depending on their

proximity to the market and to bus or train service. Shopping Information Just berries Small trip Week’s groceries

The size of a typical shopping trip can vary greatly, from a short trip to buy milk and bread to a full week’s groceries. Examples are shown below. Assumes that the consumer only buys strawberries. Common for a trip to a pick-your-own farm or an impulse shopping trip. Assumes that the consumer buys strawberries and one-third of the weekly groceries. Common for a trip to a farmers’ market where not all foods are available. Assumes that the consumer buys strawberries and an entire week’s groceries. Common for a trip to a supermarket or other large grocery store.

Table 2. Energy Key. Method Production (farm type) 1: Small scale Retail Wholesale – CA Wholesale – FL Wholesale – Northeast Processing – CA/OR Harvest: Hand picked

Fossil energy cost per unit

205 kcal/lb 506 kcal/lb 321 kcal/lb 946 kcal/lb 803 kcal/lb

Could be located in any state. U-pick operation. Consumer can drive to farm. Producing season is April through September. Producing season is January through April. Producing season mid-May through June.

390 kcal/lb

Processing occurs throughout picking season.

0 kcal/lb

Processing 2: Canning Freezing Fresh

261 kcal/lb 825 kcal/lb 0 kcal/lb

Packaging 3: Glass jar Paper box Plastic bag

1,023 kcal/lb 722 kcal/lb 559 kcal/lb

Wood basket Storage 4: Frozen

69 kcal/lb 120 kcal/lb/mo

Refrigerated Shelf Transport 5: Truck Van / Pick-up Consumer 6:

Comments

All strawberries are considered hand picked Assume 1lb berries makes 1lb of jam. Assume 1lb berries makes 1lb frozen.

For storing jam. Jar holds 16oz (1lb). For frozen berries. Box holds 16oz (1lb). For berries frozen at home. Bag holds 16oz (1lb). For fresh berries. Basket holds 16oz (1lb). Assume berries stored for 6 months.

0 kcal/lb/mo

Fresh berries refrigerated during each day of transport. Storage for jam.

0.18 kcal/lb/mi 2.24 kcal/lb/mi

Trucks used for wholesale and processed berries. Vans/pick-ups used for small scale and retail berries.

Car (just berries) Car (small trip) Car (week’s groceries) Bike or walk

1790 kcal/mi 1790 kcal/mi 1790 kcal/mi

Units purchased = wt berries Units purchased = wt berries + 11 lbs/person 7 Units purchased = wt berries + 32 lbs/person 7

0 kcal/mi

1 – Energy costs of producing strawberries are derived from Galletta and Funt (1980). Please note the following: the cost shown for “Wholesale – Northeast” is from the energy budget of Maryland strawberry production (Galletta and Funt, 1980, p. 300); the cost shown for “Wholesale – CA” is an average of the two California energy budgets (Galletta and Funt, 1980, p.302-3); the cost shown for “Processing” is a weighted average from energy budgets of California and Oregon (Galletta and Funt, 1980, p.302-4). 2 – Energy costs of canning and freezing are from Pimentel and Pimentel (1996, p. 188). 3 – Energy costs of packaging are from Pimentel and Pimentel (1996, p. 195) 4 – Energy cost of frozen storage is from Pimentel and Pimentel (1996, p. 188) 5 – Energy cost of transporting strawberries from farm to market based on fuel efficiency, energy value of fuel, and cargo capacity of vehicle. Fuel efficiencies of “trucks” and “vans/pickups” are 1999 estimates from the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (2002). Energy values (in kcal) for diesel and gasoline are from Cervinka (1980, p 15). Cargo capacity is assumed to be 40,000lbs of produce for trucks and 1,000lbs of produce for vans/pickups. 6 – Energy cost of consumer driving to and from market based on vehicle fuel efficiency and energy value of fuel. Fuel efficiencies of “cars” are 1999 estimates from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (2002). Energy values for gasoline are from Cervinka (1980, p 15). 7 – Distributes the energy cost of traveling to/from market amongst all items purchased during a shopping trip (not just strawberries). The amount of weight added to weight of berries based on the average amount of food consumed per capita in the U.S. Food Supply, 1,670lbs per person per year (Putnum, et al, 2000). A “small trip” assumes 1/3 of weekly food purchased during trip. A “week’s groceries” assumes that an entire week’s worth of food is purchased. Worksheet References: Cervinka, V. 1980. Fuel and Energy Efficiency. Pages 15-21 in D. Pimentel (ed.) Handbook of Energy Utilization in Agriculture. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 475pp. Galletta, G.J. and R.C. Funt. 1980. Representative United States Strawberry Energy Budgets. Pages 297-306 in D. Pimentel (ed.) Handbook of Energy Utilization in Agriculture. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 475pp. Pimentel, D. and M. Pimentel. 1996. Food Processing, Packaging, and Preparation. Pages 186-198 in D. Pimentel and M. Pimentel (eds.) Food, Energy, and Society. University Press of Colorado, Niwot, Colorado. 363pp.

Putnam, J., L.S. Kantor, and J. Allshouse. 2000. Per Capita Food Supply Trends: Progress toward Dietary Guidelines. FoodReview 23(3): 2-14. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. 2002. Table 2.8: Motor Vehicle Mileage, Fuel Consumption, and Fuel Rates, 1949-1999. Page 57 in Annual Energy Review 2000. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 379pp. (Available online: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/aerpdf.html)

Energy Cost Worksheet: SCENARIO: Strawberry form: frozen

.

Farm information (production type & location): wholesale – central valley, CA

.

Market information (type of market & location):

supermarket - Ithaca, NY

Consumer information (mode of transportation & location): drives car Ithaca, NY

.

Shopping information (# of people and size of trip): people Stage in food system

small

trip for 2

. Energy cost per unit

Production

Amount purchased

Distance traveled (duration stored)

Total energy use

390

×

NA

×

2

lbs

=

0

×

NA

×

2

lbs

=

780

kcal

kcal/lb

Harvest kcal/lb

Processing

0 kcal

825

×

NA

×

2

lbs

=

1650

kcal

722

×

NA

×

2

lbs

=

1444

kcal

×

2

lbs

=

kcal/lb

Packaging kcal/lb

Storage

120

×

4

mo

kcal/lb/mo

Transport

0.18

kcal

×

2700

mi

×

2

lbs

=

kcal/lb/mi

Consumer

1790 kcal/mi

All stages

960

972 kcal

×

5

mi

÷

24

lbs

=

373 kcal

6179

kcal

Energy Cost Worksheet SCENARIO: Strawberry form: fresh

.

Farm information (production type & location): small

scale – central NY

. Market information (type of market & location): NY

farmers’ market - Ithaca,

.

Consumer information (mode of transportation & location): walks - Ithaca, NY .

Shopping information (# of people and size of trip):

for 2 people

just buying berries

. Amount purchased

Energy cost per unit

Production

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Harvest

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Processing

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Packaging

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Storage

__________

×

__________

×

_______

=

__________

Transport

__________

×

__________

×

_______

=

__________

Consumer

__________

×

__________

÷

_______

=

__________

All stages

Distance traveled (duration stored)

Total energy use

Stage in food system

__________

Energy Cost Worksheet

SCENARIO: Strawberry form: __________________________ Farm information (type of production & location): _____________________________________________ Market information (type of market & location): _______________________________________________ Consumer information (mode of transportation & location): _____________________________________ Shopping information (# of people shopped for & size of trip): ___________________________________ Amount purchased

Energy cost per unit

Production

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Harvest

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Processing

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Packaging

__________

×

NA

×

_______

=

__________

Storage

__________

×

__________

×

_______

=

__________

Transport

__________

×

__________

×

_______

=

__________

Consumer

__________

×

__________

÷

_______

=

__________

All stages

Distance traveled (duration stored)

Total energy use

Stage in food system

__________

Activity 3: Local and Global Food Systems – Energy Comparison Follow-up Summary After getting an idea of the energy used in both local and global food systems, it is now time to consider some of the questions and problems that arise in trying to eat locally. It is important to remember that this food system exercise is a simulation and is not meant to be an accurate accounting of exactly how much energy and resources are needed and how much pollution or garbage are generated by the systems. It does give a fairly good idea of the various places in the food system where energy is used and is a good approach for showing how food systems differ. Materials • Photocopy of “Steps in the Food System” list from Lesson 2 • Energy worksheets and materials from Activity 2 • Writing board and markers • Paper and pens/pencils Before class Prepare photocopies as needed and review questions. Class itself Discuss with someone else the worksheets you filled out in Activity 2. You may want to use the “Steps in the Food System” list to remember each step as you talk about them. Guiding Questions o What made the biggest difference between the two systems for energy use? o How can the food system be changed to decrease the amount of energy used and pollution generated? o Is it better to eat a local conventionally grown strawberry, or one that is grown organically on a farm 2,500 miles away, packaged, then shipped to a local market? o What would happen if we only bought strawberries from California? o What if we only bought strawberries locally? o If we only buy locally, who will buy strawberries from California? o Is it always possible to eat locally? Are there foods that we cannot grow in the north that we have to eat?

o Assuming you can only purchase local foods at the farmers’ market but you have to buy all your other groceries at the supermarket, would we still have the same amount of energy consumption for the local system? o How are the two paths we followed different? Did we compare the same number of strawberries being produced and transported? o Where do you get your food? o Have you ever seen any fruits and vegetables labeled in the supermarket so you can tell where it is from?

Activity 4: Miles in Your Breakfast Summary Now that you have compared global and local systems with respect to energy consumed, it is time to apply that knowledge to your own daily habits, in this case eating breakfast! Materials • Writing board and markers • Paper and pens/pencils Before class Review Background information as needed Class itself • List all of the foods you have in a typical breakfast. This could be a typical weekday or weekend breakfast. Do not only list the item, for example French toast, but all the ingredients that go into the item – eggs, milk, bread (wheat, etc.) – as well as what goes on it, the syrup, butter, and possibly jam. What beverages are in the breakfast? Orange juice or apple juice? Coffee perhaps? Or hot chocolate? • If you are working with a group, once each person has a list of individual food items, construct a master breakfast from these individual lists and put it on a board in front of everyone. • Going through each item, think about or discuss with someone else where it was probably grown or raised. Which items are or can be produced locally? Which items are homemade and which are store-bought? (For example, French toast can be made at home but it can also be bought frozen)

Activity 5: Food for Thought Journal Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Lesson 3. Materials • Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” (one per student) • Pens/pencils Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed. Class itself In the journal, you will be able to study one of your own meals and the food system it comes from in terms of the resources needed and used.

Questions of the Day: ¾ Describe a meal you ate yesterday or today.

¾ Did you help prepare the meal? ¾ Where do you think the foods in your meal came from before it was in the grocery store or your cafeteria?

¾ What are some resources that were used to grow or produce these foods?

¾ Were any of the foods packaged before you ate them?

¾ What resources were needed to make these materials

If time permits, a good way to put this lesson into the context of your lives is to examine a food you commonly eat. A discussion about pizza is really engaging for everyone. First consider what ingredients go into making a pizza. Make a list of where all of the ingredients come from. If you want to make a pizza, you must collect all of the ingredients and bring them to one place. This uses a lot of energy and resources. How does the food system path of the pizza compare to the path of the strawberry? Could we fit all of the resources and energy into that same bowl? Consider an entire day’s worth of food. When you begin to think about it, our food system is very complicated. A lot of resources and energy is used to bring food from the field to table. Even small changes to the system that save resources and energy can have a great effect on our environment. For an enlightening and fun web-based activity, calculate their “environmental footprint.” “Calculate Your Ecological Foot Print” at provides 13 simple questions that will assess your use of nature. The site is sponsored by Redefining Progress , a non-profit research and policy organization that develops policies and tools to reorient the economy so that it will value people and nature first.

Commencement Level/ Independent Thinkers Food for Thought Journal 2 Things to think about: * How would you describe a food system? * Using the produce section of your newspaper ads, see if you can discover if produce sold is grown locally, regionally or globally. Record 10 produce items that are being sold this week and record where they are grown. Produce sold this Local Regional Global Specific location week Red Delicious apples X Washington State 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Migrant workers are employed by processors and farmers to help get the produce from the farmer to the consumer. What do you know about the migrant workers? About their lives? About their wages? About their benefits? How do they affect our food system? What questions do you now have about our food system? Where or who would you go to get these questions answered?

Background Food systems can be characterized as, “local”, regional” and “global.” The distinctions between these different systems are based on the distances between the sources of the food (where it is grown, raised or caught) and the place where it is purchased for consumption. Another important distinction between these systems is the hidden costs and benefits of each that do not show up in the price we pay for food. For example, the global system uses anywhere from 4 to 7 times as much energy (fuel to transport the food), and produces 5 to 17 times more CO2 (from the burning of the fuel) than a regional or local food system. Local food systems, or “community food systems” are thought to benefit the local economy by keeping food-related enterprises nearby and employing residents of a community, by keeping local farms in business, and by keeping the rural landscapes agricultural. In such a system, there is an emphasis on the development and maintaining of relationships between people in different sectors in the food system – farmers, processors, distributors, and consumer, for example. Much of the food found in a grocery store arrived there through a food system that is global – local supermarkets are supplied by national and international sources. Regional food systems are based on the existing state distribution infrastructure. A cooperative network of state farmers that supply state retailers and wholesalers, distributed in large semi-trailer and mid-size trucks, characterizes a regional food system. By contrast a local food system is one in which much of the food is marketed directly from farmers to consumers through community supported agriculture (CSA) enterprises and farmers’ markets, or through institutional markets such as restaurants, hospitals, and conference centers, using light, relatively small trucks for delivery. Because food is marketed directly, local food systems are generally confined to a relatively smaller geographic area – what can be delivered by truck within a few hours. Examples of local food systems include farmers’ markets, roadside stands, on-farm sales, U-pick operations, production/processing/retail enterprises, and sales directly to hotels, restaurants, bed-and-breakfast inns, and institutions. A community food system is a food system in which food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic, social, and nutritional needs of a particular geographic location (Garrett and Feenstra. 1999). Since foodproducing businesses are located within the community they are also stakeholders in the healthfulness of their food production practices. Due to this close relationship between the food production industries within a community, many inputs necessary for food production, processing, transportation and distribution are reduced.

In addition to the environmental benefits to local food production, there are many community benefits to a strong local food system as discussed in the Community Food System Primer. Although it may not be possible in some areas of this country, in the Northeast it is possible to eat local and regional foods year round and maintain a balanced and varied diet. This means that most of the northeastern communities are capable of creating strong community food systems. Community food systems support local economy, food security and maintain healthy green spaces within the community. Since certain areas of the country can produce large quantities of particular foods at low prices, much of the market for those foods has shifted to the global food system. When viewing the global system as a whole, it appears that production has increased to meet the demands of the population. Along with these changes, the distribution of farms and agricultural business has shifted as well. While the local food systems are participants in the global food systems, their contribution is diminishing because many smaller businesses are unable to compete with larger production farms in the country. The issues surrounding the globalization of our food system are complex and extensive. There are significant benefits to our global community while our local communities may experience many of the drawbacks of globalization (Harmon et al. 1999). In the past 30 years there has been a significant global increase in fossil fuel use. One reason for the rise in U.S. fossil fuel use is the increased use of trucks to transport goods. In 1965, there were 787,000 combination trucks registered in the United States, and these vehicles consumed 6.658 billion gallons of fuel. In 1997, there were 1,790,000 combination trucks that used 20.3 billion gallons of fuel. Many of these trucks transport food throughout the country. A study conducted by the Center for Agricultural Business indicated that in California alone more than 485,000 truckloads of fresh fruit and vegetables leave the state every year and travel from 100 to 2,100 miles to reach their destinations. The supply of fossil fuel to meet this increasing demand is one issue (the peak in oil production is predicted to occur in 5 to 20 years), but another important issue is the carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases that are released when fossil fuels are used. These gases absorb heat and may contribute to an increase in global warming. As fuel use goes up, so does the release of CO2 and other gases. Total world carbon emission from fossil fuel burning more than quadrupled since 1950. Emissions totaled 1,612 million tons in 1950, 3,997 in 1970, 5,939 in 1990 and 6,480 in 2000. The United States, which accounts for 24 percent of the global total, registered an 18.1-percent increase between 1990 and 2000.

For more information about Community Food Systems, see the Community Food System Primer included with these lessons. About the lesson… The basic concept used in this lesson is to create a model of the food system that will demonstrate how interconnected many aspects of the food system are. We hope to demonstrate how complicated the system is that brings food from the field to our table. In order to help you understand this complex system we used a simplified model that we can experience and touch. This technique allows us to understand the complexities beyond the model more easily. While the preparation may seem complicated, in practice this lesson will provide an interactive, exciting learning tool that will enable us to explore complex aspects of the food system. A Food Mile is the distance food travels from where it is grown or raised to where it is ultimately purchased by the consumer or other end-user. One 1969 estimate of miles traveled by food in the United States cited an average distance of 1,346 miles. Calculations in another study examining transportation and fuel requirements estimated that fresh produce in the United States traveled an estimated 1,500 miles. An analysis of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s 1997 arrival data from Jessup, Maryland, found that the average pound of produce distributed at the facility traveled more than 1,685 miles, with the average distance for fruits being 2,146 and the average for vegetables 1,596 miles. Energy vs. Resource In the lesson we refer to both "Energy" and "Resources". This can be confusing since energy is a resource. Resources in the context of this lesson are meant to be any inputs necessary, other than energy resources necessary for the step in the food system. A resource may be water, paper, soil, or glass, for example. Energy should be discussed as the input of electricity (from fossil fuels or otherwise), gasoline, or other sources of power needed for the step in the food system. They are distinguished from one another to make it easier to observe the differences in energy inputs for the local and global systems versus the other inputs. We need to be aware that to produce many of the Resource inputs, energy is required. For example, an initial energy input is required to prepare cardboard for cardboard boxes. In order to make the lesson manageable we need to put some limitations on how energy consumption is represented. Therefore we do not consider the energy required to produce the inputs into the system.

One website of interest on this subject is: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/leopold/pubinfo/papersspeeches/pp p/intro.html

Lesson 4: Food Labels and the Food System Summary Food Labels and the Food System helps us learn what kinds of information can be found on food labels and how to read the Nutrition Facts table. We will become familiar with the current standard for food labeling – what food manufactures are required to include – as well as what some voluntarily include. Food labels primarily provide information about what is inside the product, the nutrient content, number of calories, and any additives Additionally, this lesson provides an opportunity to develop different kinds of food labels that provide information about the "food system" that is “inside” a food package. What is on food labels (and what is not) can provide insights into why our food system is often mysterious and hard to understand. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we should be able to: • Identify the major components of a food label. • List 3 of the nutrients included on the “nutrition facts” labels. • Become aware of health claims on food products. • Become familiar with words used to describe aspects of food products. • Develop 2 food system messages for a food product label. Key Concepts • Food Labeling • Nutrition Facts • Costs versus Prices • Ingredients • Food System Labeling

“Getting to the Core” This is a “Nutrition Fact” label found on a jar of applesauce. Notice the nutrients that are included and the ingredients in this apple product.

Nutrition Facts Serving size ½ cup __________ Amount Per Serving Calories 52 Calories from Fat 0 _________________________ % Daily Value* Total Fat 0g 0% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 0mg 0% Potassium 170mg 5% Total Carbohydrate 22g 7% Dietary Fiber 5g 20% Sugars 16g Protein 0g _________________________ Vitamin A 2% Calcium 0%

Vitamin C 8% Iron 2%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs Ingredients: Apples, Vitamin C

Activities • Reading Food Labels • Food System Labels • Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background

Activity 1: Reading Food Labels Summary The first step to understanding how food labels may or may not illuminate our understanding of the food system is to become familiar with the information contained on the labels themselves and in what order. Materials • Packaged foods (or the food labels from the packages). These should include the Nutrition Facts Table and Ingredients List. • Paper and pens/pencils Before Class Collect packaged foods as appropriate. Review Background materials. Class itself 1. Choose one of the food packages. 2. Identify the different components of the food label - product name, manufacture and address, distributor, Nutrition Facts Table, Ingredients List. 3. Review the Nutrition Facts Table and list the different nutrients that are listed. What do the numbers following each mean? 4. What else is on the food label? Are there any health claims? Is there any information that is directly related to the composition of the food? What is that information? 5. Look at the Background information on food labels with respect to the package used as an example. What are the DRV’s and RDI’s? 6. Repeat with other food packages. Are all food labels the same? What similarities and differences exist?

Activity 2: Food System Labels Summary Now that we understand the content of food labels and what is and is not included, we can see how food labels may be improved to inform us about the food system. Materials • Photocopies of the Food System Inquiry Guide • Food labels and packages from Activity 1 • Writing board and markers • Paper and pens/pencils Before class Prepare photocopies and collect food labels as needed. Class itself 1. Review the food system model from Lesson 2 2. For each part of the food system, think about what information you would like to have on a food label. List the suggestions on the board or paper. 3. After brainstorming on this, look at the Food System Inquiry Guide, and think of additional questions that might be answered on a food label. (Note: some of the questions on the Food System Inquiry Guide are already answered on standard food labels. Can you pick these out?)

Activity 3: Food For Thought Journal Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Lesson 4. Materials • Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” • Pens/pencils Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed Class itself In the journal, you will be able to use foods found in your home cupboards to examine the food labels and see what information from the food system is contained within.

Questions of the Day: ¾ Describe the food label of a product you have in a cupboard at home.

¾ What nutrition information do you find on the label?

¾ What information is there about how the food was grown? If there is none, what kind of information would you like to see about how the food was grown?

¾ What kind of information is on the food package about where the food was grown? If there is none, what kind of information would you like to see there?

¾ Is there any information on the label about the processing, or packaging of this food product?

Commencement Level/ Independent Thinkers Food for Thought Journal 2 Things to think about: List the steps within a food system.

About which of these steps can you learn something from the information on a food label?

What would a food system food label look like?

What are the most important food system facts to put on a label?

Background The information found on a food label can help us make informed choices about what to eat. Food labels provide information about its manufacturer and its nutritional content. Health claims about the food are also allowed. The Food Label Under regulations from the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S.Department of Agriculture, the food label offers complete, useful nutrition information about food products found in the grocery store. Food labels provide nutrition information about most food items in the grocery store. This includes information on the amount per serving of saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and other nutrients of major health concern. Food labels also provide nutrient reference values, expressed as % Daily Values, that help consumers see how a food fits into an overall daily diet. There are uniform definitions for terms that describe a food's nutrient content--such as "light," "low-fat," and "high-fiber"--to ensure that such terms mean the same for any product on which they appear. Health claims -- claims about the relationship between a nutrient or food and a disease or health-related condition, such as calcium and osteoporosis, and fat and cancer – are also clearly stated and defined. NLEA FDA's rules published in 1992 and 1993 implement the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA), which, among other things, “requires nutrition labeling for most foods (except meat and poultry) and authorizes the use of nutrient content claims and appropriate FDAapproved health claims. Meat and poultry products regulated by USDA are not covered by NLEA. However, USDA's regulations closely parallel FDA's rules.” If a health or nutrient-content claim is made about a food, FDA requires nutrition information be displayed as well. What is a Health Claim? A health claim is a statement of a relationship between a nutrient or a food and the risk of a disease or health-related condition. A health claim can be in the form of a third-party reference (such as the National Cancer Institute), a statement, a symbol (such as a heart), or a vignette or description. There are very clear guidelines for how claims can be stated and there are 10 specific nutrient-disease relationship claims that are allowed:

• • • • • • • • •

Calcium and osteoporosis Fat and cancer Saturated fat and cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD) Fiber-containing grain products, fruits and vegetables and cancer Fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain fiber and risk of CHD Sodium and hypertension (high blood pressure) Fruits and vegetables and cancer Folic acid and neural tube defects Dietary sugar alcohols and dental caries (cavities)

The food must contain specified levels of the nutrient in the claim in order for the claim to be made. The claim also must be phrased so that consumers can understand the relationship between the nutrient and the disease and the nutrient's importance in relationship to a daily diet. An acceptable example of a claim is: "While many factors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease." Do all foods carry Nutrition Labeling? No. There are several foods that are exempt from the nutritional labeling requirements: • foods served for immediate consumption, such as those served in hospital cafeterias and airplanes, and those sold by food service vendors--for example, an ice cream store in your local mall. • cookie counters, sidewalk vendors, and vending machines • ready-to-eat foods that are not for immediate consumption but are prepared primarily on site--for example, at a bakery, deli, and candy store • food shipped in bulk, as long as it is not for sale in that form to consumers • medical foods, such as those used to address the nutritional needs of patients with certain diseases • plain coffee and tea, some spices, and other foods that contain no significant amounts of any nutrients. Nutrition Information Panel In the "Nutrition Facts" panel, food manufacturers are required to provide information on certain nutrients. The mandatory (underlined) and voluntary components and the order in which they must appear are: total calories calories from fat calories from saturated fat total fat

saturated fat polyunsaturated fat monounsaturated fat cholesterol sodium potassium total carbohydrate dietary fiber soluble fiber insoluble fiber sugars sugar alcohol (for example, the sugar substitutes xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol) other carbohydrate (the difference between total carbohydrate and the sum of dietary fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol if declared) protein vitamin A percent of vitamin A present as beta-carotene vitamin C calcium iron other essential vitamins and minerals The required nutrients were selected because they address today's health concerns and our understanding of the relationship between diet and health. The order in which they must appear reflects the priority of current dietary recommendations. The amount, in grams or milligrams, of macronutrients (such as fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein) is still listed to the immediate right of these nutrients. But, for the first time, a column headed "% Daily Value" appears on the far right side. Declaring nutrients as a percentage of the Daily Values is intended to prevent misinterpretations that arise with quantitative values. For example, a food with 140 milligrams (mg) of sodium could be mistaken for a highsodium food because 140 is a relatively large number. In actuality, however, that amount represents less than 6 percent of the Daily Value for sodium, which is 2,400 mg. Serving Sizes The serving size is the basis for reporting each food's nutrient content. It is uniform and reflects the amounts of a food people actually eat. Servings are expressed in both common household and metric measures. NLEA defines serving size as the amount of food customarily eaten at one time. The serving sizes that appear on food labels are based

on FDA-established lists of "Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion." FDA allows as common household measures: the cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, piece, slice, fraction (such as "1/4 pizza"), and common household containers used to package food products (such as a jar or tray). Ounces may be used, but only if a common household unit is not applicable and an appropriate visual unit is given--for example, 1 oz (28g/about 1/2 pickle). Grams (g) and milliliters (mL) are the metric units that are used in serving size statements. Daily Values--DRVs The new label reference value, the Daily Value, comprises two sets of dietary standards: Daily Reference Values (DRVs) and Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs). Only the Daily Value term appears on the label, although, to make label reading less confusing. DRVs have been established for macronutrients that are sources of energy: fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrate (including fiber), and protein; as well as for cholesterol, sodium and potassium, which do not contribute calories. DRVs for the energy-producing nutrients are based on the number of calories consumed per day. A daily intake of 2,000 calories has been established as the reference. This level was chosen, in part, because it approximates the caloric requirements for postmenopausal women. This group has the highest risk for excessive intake of calories and fat. DRVs for the energy-producing nutrients are calculated as follows: • • • • •

fat based on 30 percent of calories saturated fat based on 10 percent of calories carbohydrate based on 60 percent of calories protein based on 10 percent of calories. (The DRV for protein applies only to adults and children over 4. RDIs for protein for special groups have been established.) fiber based on 11.5 g of fiber per 1,000 calories.

Because of current public health recommendations, DRVs for some nutrients represent the uppermost limit that is considered desirable. The DRVs for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium are: • • • •

total fat: less than 65 g saturated fat: less than 20 g cholesterol: less than 300 mg sodium: less than 2,400 mg

Daily Values--RDIs "Reference Daily Intake" replaced the term "U.S. RDA," which was introduced in 1973 as a label reference value for vitamins, minerals and protein in voluntary nutrition labeling. The name change was sought because of confusion that existed over "U.S. RDAs," the values determined by FDA and used on food labels, and "RDAs" (Recommended Dietary Allowances), the values determined by the National Academy of Sciences for various population groups and used by FDA to figure the U.S. RDAs. However, the values for the new RDIs remain the same as the old U.S. RDAs for the time being. Nutrient Content Claims The regulations also spell out what terms may be used to describe the level of a nutrient in a food and how they can be used. These are the core terms: •

•

•

•

Free. This term means that a product contains no amount of, or only trivial or "physiologically inconsequential" amounts of, one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and calories. For example, "calorie-free" means fewer than 5 calories per serving, and "sugar-free" and "fat-free" both mean less than 0.5 g per serving. Synonyms for "free" include "without," "no" and "zero." A synonym for fat-free milk is "skim." Low. This term can be used on foods that can be eaten frequently without exceeding dietary guidelines for one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Thus, descriptors are defined as follows: Low-fat: 3g or less per serving Low-saturated fat: 1g or less per serving Low-sodium: 140 mg or less per serving Very low sodium: 35mg or less per serving Low-cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving low-calorie: 40 calories or less per serving Synonyms for low include “little,” “few,” “low source of,” and “contains a small amount of.” Lean and extra lean. These terms can be used to describe the fat content of meat, poultry, seafood, and game meats. lean: less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. extra lean: less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. High. This term can be used if the food contains 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient in a serving.

• •

•

•

•

• •

Good source. This term means that one serving of a food contains 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient. Reduced. This term means that a nutritionally altered product contains at least 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular, or reference, product. However, a reduced claim cannot be made on a product if its reference food already meets the requirement for a "low" claim. Less. This term means that a food, whether altered or not, contains 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the reference food. For example, pretzels that have 25 percent less fat than potato chips could carry a "less" claim. "Fewer" is an acceptable synonym. Light. This descriptor can mean two things: First, that a nutritionally altered product contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food. If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from fat, the reduction must be 50 percent of the fat. Second, that the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been reduced by 50 percent. In addition, "light in sodium" may be used on food in which the sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent. The term "light" still can be used to describe such properties as texture and color, as long as the label explains the intent--for example, "light brown sugar" and "light and fluffy." More. This term means that a serving of food, whether altered or not, contains a nutrient that is at least 10 percent of the Daily Value more than the reference food. The 10 percent of Daily Value also applies to "fortified," "enriched," "added," and "extra and plus" claims, but in those cases, the food must be altered. Alternative spelling of these descriptive terms and their synonyms are allowed--for example, "hi" and "lo"--as long as the alternatives are not misleading. Healthy. A "healthy" food must be low in fat and saturated fat and contain limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium. In addition, if it is a single-item food, it must provide at least 10 percent of one or more of vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber. Exempt from this "10-percent" rule are certain raw, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain cereal-grain products. These foods can be labeled "healthy," if they do not contain ingredients that change the nutritional profile, and, in the case of enriched grain products, conform to standards of identity, which call for certain required ingredients. If it's a meal-type product, such as frozen entrees and multi-course frozen dinners, it must provide 10 percent of two or three of these vitamins or minerals or of protein or fiber, in addition to meeting the other criteria. The sodium content cannot exceed 360 mg per serving for individual foods and 480 mg per serving for meal-type products.

'Fresh' Although not mandated by NLEA, FDA has issued a regulation for the term "fresh." The agency took this step because of concern over the term's possible misuse on some food labels. The regulation defines the term "fresh" when it is used to suggest that a food is raw or unprocessed. In this context, "fresh" can be used only on a food that is raw, has never been frozen or heated, and contains no preservatives. (Irradiation at low levels is allowed.) "Fresh frozen," "frozen fresh," and "freshly frozen" can be used for foods that are quickly frozen while still fresh. Blanching (brief scalding before freezing to prevent nutrient breakdown) is allowed. Other uses of the term "fresh," such as in "fresh milk" or "freshly baked bread," are not affected. Ingredient Labeling Ingredient Labeling, or declaring what is in a food product, is required on all foods that have more than one ingredient. Because people may be allergic to certain additives, identifying all ingredients helps them better avoid those harmful to them. Lesson Resources FDA General Inquiries: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332). Food Safety Hotline: 1-800-332-4010 FDA's food label information on the Web: www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html. USDA Food Safety Education and Communication Office 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Room 1180 Washington, DC 20250 Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-800-535-4555.

Section 2: Discovering the Food System Project This section provides a guide for conducting a Discovering The Food System project. You are provided with tools for exploring your food system. What you choose to focus on and the methods you use are flexible and should be guided by your own individual interests, or the interests of the class, club, or group with whom you are working. It is this flexibility that will insure a high level of engagement on your part. The food system discovery is accomplished through a search of existing food system facts, food product or meal analyses, and interviews with people who represent the food system, as well as a public survey about some aspect of the food system that interests you the most. The program does not end with discovery, however. Step 1: Finding Food System Facts provides tools and guidelines to locating and understanding data that has already been collected on the food system, and is therefore available for use and interpretation. This is similar to the processes being used across the country to conduct community food assessments. Also, food systems stories are frequently in the news. You will learn about the breadth of issues related to the food system that you might read about in any daily newspaper. Step 2: Learning from People in the Food System will help you gain a better understanding of your food system by helping you interview some of the people that you will identify as being part of the food system. This step in the food system project builds on the previous step by guiding you in a process of clarifying the aspects of the food system that most interest you, identifying who is directly involved in those aspects, and formulating questions about issues for those most likely to have interesting insights. This step in the Discovering The Food System project provides an opportunity to gain experience with a qualitative social science methodology: the open-ended inperson interview. You will practice basic interviewing techniques in a role play, contact community members who are part of the food system, arrange to meet them, and finally, actually conduct in-person interviews.

Step 3: Community Survey – Getting Ready provides you with an opportunity to gain experience with a classic quantitative social science methodology: the survey. By now you will have learned a lot about the food system, how it has changed over time, how it works (and does not work), who makes decisions that help shape it, and how people can make change in the food system. In the in-person interviews and gathering of food system facts, several interests, questions and concerns undoubtedly will have surfaced. Here, you will get a chance to learn how some segment of the broader community feels about these issues. You will learn how to design a questionnaire, and chose a population sample before distributing the survey and compiling the results. Step 4: Conducting a Community Survey will help you to move from preparing the survey to actually conducting it. You will learn how to prepare a survey for distribution, deciding what method of distribution is best for your needs, as well as how to collect and compile the results mathematically. Step 5: Sharing Food System Stories with Your Community introduces you to the tools for you need to share your newly obtained food system understandings with the community with an eye for creating community change. You will learn about the potential impact information can have on policies in a school, or in the broader community. (Story telling, Newspaper articles, Reporters, Community Action and Change, PowerPoint projects.)

Step 1: Finding Food System Facts Summary In the previous section, we had an opportunity to consider some of the important issues about the food system. As we develop our food system project, we will be able to interview members of the food production system and survey a community of consumers. However, before we begin investigating our local community food system, we need to become aware of some of the basic facts about our personal food system. This lesson will help develop skills for gathering some important food system data by using community resources at hand. The information we acquire will show how the food system has changed in recent years. For each fact we find in our hunt, we will need to cite the sources of our information. Upon completing this lesson, we will be better armed with the facts to go on with our own exploration of our local food system. We will also have used that information to choose our Discovering the Food System project topic.

Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we should be able to: • Use a variety of resources to gather information about our community and local food system. • Interpret graphs and describe changes in the food system • Begin to consider why these changes have been occurring Key Concepts • Population • Commodities • Community • Cooperative Extension • Resources

“Getting to the Core” Would you believe this? One out of every ten pounds of apples grown in the United States comes from New York State. Indeed, New York is the one of the largest producers of apples in the country, second only to Washington State. On average, New York farmers produce over one billion pounds of apples annually∗. That’s enough to give every person who lives in New York City an apple every day of the year! As impressive as this number sounds, New York used to produce even more apples than it does today. The record high year for apple production was 1896, when New York farmers harvested an astounding 54 million bushels or approximately 2.6 billion pounds. In contrast, the record low for apple production was a scant 2 million bushels or approximately 100 million pounds in 1945. Despite the occasional vagaries of agriculture, apples continue to be a mainstay of New York farm production and remain one of America’s favorite fruits. Have you had your apple today?

Activities • • • •

Preparing for the search Developing your search Searching for specific food system data Food for Thought Journal

Going Further Background

∗

Average annual production of apples in New York State was 1,083 million pounds during the last decade, 1991-2000 (New York Agricultural Statistics Service, 2001).

Activity 1: Preparing for the search

Summary To hunt for information about your community's food system you will need to use many resources. This activity is intended to help you find those resources. In order to orient you to the process of information gathering, there are specific basic facts you should start off with. The search for this information will help give you the basic picture of different aspects of your food system

Materials • • •

Photocopies of Food System Fact Hunt worksheet Pens/pencils Telephone directory, telephone, or access to the Internet on a computer

Before class Prepare photocopies as needed

Class itself •

Fill out the Part 1 of the worksheet. It contains basic information you will need, including population data, the type and number of food system-related businesses in your community and the amount of food production that occurs.

Name of team/group Name of individuals

Directions: There are two parts to this activity. Use the resources provided to search for the facts about food systems for the first part. For the second part, fill in the questions you have developed and the information you discover regarding those questions. Make sure always to include the year the data is from. Good luck, search away! If you are doing this project at the “commencement level,” estimate your answers in the left-hand margin before you research the material. Compare the results after the research is done and record variations and reasons for the differences in your journal. If you are doing this project in a group, such as a class setting, divide into 3 sections and have each group take one section (For example: one group take the US data, one group take the state data and one group collect the county data). Compare results using overhead transparencies or posters.

Part 1 My State is: My County is: My Town/City is: United States Data

Source: govinfo.library.orst.edu/stateis.html The population of the United States is _______________________________

Source: www.ers.usda.gov/epubs/other/usfact/US.HTM Total Percentage employed in farm or farm-related jobs:

Total Percentage employed in food production only: Percentage of total land area used for farmland: Most farms in the US are (circle): Family Owned

Partnerships

Corporation

Other

The average age of farmers in the US is: Source: www.usda.gov/nass/aggraphs/graphics.htm The number of farms in the US in 1910: The number of farms in the US in 1995: The number of US farm workers Increased / Decreased from 1910 to 1995. (Circle one) In In In In

1910, 1995, 1910, 1995,

farm workers earned _________ per hour. farm workers earned _________ per hour. there were _________ million farm workers in the US. there were _________ million farm workers in the US.

State Data

Source: govinfo.library.orst.edul The population of my state is _____________________________

Source: www.ers.usda.gov/epubs/other/usfact/ Total Percentage employed in farm or farm-related jobs: Total Percentage employed in food production only: Percentage of total land area used for farmland: Most farms in my state are (circle): Family Owned

Partnerships

The average age of farmers in my state is:

Corporation

Other

Top 5 Commodities produced in my state: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Top 5 Commodities exported from my state: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. County Data

Source: govinfo.library.orst.edu The population of my county is ___________________________ The number of farms in my county: The number of farms with milk cows: The number of farms with beef cows: The major crops produced on farms in my county are: The major crops / commodities exported from my state are: Guiding questions about the research might include one of these: What is happening to the number of farms in your county (local), state (regional) or our country (global)? What is happening to the ownership of these farms? Is it important to know the commodities produces and exported by your state? Why?

Part 2 Group Research Topic:

Website: _______________________________________________________________ Facts:

Website: _______________________________________________________________ Facts:

Website: ________________________________________________________________ Facts:

Website: ________________________________________________________________ Facts:

Activity 2: Developing your search Summary In order for you to direct your search further, you need topics that will engage your interest and lead to further study. This activity aims to help you find those topics and narrow your choices down to a few manageable possibilities.

Materials • •

Your Lesson 3, Section 1 Food for Thought Journal entry Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class If this is activity is being used with a group, it will help if the leader searches for the information prior to the lesson. This will help in directing students in a way that is maximizes the use of class time. Review Background information as needed.

Class Itself 1. In the Lesson 3, Section 1 Food for Thought Journal, you listed questions you had about the food system. For this lesson, you can either use these ideas or develop other ideas for topics of your Discovering the Food System project. Your ideas should reflect what in the food system you would like to know more about. You should find at least one issue related to the food system that you would like to explore further. Examples include: the number of farms in the county where you live, kinds of crops grown, number of supermarkets, farmers’ markets, community gardens, etc. 2. Compile a list of topics to research from your ideas. Pick a topic to research about the food system. You may want to ask others what they think is important to learn more about. Once you have chosen a key topic to investigate, create a list of specific data and information that would help you understand more about the topic. Make sure to define the topic well enough that you can search for the information using the resources and websites provided in this lesson.

Activity 3: Searching for specific food system data

Summary Now that we have started familiarizing ourselves with how to search the World Wide Web or other resources for local statistical data and found some topics of interest to focus on, it is time to start our search for specific food system data.

Materials • • •

Worksheets from Activity 1 Photocopies of Background material as appropriate, access to the internet or local phone books Pens/pencils

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed

Class itself 1. Fill out Part 2 of the worksheet. Note: If you are using the Internet, there is a large amount of data available about many aspects of the food system. Included in the Background material for this lesson you will find a list of websites with great food system and agricultural facts that cover a variety of topics. The websites will provide general data and graphs that summarize much of the pertinent statistical data you want. If you are using community resources, there are many helpful people working in your community. While searching for information, keep track of people's names and departments in the agencies you call. If you have further questions later on, you can contact those people again. Also, when searching out specific information it may take quite a few phone calls and transfers before you find the right person to speak with. You do not want to accidentally call the same people again and again! If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of calling people you do not know to ask for information, get help from someone else like a parent or teacher or friend. Seeking information over the phone is often a daunting task!

Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal

Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Step 1.

Materials • •

Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” Pens/pencils

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed

Class itself In the journal, you will have time to reflect on your newly completed fact hunt. If you are working as part of a group, use these questions as a way to discuss your results with others in the group or other groups who may be researching different topics. Blending what you have found with what others have found can provide a bigger picture of what is happening in the food system. Finally, through discussion, you can draw some conclusions about the process of gathering the information. In discussion, some other questions to consider are: • What was most difficult to find? • What information was easy to locate? • Also, discuss what surprised you about the information you found out. • Are there fewer farms in your area than you thought? • Are there more people in your town than you thought?

Questions of the Day: ¾ What was the most surprising information you discovered in this lesson? ¾ Why was it surprising? ¾ Do you think most people in your community know about this information? Why? ¾ Did your estimation and actual data differ?

Why?

¾ If the estimation is close to the actual data, what could this indicate? ¾ Why is it important to record the publication date with your research information?

¾ What fact or topic would you like to know more about now that you have learned more about food systems?

¾ Who might you ask to find out more about this topic?

A wonderful exercise to help us connect with what is going on in our community food system is to hunt for a local newspaper article that pertains to some aspect of the food system. Write a paragraph summarizing the article and explain your point of view about the issue. The businesses mentioned in an article could be a possible lead to an interviewee for Step 2 or a contact in Step 3 of the food system project. Another activity for this lesson is to print out any graphs you found during your fact hunting and write a paragraph explaining the graph and interpreting what it could mean in relation to the food system.

Background Conducting a search using Internet search engines can take a lot of time and produce little useful data. The websites provided contain links and lists of other websites that will be useful for investigating most aspects of the food system. The websites included in the Resources list have been well researched and will be most helpful for finding specific information. If this lesson is being done in a setting where the Internet is not accessible, most of the information you are looking for can be gathered by contacting state agencies. Some states in the Northeast have fewer offices that are responsible for monitoring aspects of the food system and state agriculture. It will be most helpful to start your search by contacting your State Department of Agriculture and the Extension office of your state's Land Grant University. Many of the addresses and phone numbers of the state offices for the Northeast have been included below. These offices are responsible for the type of data that you will be looking for. These basic contacts will lead to the names and numbers of contacts able to give more specific information.

Web Resources When searching these websites, look for places to click that say, "graphics," "state fact sheets," or for maps provided when you scroll down the page. From these basic starting points you will find links to other places to find specific data. United States Data http://www.ers.usda.gov/epubs/other/usfact/US.HTM http://www.usda.gov/nass/aggraphs/graphics.htm State Data http://govinfo.library.orst.edu/stateis.html http://www.ers.usda.gov/epubs/other/usfact/ County Data http://govinfo.library.orst.edu/ag-stateis.html

Non-Internet State Resources about the Food System Connecticut Cooperative Extension System University of Connecticut 1376 Storrs Road Storrs, CT 06268-4036 203-486-4125 Department of Agriculture State Office Building 165 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT 06106 203-566-3671 Hartford Food System 509 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT 06114 Ph: 203-296-9325 FAX: 203-296-8326 Contact: Mark Winne Email: [email protected] Delaware Cooperative Extension System University of Delaware Townsend Hall Newark, DE 19717 302-831-2506 Department of Agriculture 2320 S. Dupont Highway Dover, DE 19901 302-739-4811

Washington, D.C. 20036 202-462-8800 Alternative Farming Systems Information Center National Agricultural Library Room 109-C 10301 Baltimore Blvd. Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 301-504-6559 Maine Cooperative Extension University of Maine 5741 Libby Hall Orono, ME 04469-5741 207-581-3188 Contact: Carol C. Giesecke Department of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources State House Station 28 Augusta, ME 04333 207-287-3871 Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Box 2176 283 Water St. Augusta, ME 04338 207-622-3118 Contact: Eric Sideman

District of Columbia Cooperative Extension Service University of the District of Columbia 901 Newton St. NE Washington, DC 20017 202-576-6993

Maryland Cooperative Extension Service University of Maryland 2120 Symons Hall College Park, MD 20742 301-405-2907

Healthy Harvest Society 1424 16th St. NW #105

Department of Agriculture 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway Annapolis, MD 21401

410-841-5700 Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association 6201 Harley Road Middletown, MD 21769 301-371-4814 Contact: Marty Rice Massachusetts Cooperative Extension System 212C Stockbridge Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 413-545-4800 Department of Food and Agriculture 100 Cambridge St. Boston, MA 02202 617-727-3000 NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Massachusetts 411 Sheldon Road Barre, MA 01005 Ph: 508-355-2853 Contact: Julie Rawson Center on Agriculture, Food and Environment Tufts University - School of Nutrition 126 Curtis St. Medford, MA 02155 Ph: 617-627-3223 FAX: 617-627-3887 Contact: Molly Anderson New Hampshire UNH Cooperative Extension 59 College Road Durham, NH 03824 603-862-1520

Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food P.O. Box 2042 Concord, NH 03302-2042 603-271-2505 New Jersey Rutgers Cooperative Extension Cook College P.O. Box 231 New Brunswick, NJ 08903 908-932-9306 Department of Agriculture CN 330 Trenton, NJ 08625 609-292-8853 NOFA - New Jersey 60 S Main St PO Box 886 Pennington, NJ 08534-0886 609-737-6848 Certification: Henry Krzewinski Urban Ecology Program Department of Nutritional Sciences Thompson Hall, PO Box 231 New Brunswick, NJ 08903-1231 Ph: 908-932-9224 FAX: 908-932-6837 Contact: Michael Hamm Email: [email protected] New York Cooperative Extension Roberts Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-2237 Department of Agriculture and Markets 55 Hanson Place Brooklyn, NY 11217 718-722-2830

Just Food - NYC Sustainable Food System Alliance 307 7th Avenue Ste 1201 New York, NY 10001 Ph: 212-645-9880 FAX: 212-645-9881 Contact: Kathy Lawrence NOFA - New York P.O. Box 21 South Butler, NY 13154 315-365-2299 Farming Alternatives Program Department of Rural Sociology Warren Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-9832 Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service Pennsylvania State University 217 Ag Administration Building University Park, PA 16802 814-863-3438 Department of Agriculture 2301 Cameron St. Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408 717-787-4737 Eastern Pennsylvania Organic Crop Improvement Association P.O. Box 158 Port Clinton, PA 19540 215-562-5502 Contact: Jodi Snyder Western Pennsylvania OCIA R.R. 2 Box 116A Volant, PA 16156 412-530-7220 Contact: Ron Gargasz

Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Service University of Rhode Island Woodward Hall Kingston, RI 02881 401-792-2474 Rhode Island Division of Agriculture 22 Hayes St. Providence, RI 02908 401-277-2781 Contact: Dan Lawton Vermont Extension System University of Vermont 601 Main St. Burlington, VT 05401-3439 802-656-2990 Department of Agriculture, Food, and Markets 116 State St. Montpelier, VT 05620-2901 802-828-2500 NOFA - Vermont R.R. Box 177 Richmond, VT 05477 802-434-4435 Contact: Enid Wonnacott UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture University of Vermont 590 Main Street Burlington, VT 05405-0059 Ph: 802-656-0037 FAX: 802-656-8874 Contact: Kate Duesterberg West Virginia Cooperative Extension Service West Virginia University P.O. Box 6031

Morgantown, WV 26506-1900 304-293-5691 Department of Agriculture Room 28 Main Unit State Capitol Kanawha Blvd. Charleston, WV 25305 304-558-2210

Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association (MSOGBA) P.O. Box 642 Morgantown, WV 26507 304-293-4801 Contact: Keith Dix

Step 2: Learning from People in the Food System Summary This step in the Discovering the Food System project provides the tools and guidelines we will need to identify people in the food system and to decide who best to interview, and then how best to set up the interview. Having the opportunity to interview people with first-hand experience can provide a better understanding of the food system. Of course, we are all in the food system because we all eat! But here we focus on those community members who really make the food system happen. The first step in planning to conduct a person-to-person interview is to identify people in the community who are involved in the food system in some way and to explore how they are involved. Then you can make choices about who specifically to interview. The “Steps in the Food System List” from Lesson 2 of Section 1 will be useful for this lesson because it is important to think about people in terms of their particular part or function in the entire food system. Because the food system is complex there are a great number of people and varied jobs to be identified. It is important not to limit our exploration of who is in the food system. Our interview can be as easy as briefly asking some questions of a school lunch server, or as complex as interviewing grocery store owners, food processors, farmers, chefs and restaurant personnel. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we should be able to: • Identify at least one member of our community involved in the food system. • Consider how and where we will meet with this person to interview him or her. • Describe 2-3 ways to conduct personal interviews. • Describe 2 interview settings. Key Concepts • Food System • Interview • Close-ended questions

•

Open-ended questions

Multiple-choice questions “Getting to the Core” Interviewing in the Food System If you had the chance to talk with an apple grower, what questions would you like to ask? What questions do you think a grower would like to answer? What kinds of questions might require a tactful approach? These are all things to think about when preparing to interview someone, particularly a person you do not know. In general, an interview should contain a variety of questions: easy-to-answer questions, thought-provoking questions, questions with long answers, questions with short answers, questions that are demanding, and questions that are fun. In addition, the interviewer can choose different formats of questions to help keep the conversation interesting. Two commonly used formats are open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions. Some examples from both types of formats are shown below. Open-ended questions: 1) How long have you been farming and have you always grown apples? 2) What varieties of apples do you grow and what are they usually used for? 3) To whom do you sell apples? 4) How long does it take for a tree to begin to produce fruit, and how many years is a tree harvested before it is replaced? 5) What is your favorite variety of apple and why? Multiple-choice questions: a) It has become more difficult for apple growers to earn a profit during your lifetime. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree b) An apple a day keeps the doctor away. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree

c) Imported apples and apple products are a major source of competition for your business. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree d) Agriculture would benefit if more young people considered a career in farming. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree e) Perennial crops like apples are good for the environment and satisfying to grow. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree Bonus Question: Cider is nectar from the gods. Everyone should drink it. 1 – Strongly agree 2 – Agree 3 – No opinion 4 – Disagree 5 – Strongly disagree

Activities • Putting people in the Food System • Identifying people in the Food System • Developing the interview topics • Deciding how to interview • Preparing for the interview • Food for Thought Journal Going Further Background

Activity 1: Putting people in the Food System Summary Before we can identify whom we want to interview, we need to start to identify what types of jobs the people who work in different parts of the food system hold.

Materials • • •

“Steps in the Food System List” from Lesson 2, Section 1 Paper and pens/pencils Telephone directory (optional)

Before Class Review the parts of the food system as needed and prepare photocopies if necessary.

Class itself • • •

•

Name the different parts of the food system. You can refer to the “Steps in the Food System List” from Lesson 2, Section 1. Divide your paper in to one column for each part of the food system. You will probably want to spread this onto more than one piece of paper. Briefly consider or discuss the different jobs that could be related to each part of the food system. Some may fall under more than one column. For example, a farmer grows food but also harvests it. A store manager may store as well as retail food. Set your lists aside for a few minutes, then return to them. Is anything missing? Add to the lists until you are satisfied you have exhausted all possibilities. The yellow pages from a telephone directory may give you some ideas as well.

Activity 2: Identifying people in the Food System Summary Now that we have a sense of some of the jobs people can hold when working within the food system, we need to put faces into our own food system. We need to ask ourselves: who are the members of our own community who deal with food in some form as a part of their work? From there we can decide whom to interview for our project.

Materials • • • • •

Our lists from Activity 1 Post-it © notes or index cards (approximately 5 per person) Clear tape Writing board and markers or Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Gather materials as necessary

Class Itself To start off this lesson, create an Information Tree to identify and define the people in your community. 1. Draw a large silhouette of a tree with limbs but without leaves. This can be on the chalkboard or on a large piece of paper. Label the limbs from each of the steps of the food system: Growing, Marketing, School, Neighborhood, Processing, etc. 2. Hand out the Post-it® notes and markers. On them, write down the people you meet during your daily activities. For example, you might write: lunch server, mom, grocery store worker, farmer, etc. Do not forget to think about what you do on the weekends or after school. 3. Put your Post-it® notes on the tree limb that best fits the person you have on the note. 4. Look at your lists from the previous lessons. Can you add to your tree by considering more unfamiliar jobs and who works them? Do not forget even unpaid activities such as preparing the family meal. How many opportunities to work with food are represented?

5. Think about whom you may want to interview. Where will you meet with them (at home? In a classroom? In the cafeteria? On a farm?) 6. If feasible, you may want to interview more than one person. If you are working with a large group, you may want to break up into smaller groups. Each small group can choose a different person to interview so that you can compare notes after the interviews.

Activity 3: Developing interview topics Summary Before we can interview anyone, we need to translate the topics we decided upon in Step 1 into interview topics and questions. This will ensure that our interview advances our knowledge in the topic we have chosen to investigate.

Materials • • • •

Food for Thought Journal entries for Lessons 1-4, Section 1 and Step 1, Section 2 Worksheet from Step 1, Section 2, filled out “Information Tree” from Activity 2 and lists from Activity 1 Paper and pens/pencils

Before class No preparation needed.

Class itself 1. Look at the questions and interview ideas you wrote in your Food for Thought Journals from Lesson 1-4 and Step 1 of the Discovering the Food System project. Do you want to explore any of those questions in your interviews? Do you have other questions about the food system, now that you know more? Your interview should help you learn more about the topics you investigated in Step 1. 2. Now that you have narrowed down what you want to explore about the food system, look at the information tree and lists you developed in Activities 1 and 2. Are there people on those lists whom you normally see on a daily basis whom you can interview about your topic? If not, who is the best person to interview on your topic? How will you get in contact with them? By phone? By scheduling an interview at their office?

Activity 4: Deciding how to interview Summary Almost as important to deciding who to interview is deciding how to conduct the interview. In this activity, we will brainstorm to see how many different types of interview options we can think of.

Materials •

Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class You may want to spend some time watching news broadcasts, talk shows or listening to the radio to familiarize yourself with some interview techniques.

Class itself • • • •

•

What interviews have you observed on TV, radio, at a public meeting, at your school or within your community? These could be news broadcasts, talk shows, or public hearings. Have you, or members of your family, ever answered the phone and been asked by the caller to answer questions about a particular topic? This is another type of interview. Describe the different interview settings you are aware of: phone, public place, on the streets, at school, etc. Most interviews will be person to person (one-on-one) but groups can interview one person. This works well for a class or club situation. Decide what form of interview you will conduct. Where will you meet with your interview subject? (at home? In a classroom? In the cafeteria? On a farm? Over the phone?) The location of the interview may affect the choice of interview technique you choose. You may want to fill out the first part of the Food for Thought Journal entry for this lesson, as it will help you record what you hope to get out of your interviewing experience.

Activity 5: Preparing for the Interview Summary Interviewing can be easy or complex, depending on you and the amount of time you have. You can easily tailor this activity to what is practical for your own situation. For example, interviewing can be as simple as developing some questions for family members or arranging time to talk to the lunch staff at your school cafeteria, or it can be much more elaborate and involve contacting your extension or county offices for help. One great resource is grocery store managers because they will have information about local and regional farms, processors, packagers and distributors. You may even want to interview a grocery store manager to find out how connected to food system a grocery store is.

Materials • •

Model Script from Background material for this lesson Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Read over the Background material and consider how to tailor it to the person you wish to interview.

Class Itself •

•

Use the script provided in the Background material to model interviewing techniques. If possible, find others to help you role-play through the script for practice. Watch television interviews for tips on body language and tones of voices that reveal reactions to good and bad interview questions. From your research, generate a list of tips and techniques of conducting a good interview. What is the overall goal of an interview? Some of these tips might include: • Always tell the interviewee your purpose for conducting the interview. • Get their permission to take notes or record the interview. • Try to avoid “yes” and “no” questions. • Try to use questions that make the interviewee think and talk more. • Be observant of body language and tone of voice. • Thank the interviewee for their time!

•

•

•

Generate a brief list of questions to ask your interviewee, based on the topic that you chose. Take turns interviewing family members or friends until you are comfortable with the interviewing process. Get feedback as to the questions you are asking. Now you are ready for your interview! Remember to take careful notes during your interview. It may be helpful to record the interview on cassette tape. Do not forget to introduce yourself to the interviewee. If you are working in a group, take turns asking your questions. Impromptu questions are always good as well: follow your instincts and have fun! On the same day of the interviews, complete the Food for Thought Journal about your interview. Include as many details as possible, so you can use your notes for your essays in Section 3.

Activity 6: Food for Thought Journal

Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Step 2.

Materials • •

Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” Pens/pencils

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed.

Class itself In the journal, you will have time to think back about the different jobs you identified within the food system as well as your actual interview experience. You may want to fill out the first part before the interview and the second part immediately after the interview.

Questions of the Day: Before the interview ¾ What surprised you the most about identifying people in the food system?

¾ Were you aware of all of the different kinds of jobs that were named in the activity? What jobs were new to you? Which ones were you already aware of? ¾ What are you most interested in learning more about in the food system from the interview you intend to conduct?

After the interview ¾ What did you enjoy about your interviewing experience? What didn’t you like?

¾ What was the most interesting thing you learned from the person you talked with? ¾ What did you learn from the interview about the food system that you didn't know already? ¾ Were there issues raised by the interviewee that you would like to research more? If so, what?

Write down your observations about the kinds of work that are part of the food system that you see when visiting a business or other setting. For example, when in a grocery store, write down all of the different kinds of work you observe going on that keep the store running smoothly. What are the kinds of work that needs to take place beyond the store in order for it to function properly? In the school cafeteria, what are the different jobs you see people doing? What other jobs are involved beyond the school walls that are necessary for lunch to be served everyday? As an alternative to Activity 1, try this more mathematically intensive activity. Make a list of every person you know from your community. This can be all of your family, neighbors, teachers, business owners, etc. Tally the number of names on your list. Earlier, you investigated your town's population. If you are working with a group, add everyone’s lists together, not counting the people you may all know (for example, if this is a school group, it is likely you all know the same cafeteria workers). What percent of the community do you reach? If you wanted to collect or distribute information, what percentage of the community would you reach without meeting new people? For example, if there are 5 students in a group and each listed 20 people, then the group can reach 100 people. If there are 300 students in a local school and each could meet 20 people, the school itself could reach 6000 people. What percentage of the community is that? This can help you see how one person, or small group, can make an impact in their community. Following your interview, write an article about it to share with the community via a newsletter or local paper.

Background Interviewing can be a complicated undertaking. However, the experience will be very valuable and can help you learn much more than you would from even the most exciting class lessons. Building good techniques for interviewing can be difficult. Below are suggestions of how to conduct good interviews.

Avoiding close-ended questions When an interviewer asks a question that yields a "yes" or "no" answer, they are learning very little. In order to practice asking questions that are open-ended, start with close-ended questions and work them into a more interesting form. For example: "Do you enjoy your job?" might be better phrased as: "What do you like best about your job?" "What are the three things you enjoy most about your day?" "What about your job gives you the most satisfaction?"

Preparing for the Interview Once the questions have been formulated, people identified, and a place has been decided for the interviews to take place you are ready to go. Decide on a time limit for the interviews, so that you and your interviewees do not get tired of questions and answers. Remember to ask permission if the interviews are to be videotaped or recorded.

After Interviewing Think back over what you have learned. If you are in a group, discuss with the others and compare experiences. Divide your comments into two general categories: what was learned about the community food system, and insights about the interviewing process. What are your observations about the interviewees? Did they seem to enjoy talking about their jobs? Were they enthusiastic about seeing the finished product? There are a number of ways to express the interview results. Later on, you will be preparing essays discussing your interviews so that you can share what you have learned with your community.

References To obtain population information for your county check the following: • Internet: www.census.gov/datamap/www/index.html. At that site click on your state and county to get population estimations. • Phone: Census Bureau: Statistical Information Staff, Population Division, (301) 457-2422. • Mail: Population Estimation Program, Population Division, U.S. Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C. 20233. If these contacts are not available, contact your county offices for the information. The fastest method of obtaining the statistics should be through the website.

MODEL INTERVIEW #1 INTERVIEWER: Hi, my name is _________, and I'm doing a study about local foods. FARMER: Hi, I'm _________, I am a farmer in ___________(Town). INTERVIEWER: Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your farm? FARMER: No, go right ahead. INTERVIEWER: Do you like farming? FARMER: Yes. INTERVIEWER: What's your favorite part of the day? FARMER: Lunch. INTERVIEWER: Do you have cows? FARMER: No. INTERVIEWER: Do you eat locally grown foods? FARMER: Sometimes. INTERVIEWER: Thanks. FARMER: You're welcome. INTERVIEWER: Bye. FARMER: Bye. MODEL INTERVIEW #2: INTERVIEWER: Hi, my name is _________, and I'm doing a study about local foods. FARMER: Hi, I'm _________, I am a farmer in _____________(Town).

INTERVIEWER: Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your farm? FARMER: No, go right ahead. INTERVIEWER: Is it all right if I take notes? FARMER: Certainly. INTERVIEWER: How long have you been farming in our community? FARMER: I've been here most of my life. INTERVIEWER: Can you tell me something about the people you do business with? FARMER: Well, I do business with lots of different people. I usually buy my feed from __________, and then I often go to the local auto parts shop to buy the parts I need for my tractor. I also sell my products to different people, so there are many people that I work with. INTERVIEWER: Can you tell me something about the people who buy your products, and where they're from? FARMER: The company that buys my milk comes from Syracuse. I sell my apples to all my neighbors and friends, and to all our local supermarkets. INTERVIEWER: What do you think are the benefits of your farm to our community? FARMER: Wow, great question! Well, let me think here. I've hired five local people, so they have jobs. And, I've gotten to know them, and we're all friends, we've started up a small ball team with our family members, and that's good. My farm is a habitat for wildlife. You'd be surprised at the number of people who tell me how beautiful the farm is, and it adds that way. Come to think of it, my farm really does benefit the community a great deal. INTERVIEWER: Gee, you've been really helpful. Would you mind if I called you later if I have any questions while I'm writing up my notes? FARMER: No, not at all. In fact, I'd like that. Here is a phone number where you can reach me. INTERVIEWER: Great. By the way, I'm going to be doing a project using all the information I've learned today. It will be on display at our community celebration in May. I will send you an invitation in the mail, and I hope you'll attend! FARMER: That sounds like fun. Of course I'll come. INTERVIEWER: Is there anything you'd like to add, or any feelings during this interview that you want to discuss? FARMER: Well, it feels good that you're interested in what I do. Thank you!

Step 3: Community Survey – Getting Ready Summary Now that we have talked with a community member directly involved in the food system, it is time to explore another way of getting information. In-person interviews are effective for gathering in-depth information about a topic from a small number of people. In order to find out about the views of a larger group of people, we rely on other methods. By designing, distributing, and discussing a small survey, we can explore what the members of our community think about an aspect of the food system. This is another step in your project that can be small scale, or elaborate, depending on the time issues and the needs of you or your group. It can range from surveying a school classroom and/or students’ family members; surveying a grade level; distributing a survey to members of a faith-based community; surveying a target number of adults; or surveying the village, town, neighborhood, etc. on a larger scale. This step is designed to give us a sense of how questionnaires can be designed to give wanted information. If time is an issue, choose an easy target group, and ask a small number of questions Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we will be able to: •

Choose a topic for a survey

•

Identify a survey sample within the community

•

Choose well-designed questions for a short questionnaire

Key Concepts • Survey • Population • Sample • Representative • Subject • Questionnaire • Scaled Response

“Getting to the Core” So, you want to find out about what people in your community think about apples – great! By surveying a representative sample of people living in you community, you can find out bushels of information. What do you want to know? How many people like apples? Why they eat them? How often they eat them? Which varieties they like best? In general, a survey involves a questionnaire. This “research instrument” can be disseminated to your sample (some of the people in your community) by mailing a paper copy to them (mail survey method), calling them on the phone and asking the questions (telephone survey method), stopping them on the street or at a grocery store (in-person questionnaire method), or sending it to them on email (web-based survey method). Surveys often use “closed-ended” questions. The options for answers are provided and the respondents choose the one answer that most closely reflects how they feel. You can also find out how important something is or how strongly people feel about issues by asking them to agree or disagree with statements that you write. Here are some sample questions: How often do you eat fresh apples? a. Once each day b. 3 to 5 times a week c. 1-2 times a week d. A few times a month e. Rarely f. I don’t like apples There are many ways in which apples are consumed? For each of the following form, indicate how much you like it by circling the appropriate answer. a. fresh whole apples a lot

a little

not at all

b. apple sauce a lot

a little

not at all

c. apple juice a lot

a little

not at all

d. apple pie a lot

a little

not at all

Activities 1. 2. 3. 4.

Choosing the topic Choosing a survey sample Preparing a Food System survey Food for Thought Journal

Going Further Background

Activity 1: Choosing the Topic Summary There are several ways to generate interesting questions to ask about the food system. Issues and topics can come from articles in the local paper, stories heard on the radio, or conversations around the dinner table. Earlier, you chose to investigate a specific aspect of the food system. Then, you either continued to explore the same topic or picked a new area to find out more about in the interview, based on your interests. This lesson is an opportunity to find out what the community thinks about either one of these previous topics, or perhaps a new topic. Materials • Results from Steps 1 and 2 of Section 2 and Food for Thought Journal entries from both Sections • Paper and pens/pencils Before Class No before class preparation needed except to collect materials Class itself Examples of surveys: • Survey young people about their knowledge of shopping and what is local • Survey a school community to explore their views as to how the cafeteria might accommodate locally grown foods, or to find out where the food for their school cafeteria comes from • Survey a neighborhood to see whether they would buy produce grown by the young people • Survey produce department managers of local grocery stores to learn about the variety of local or organic produce carried in their store. •

Make a list of the most interesting or surprising points you have discovered during Step 1 and 2.

•

Consider what you would most like to research further. If you are in a group, collect the group’s ideas and discuss together.

Activity 2: Choosing a survey sample Summary Now that you have a topic, it is time to decide whom you want to survey. This means you need to decide whose viewpoints from your local community you want to hear. Materials • Paper and pens/pencils • Optional: it may help to have access to a local phone directory Before Class No before class preparation needed. Class itself • Decide the overall group or community of interest whose opinions you wish to know more about. (for example, food shoppers, residents of a particular neighborhood, parents of school students, school students themselves, teachers of the school, supermarket employees, local food service providers, etc.) • Pick some of these people, otherwise known as a sample, from the group. Pick enough so that the sample represents the larger group. The challenge is to pick a small enough sample so that the survey is possible and not too expensive, but large enough to tell you something about that group’s viewpoint.

Activity 3: Preparing a Food System survey Summary Developing the questions is a critical, but creative step in conducting a survey. It will help you make sure you get the answers and information you are looking for. This activity is aimed to helping you develop the best questions possible for your survey. Materials • Materials from Activities 1-2 and Steps 1 and 2 of this section • Writing board and markers • Paper and pens/pencils Before Class Review Background material on preparing surveys. Class Itself •

The first step is to look back to the main topic for your questionnaire. What is the most critical item that you're interested in? Write this question first, so that it guides the questions that will follow. For example, a main question for the survey might be “Where does your family do most of its grocery shopping?”

•

From this broad topic, brainstorm about what specific details are important to learn about. Questionnaires can have different sections to address specific subtopics relating to the main question. For this survey, try to keep your questions focused and simple.

•

Review the different types of questions that can be included in a questionnaire. Think of examples of questions for each type. Write these on a board or on paper.

•

After you have several questions written down, go through each, deciding on question type and wording. Also decide on what order to put the questions in. Look over the Background information on surveys and the example below to get a sense of how different orders of questions can make a difference. In what order do you want your subtopics?

•

When you are satisfied with your set of brief, focused questions, give your survey an exciting title! This can come quite easily from the overall topic or question of interest.

For example, below is a segment from a real questionnaire used to gather ideas about Pennsylvania’s Food System that relate to the subheading “cooking and shopping:” (Harmon et al. 1999) If you did the shopping and cooking for your family… 1.

How important to you would it be to reuse plastic bags, paper bags and other food containers? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 very important

2.

How important to you would it be to take your own bag for shipping (either canvas or paper)? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 very important

3.

How important to you would it be to recycle food packaging (aluminum cans, glass bottles, or plastic)? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 very important

4.

How important to you would it be to compost your food scraps? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 very important

Activity 4: Food for Thought Journal Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Step 3. Materials 1. Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” 2. Pens/pencils

Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed. Class itself In the journal, you will have time to reflect on your experience preparing a survey for your community.

Background Why conduct a survey in a community? The primary goal of a survey of a group of people is to describe attitudes, opinions, or views on a particular subject. Data is gathered from people in their natural settings using a questionnaire (one type of survey instrument) to obtain written or verbal responses. Systematic collection of similar data from each respondent allows the exploration of relationships among variables that are measured. For example, you might assess the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and the age of the respondents (i.e. how does intake change with age?). Surveys can take less time and be an inexpensive way to reach larger numbers from a wider geographic area, although the information may not be as detailed or rich as individual interviews. A "mixed methods" approach of combining interview results with data gathered from a quantitative survey using a questionnaire or structured interview guide can be an influential, powerful tool in community decision-making, and in convincing community members and leaders about the value of a given topic. In any community we can often identify issues of concern to a great number of citizens. With a survey, we can gather interesting information on those issues.

Planning a Survey There are many items to consider when planning a survey. The rule of thumb for this unit is to keep it simple and focused. The first thing to decide is who you want to describe and what you want to know about them. For example, if we want to know which fruits and vegetables are purchased most frequently in the town of Healthville, NY, a relevant population would be all the people in Healthville who do the food shopping for their household. Or, if you want to learn more about which fruits and vegetables are grown on farms in Garden County, VT, then the relevant population would be all the farmers in Garden County. Or if you want to know which locally produced fruits and vegetables are available at the grocery stores in Healthville, NY, the relevant population would be produce managers in the Healthville grocery stores. In general, it saves time, effort, and money to get the information you want from some but not all of the people in your population of interest. When a small group of people is selected in order to find out something about the entire population, this smaller group is called a sample. The sample is usually selected randomly, so that it is more likely to be representative of the population. There are many ways to survey a group of people who represent the population of interest. Some, like a mail questionnaire, will require a small budget for printing, envelopes and postage. Others, for example telephone surveys, hand delivery, or mailbox stuffing may require more resources. If the study population to be sampled happens to be

community members with children enrolled in the local middle school, questionnaires could be hand-carried home with students avoiding any postage costs. If the study population is shoppers at a local supermarket, and the store manager has granted permission, shoppers can be approached at the store entrance and recruited to fill out a short questionnaire. As soon as someone agrees to participate in a survey, he or she becomes a subject in the study. Your Surveys Can Create Change! As an example, the high school ecology club in a Massachusetts school community conducted a survey that had immediate results. An informal survey asked teachers and seniors five questions related to school policy. Out of two hundred surveys distributed, one hundred and seventy-six came back. Only five people said they would not be willing to pay an additional five cents for using biodegradable paper cups in the cafeteria. The survey results were presented to the faculty and student government and, as a result, Styrofoam cups and trays were no longer used at school. All it took to convince school administrators to change their policy was the evidence of an informal poll (Lesko, 1992).

Questionnaire Development From Step 1, we gathered facts and data about our food and agriculture system. From Step 2, we learned more about our local food system from people who actually represent that food system. The community survey provides a chance explore the attitudes within our community about some aspect of what we have learned. There will be many potential topics to explore in the survey. So the first step is to decide the focus of the survey and then what specific questions to ask on the questionnaire. Potential Survey Topics Interest in farmers markets Factors influencing fruit and vegetable purchases Important qualities of area food stores Preference for locally grown foods Concern about hunger and food insecurity in the community Perceptions about school meals Concerns about changes in agriculture

Interest in cooking and shopping There are several different kinds of questions that can be used in a questionnaire. A questionnaire can use all of these types or just a few. • Open-ended questions, in which participants write their own response •

Yes/no responses

•

Scaled responses (on a scale of 1 to 5, rate your willingness to drive an extra 5 miles to purchase food directly from a farmers' market, with 1= not at all willing, 3 = somewhat willing, 5 = very willing.)

•

Closed-ended responses that allow the participant to choose the response that best suits them, giving them a line for the "other" response. ("I typically shop at the following: large supermarket, small independent grocery store, farmers' market, gourmet food shop, food cooperative, other")

The key to good questions is that there is no doubt on the part of the respondent what the question is asking. A good way to make sure the questions are not misinterpreted is to pre-test the questionnaire with a small number of people who are like those who will be participating in the survey. In general, closed-ended responses will be easier to analyze and interpret than open-ended responses. Here is a checklist to help guide the development of questions: •

Is the question specific, or vague? You will want to be as specific as you can, so no one can misinterpret of the question. For example, "Where do you get your food?" is less clear than, “Check each of the following places where you buy food for your household. a) Grocery store; b) food cooperative; c) farmers’ market; food wholesale outlet, etc."

•

Do the questions contain jargon or abbreviations? If so, clarify and describe if the phrase is likely to be unfamiliar. For example, if you planned to use CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, in a question, you should define it first.

•

Is the terminology you are using familiar to everyone?

•

Are the questions biased? For example, "Do you agree that the school lunch program is lacking in quality?" is loaded with bias. "Describe the food quality in the school lunch program" is less biased.

•

Are any questions too probing, demanding, or difficult to answer? Keep them simple.

•

Are you trying to ask two questions in one space? Keep your questionnaire clear and concise by having your respondents answer one question at a time.

•

How is your language? Avoid double negatives.

•

What level of expertise will someone need to understand the questionnaire? Do not assume that participants have a breadth of knowledge about the community food system.

•

How far back are you asking your respondents to remember? Be sure that any questions related to a time frame are appropriate. Questions related to buying habits on a week by week basis, as opposed to relating to a full month or year, will be easier for your respondents.

Five Types of Scaled Responses to Consider: Endorsement: Definitely true, true, don’t know, false, definitely false Frequency: Always, very often, fairly often, sometimes, almost never, never Intensity: None, very mild, mild, moderate, severe Influence: Big problem, moderate problem, small problem, very small problem, no problem. Comparison: Much more then others, somewhat more than others, about the same as others, somewhat less than others, much less than others These are suggestions but of course, you will likely come up with your own scaled response options. Source: Fink, Arlene. How to Ask Survey Questions. Sage Publications, Inc. 1995.

Questionnaire Format

Questionnaires can be complex and in booklet form, or simply one to two pages of paper. For this activity, try to keep questions all on one sheet, two-sided at most. This can be easily reproduced on a photocopy machine. Choose a title that reflects your purpose, and provide directions for how to answer the questions. Use the same answering procedure throughout the questionnaire. You may want to use lower case letters for the questions, and upper case letters for responses, or use plain type for questions, and bold type for answers. Here is an example: Do you drive or take public transportation to purchase your food? (Please circle letter) a.

DRIVE

b.

USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

c.

OTHER (Explain: ____________________________________)

If you ask demographic questions, such as age or gender, group them into one brief section. These usually appear at the end of a questionnaire. Group questions together that are similar, so that the questionnaire flows instead of jumping around. Include contact information (name, address, phone or email, organization) so that people can get in touch if they have concerns or questions. This also lets them know if an organization is sponsoring the questionnaire (your school or 4-H club, for example). A sample questionnaire is provided at the end of this lesson.

Lesson Resources To be added.

References Fink, Arlene. How to Ask Survey Questions. Sage Publications, Inc. 1995. Harmon, A. Harmon, R. and Maretzki, A. 1999. The Food System: Building youth awareness through involvement. The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences. Lesko, W. S. 1992. No Kidding Around! America's Young Activists are Changing the World, and You Can Too. Information, USA, Inc. Kensington, MD.

The Healthville Community Food System A Survey of Citizen Interests and Concerns Introduction. Over the past month, students in Mr. Brown's 6th grade social studies class gathered facts about the food and agriculture system in Bounty County. Did you know that there were 300 farms in the early 1900s and now there are only 75 farms in our county? Did you know that 5 farmers go out of business each year? We'd like to know how you feel about the state of farming and agriculture in Bounty County. This questionnaire is designed to take just a few minutes of your time to complete. Your responses are very important to us! Thank you for participating in this survey! 1. The first set of questions has to do with farms in Bounty County. To what extent do you agree or not? (Please circle number). Question

Agree

Don’t Know

Don’t Agree

A.

Agriculture in Bounty County is important to the local economy

1

2

3

4

5

B.

Having farms nearby makes my community a better place to live.

1

2

3

4

5

C.

It’s unimportant to have local farms because all my food can be imported

1

2

3

4

5

D.

To save local farms it is better to buy foods grown by local farmers

1

2

3

4

5

E.

I would be willing to pay 5% more for my food if doing so helped keep local farmers in business

1

2

3

4

5

F.

If farmers go out of business it’s because they are bad managers

1

2

3

4

5

G.

Cafeterias in schools, hospitals and companies should serve food grown by local farmers

1

2

3

4

5

2. The second set of questions has to do with food shopping and eating. Question

Agree

Don’t know

Don’t Agree

A.

In the summer and fall I buy some of my food from a farmers’ market

1

2

3

4

5

B.

I prefer food stores that offer a variety of locally produced foods

1

2

3

4

5

C.

If the price is higher for local foods, I will not buy them

1

2

3

4

5

D.

Supermarkets should offer locally grown foods on a regular basis

1

2

3

4

5

E.

A diet made up totally of foods that are produced locally would not provide enough variety to maintain good health

1

2

3

4

5

F.

I’d like to buy fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers, but the quality is not as good as imported produce

1

2

3

4

5

G.

Locally grown produce doesn’t taste as good as imported produce

1

2

3

4

5

H.

Locally grown produce doesn’t look as good as imported produce

1

2

3

4

5

3.

The last set of questions has to do with you and your household What is your gender? (circle one) FEMALE

MALE

What was your age at your last birthday? ________years What is your level of education? 1

Completed some high school

2

Received high school diploma

3

Some college or technical school

4

2-year college or vocational school

5

4-year college or university degree

6

Advanced degree

Have you ever lived on a working farm? (circle)

YES NO

Have you ever grown a vegetable garden? (circle) YES NO

Step 4: Conducting a Community Survey Summary Now we know what our topic is, who the survey sample is, and which questions are being asked. We are ready to distribute the survey. Our decisions for this activity will depend on the resources we have available. A simple way to distribute a survey is to hand-deliver them to the survey sample group of people. Before distributing them, we may want to set up a box to which our respondents can return their surveys. If we have a small amount of money available to our group, we can prepare self-addressed and stamped envelopes so the surveys can be returned easily at no inconvenience to the respondent. If the survey sample consists of parents within a school system, we can hand-deliver as well as collect and return the questionnaires. The important thing is to think through an easy and inexpensive way to ensure that we will get the surveys back. Be sure to provide a timeline (For example: “We would like these back by May 10 to complete our activities.”) Learning Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, we will be able to: •

Prepare a survey for distribution

•

Distribute a survey and collect completed responses.

•

Discuss survey results and perform a series of simple calculations to inform this discussion

Key Concepts • Distribution method • Mail Survey • Telephone Survey • Response Rate • Percentage

Activities • • •

Distributing the Questionnaire Sharing the Results Food for Thought Journal

Going Further Background Activity 1: Distributing the Questionnaires Summary The first step of getting your surveys completed is deciding how you will distribute them and who your survey sample will be. Materials • Your surveys, ready for distribution Before Class Prepare your surveys for distribution as needed. If you decide to mail them, you will need envelopes and stamps. For telephone surveys you will need your local phone directory and a phone. Review Background material from Step 3. Class itself Decide on what method you will use to distribute your questionnaires and collect the information. Remember that the method of distribution will affect your survey sample. One of the easiest ways to distribute questionnaires within your community is to send them home with a selected set of students for their parents to complete. In this case, the sample would be “parents of students in the __ grade at ______ school.” However, there are many other ways to conduct surveys. Methods will vary in the time and money required. Mail surveys require resources for postage and paper. Telephone surveys require access to phones and resources for any long-distance charges and the time of people to ask the

questions on the phone. Other methods involve recruiting people at various locations such as at a grocery store, farmers’ market, or library. Remember that it is important to get permission first before conducting in-person surveys at such public places or private businesses. In all of these cases, your survey sample will be whomever you choose to get the sample. Whatever the method of distribution you choose, you need a way to collect completed questionnaires. If sent home with students, the students can bring the completed versions back to you. Activity 2: Sharing the Results Summary Once the questionnaires have been completed and returned, the next step is to figure out what all the responses tell you! You can learn a lot about what the data means by simply tallying the results. When organizations, researchers, and businesses conduct surveys, they use complex calculations to understand what the survey information means. We will perform some simple calculations. Materials • Your completed surveys • Paper and pens/pencils • Calculator (optional) Before Class Make sure that you have received enough questionnaires back or finished conducting enough telephone interviews to have a good number of responses. Class Itself •

If you are working with a group, distribute the completed questionnaires evenly among the members. One person in the group should read the results from the completed questionnaire while another records the data. The third person can also record as an extra check for accuracy. If you are working alone, you will have to do all three steps, reading, recording data, and checking for accuracy, yourself. You should use a blank questionnaire and add check marks next to the response on the completed questionnaire to tally the responses. You, or another

person, should double-check that you have marked the appropriate response correctly. •

Once you have completed recording your set of data, go through the entire questionnaire and compute the totals for each question.

•

You now have the total number of responses from everyone who responded to your survey. The other thing you know is how many people responded – the total number of completed questionnaires. You also know how many questionnaires were sent out originally (or how many people you talked to). So, you can calculate: The response rate = Total number returned/total number sent This is expressed as a percent. (For example, a 65% response rate means 65% of those who received the questionnaire, responded).

4. You can also calculate the percentage for different response categories: Percentage = Total number who strongly agree.../total number of respondents The survey may reveal, for example, that 75% of residents in a neighborhood agree that they are willing to buy produce from young people.

Activity 3: Food for Thought Journal Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for Step 1. Materials • Photocopies of “Food for Thought Journal” • Pens/pencils Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed Class itself In the journal, you will have time to reflect on your experience putting the surveys together, distributing them and compiling the results.

Questions of the Day: ¾ Write one of the questions you wanted to include in the survey ¾ Did that question, or a similar one get included in the survey? ¾ Describe a response from the questionnaire that surprised you. ¾ Why did it surprise you?

¾ Between the interviews and the survey, which tool helped you learn more about the food system? ¾ Between the interviews and the survey, which tool helped you learn more about the community?

If you have a computer, you will most likely have access to a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel. If you are intrigued with this, you can analyze the results of their survey using a program. Some of these programs are simple to use and can produce interesting graphs and statistical percentages of the survey results. This is a good opportunity to explore beyond the basic requirements if you have a specific interest in research or computers.

Step 5: Sharing Food System Stories with Your Community Summary Now that we have learned about our food system, researched a topic, conducted interviews and carried out a survey, it is time for us to share the results of all this fine work. This final step in the process allows us to gather all of the food system information together into an interesting story. Results can be displayed in creative ways. Stories from food system people are often new and interesting to the broader community, and the attitudes and interests of consumers within a community will be important to leaders and community stakeholders alike. Included in this section are various techniques for presenting what we have learned. Also included are ideas of settings in which to share information about the community food system. In sharing what we have learned with others, we can create or increase awareness among others about the community food system. Like the other aspects of Discovering the Food System, this activity can be as simple or complex as you would like to make it. Through similar projects across the country, students have brought about real change in their communities as their work has led to actions on important public issues. Although in many ways, this is the most “wide open” of the activities, it can also be the most meaningful and empowering. The sky is the limit! We may make important discoveries about ourselves and our power to inspire and create change! Learning Objectives Upon completion, we will be able to: • Prepare information for sharing, exhibiting or presenting in various ways • Share our presentations with the community to increase food system awareness • Identify ways we can help improve our community food system Key Concepts • •

Presentation Bar graph

• • •

Pie chart Results Student Assessement

“Getting to the Core” Reporting Data Once you have collected information, do you know what to do with it? The presentation of data is as important as the data itself! Tables and figures are the two major means of reporting quantitative data. Each has its strengths and is intended for a particular purpose. In general, it is best to use tables when the individual numbers are important, whereas figures are best used to show a pattern or trend. Both figures and tables are great because they can display a large amount of information in a digestible format. They should convey the information accurately in a clear and concise manner. The basic anatomy of a table or figure consists of four parts: 1) the title, 2) the headings or legend, 3) the body, and 4) the source of information. Some examples are shown below. Table 1. Average annual per capita consumption of selected forms of apples in the United States by Census region, 1994-1996. Region

Whole Apples

Apple Juice

Apple Sauce

Northeast

------------------------ lbs/person/yr ----------------------12.1 18.3 2.6

Midwest

11.6

12.1

3.3

South

9.2

10.9

1.8

West

15.2

14.8

2.4

U.S. Average

11.7

13.5

2.4

Source: Food Commodity Intake Database, Version 2.1 (Environmental Protection Agency and Agricultural Research Service, 2000)

Spartan 2% Jonamac 2%

Other 11%

McIntosh 20%

Jonagold 2% Golden Delicious 5% Empire 12%

Crispin (Mutsu) 5% R.I. Greening 6%

Rome 11%

Cortland 6% Idared 9%

Delicious 9%

Figure 1: Varieties of apples grown in New York State by weight, 1999 Source: New York Agricultural Statistics Service, 2000 Activities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Presenting the Food System Facts Presenting the Interview Experiences Presenting the Survey Results Reaching Out Wrapping Up Food for Thought Journal

Going Further Background

Activity 1: Presenting the Food System Facts

Summary During Step 1 of the project, you conducted a search for information about food systems. Much of the information you gathered was relevant to your specific food system. This useful background information should be included in the presentations to share with the community.

Materials • • • •

Results from Step 1, Section 2 Posterboard and markers Paper and pens/pencils Rulers

Before Class Go over information gathered from Step 1, Section 2 to familiarize yourself with what you discovered.

Class Itself •

•

What important information about your community food system did you discover in Step 1? You may have found useful graphs that demonstrate important aspects of the current state of your food system. If not, you may have found enough information to create a graph of your own. Write a short paragraph explaining and interpreting a graph or collection of data you acquired in Step 1. If you have more than one graph, combine them on one poster along with your paragraph. This poster can be used to depict food system facts and can be prominently displayed in your community. Some venues might be churches or banks.

Activity 2: Presenting the Interview Experiences

Summary The experiences you have had with your interviews gave you an indepth perspective of the food system. You need to share these unique experiences with others!

Materials • •

Food for Thought Journal entries about your interview experience and any other notes you took Paper and pens/pencils

Before Class Review your journal entries and notes

Class Itself •

Using the information you have put in your Food for Thought Journals and any other notes you took during the interviews, write a short 1-2 page essay about your interview. If you are part of a group, you may want to divide the work by having each person write a paragraph of the essay. For example, one might write the introduction containing background information about the interviewee, another might describe the interviewee’s business and how it is connected to the community food system. A third person can write a paragraph about the interviewee’s opinions on the questions asked. These essays can be shared in school and community newsletters, as well as local newspapers.

Activity 3: Presenting the Survey Results

Summary During the Discovering the Food System project, you created a survey and distributed it to a survey sample. You also gathered and discussed the results. At this point, those results can be put into an exciting format that can be shared with others. You can describe your results in words, or create bar graphs and pie charts to show how people responded to the survey.

Materials • • • • •

Results from surveys Posterboard and markers Rulers Paper and pens/pencils Glue or staples or tape

Before Class Review Background material on presenting results, as well as the “Getting to the Core” part of this lesson’s introduction

Class Itself •

To present the results of your surveys for the community, you can make a poster, or more than one copy of the poster. The poster can contain an example of the survey, a paragraph explaining who completed the survey, an explanation of the results, and/or the graphs and charts that display the results of the survey. You can share these at many different sites in the school or community.

Activity 4: Reaching Out

Summary There are many ways that you can reach the community. Regardless of your setting there are a variety of possibilities available. This activity will introduce you to a variety of choices.

Materials No materials needed

Before Class No real preparation needed, although you may wish to review your project results.

Class Itself Below you will find a variety of ways to reach out to your community and through which to share the results of your project. Read them over and choose which one suits your situation the best! Local Media In every community there are a variety of media that are used to let the community know what is going on. Most towns have some kind of local newspaper that is usually interested in sharing this type of project with the rest of the community. If you are working within a school, the school newspaper may be able to print the interview essays and survey results. In many larger towns and small cities there are local television news programs. Some of these programs are interested in sharing what students in the community are up to. Local radio stations may also be willing to conduct interviews with the young people. If you have access to an Internet web page, it may be possible to share the results of the Discovering the Food System investigations online. Community or Town Meetings Throughout the year there are many meetings of local organizations, for example school board meetings, parent-teacher conference night, and town meetings. These are all possible locations where you can present your posters to members of the community. Often during these meetings there are coffee breaks or intermissions. During those times you can be talking to the neighbors about your project.

Local Businesses and Meeting Places Many communities have grocery stores and other smaller businesses that are interested in working with groups of young people. These are potential places to present the posters to the community. Some communities have a local farmer's market. Since many of people patronize markets are interested in their community, there will likely be much interest in that setting. Many of the local businesses are very interested in raising food system awareness since they are stakeholders in the food system.

Activity 5: Wrapping Up Summary In Section 1, you created illustrations of the food system, before you had done any research to understand it more fully. Now is the time to compare what you knew earlier with what you understand now. Materials • Paper and pens/pencils • Markers, crayons, colored pencils • Any pertinent information about the food system you have discovered Before Class Review the information you have learned about the food system and the Student Assessment section in the Background material. Class itself Create an illustration of the food system. This can be an informal illustration, a color drawing or even a detailed list of the steps in the food system. Compare them to the first set of illustrations.

Activity 6: Food for Thought Journal Summary As an independent assignment, complete the Food for Thought Journal for this lesson. Materials • Photocopies of the “Food for Thought Journal” • Pens/pencils Before Class Prepare photocopies as needed Class Itself In the Journal, you will be able to wrap up your experiences with the Discovering the Food System project, particularly how you chose to present it to your community.

Questions of the Day: ¾ What do you think are the best way(s) to communicate the information you have gathered about the food system to your community?

¾ Why do you think these ways are the best?

¾ Do you think information about your community food system is important for people to know? Why, or why not?

¾ Would you expect questions from people who read or hear a news story about your food system research to have questions about it? ¾ What might some of those questions be?

¾ What kinds of changes do you think are possible from communicating information about the food system?

¾ If you were to prepare the results from your community food system exploration again, what would you do differently?

You can interview a representative from a local TV station, radio, or newspaper to come to find out about the process of getting stories in the news. You may also be interested in writing a research report to document the results from your fact finding exercises, interviews and the community survey. Potential elements contained in a research report are described in the Background section.

Background

Ways to Show Results. Suppose one of the questions on your questionnaire was: During the summer months, how often do you buy fruits and vegetables at a farmers market? 1 Once a week 2 Two times a month 3 Once a month 4 Less than once a month 5 Never There are several ways to display the results. Percentage. The percent of the total number of people who answered this question could simply be shown. The total will add up to 100 in most cases. 25%

Once a week

40%

Two times a month

20%

Once a month

10%

Less than once a month

5%

Never

Pie Chart. A circle that is divided into portions (pieces) that represent the different possible responses to a question. The circle, or the whole pie, represents all the people who responded to the question. The pieces reflect how many of that total responded to the possible answers. O ce a n w e k

% 0 1

w ice a T o n m th

% 0 2

O n a m ce n th o

e st h o n n a ce L m o th n N e vr

Bar Graph. Bars for each one of the response categories can be displayed. The height of the bar reflects the proportion of total respondents for each answer.

Student Assessment and Wrapping Up: Wrapping up a research report usually contains the following components: Introduction - which begins broadly and sets the context for the study. Some of the data gathered in Step 1, Section 2 will be useful here.

Objectives of the study - why did you do the interviews and conduct the survey? What were you interested in finding out? Methods - how did you go about finding the answers to your questions? (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, etc.) What was the basic design of the research? People want to know what questions were asked. They also want to know who participated in the study. Where were the subjects? How many were there? How were they selected? Results – which begin with the central findings, and then move to the more peripheral ones. Often this section can begin by restating one or more of the main questions to be addressed in the research. Results can be displayed in tables, pie charts, graphs, etc. Discussion - this section forms a cohesive narrative with the introduction, and you should expect to move materials back and forth between the introduction and discussion. Begin by telling what you have learned from the study. Open with a clear statement on the support or nonsupport of the hypotheses (what you thought you would find) or the answers to the questions you first raised in the introduction. ·

Summary - a research report often concludes with a very brief summary that restates in barest outline the problem, the procedures, the major findings, and the major conclusions drawn from them. References. If any other articles were used in the writing of the report, there should be a reference section. The sources of the agriculture and food system data would be included here.

References Kidder, Louise H. and Charles M. Judd. Date. Research Methods in Social Relations. Fifth edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 563 pg. Edward R. Tufte "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information." Graphics Press, 1992

Glossary Annuals – plants that are planted each year and last for one season Bar Graph – a method of displaying survey information. Bars for each one of the response categories can be displayed. The height of the bar reflects the proportion of total respondents for each answer Close-ended questions – a question in which the subject’s responses are limited to given alternatives Community – an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location Consuming – a step in the food system, it can mean the act of actually eating something or just the act of purchasing it. A consumer is a person who can go to the store, select which product they want and purchase it. Dietary Guidelines http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/ (Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000, 5th edition) – Since 1980 and every five years since then, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have jointly published the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee consisting of prominent experts in nutrition and health reviews current scientific and medical knowledge and recommend to the Secretaries revisions to the Guidelines. The Committees produces reports of their recommendations and rationale to the Secretaries. The Departments then review, edit and publish the revised Guidelines,. The Dietary Guidelines provide the basis for Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. Specifically, the Guidelines provide advice for healthy Americans ages 2 years and above about food choices that promote health and prevent disease. Disposing, composting and recycling – the step in the food system that follow consumption in the home or at a restaurant. This food can go into the garbage or can be added to a compost pile and turned into a valuable, rich fertilizing material to add to a home garden or a farmer’s field. Food packages may also have different fates with different environmental impacts. All food packages, of course, can be thrown away and added to the solid waste accumulated by a community. However, many food packages can be recycled. Food packing materials such as

paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, glass and tin can be recycled depending on the services provided by the community.

Distribution - the process of dividing up, spreading out, and delivering food to various places. Farm products can be taken from their original sources and delivered to supermarkets, other food stores, or farmers’ markets for sale as a whole fresh product - like many fruits and vegetables. Alternatively, farm products can be transported to a site where they will be transformed in some way, combined with other ingredients, made into food products, packaged and then distributed through a number to marketing channels. Most of what we find in grocery stores today has been transported great distances and has undergone some degree of processing. We currently transport food by truck, train, boat, and plane. A few foods (tomatoes and bananas primarily) that will be transported a significant distance are usually harvested before full ripeness so that they will withstand the bumps along the way. Externality – exists when costs or benefits generated by an agent (say a farmer, or a truck driver) that does not register as a cost or benefit to that agent or end-user. The pollution generated by transporting food is not paid for by the trucking company in the price of the fuel, or by the consumer in the price of the food. The beekeeper is not compensated for the benefit his/her bees provide to a neighboring orchard in the form of pollination. These costs and benefits are “externalized” and not paid for directly at the grocery store register. Food Guide – a nutrition education tool that graphically represents how recommendations on nutrient intake are translated into recommendations on food intake. Foods are clustered into groups that are similar in nutrient composition. A food guide provides recommendations on what food groups to choose from and the number of servings of food from each group in order to get a nutritionally adequate and wholesome diet. The USDA Food Pyramid (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html) is the federal food guide that helps consumers implement the Dietary Guidelines (see above). There are other food guides, including one for the Northeast. . Food Group – the grouping of foods that are similar in nutrient composition. On the USDA Food Guide Pyramid there are 6 primary food groups: Bread, cereal, pasta, tortillas, whole grains; Vegetables; Fruits; Dry beans, nuts, eggs, poultry, fish, meats; Milk, yogurt, cheese; and Fats, oils, sweets.

Food Labels - the label on a food package that provides information about its manufacturer and its nutritional content. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the information that is allowed on labels for foods marketed in the U.S. http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-toc.html Food Miles – the distance food travels from where it is grown or raised to where it is ultimately purchased by the consumer. Food Production - involves many of the activities that take place on a farm, at an orchard, in bodies of water, or in greenhouses and fish-farm tanks to produce our food. Food production depends on the "input" of several resources, both natural (soil, water, climate, seeds, and human labor) and human-made (machinery, fuel, fertilizers, pesticides). A farmer owns or rents land to plant crops, or tend animals. The inputs required vary depending on what is being grown or raised and the type of agricultural system that is in place. For example, many of the pesticides and fertilizers common in most of our agriculture are not allowed in organic agriculture. Food System - the interdependent parts of the system that provides food to a community. This includes the growing, harvesting, storing, transporting, processing, packaging, marketing, retailing, and consuming of the product. Some or all of these steps in the food system may be within the community but they also may be part of the global or regional system instead. Growing - the process of preparing the soil, planting, maintaining the food item to be harvested. There are a variety of ways to grow products depending on the culture and climate. Large corporate farms may use chemically manufactured pesticides to maintain their crop while a local farmer may use other plants as pesticides. Growing Season – the period of time between when a seed or a start is planted and the when it is harvested. Harvesting – the process of reaping a food product from the earth. A variety of harvesting methods are used across the world from hand picking to large machinery that can harvest large portions at once. Harvest Calendar – a calendar that indicates the period of the year when crops are being harvested. Many harvest calendars also provide information about when a crop is available from local harvest. This period is usually quite a bit longer than the harvest period. For example, see the New York State Harvest Calendar http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/HarvestCalendar.html.

Health claims - claims about the relationship between a nutrient or food and a disease or health-related condition, such as calcium and osteoporosis, and fat and cancer. Input – something introduced into a system or expended in its operation to attain a result or output. Interviewer Effects or Interviewer Bias – effects on the respondent’s answers in an interview that are produced by characteristics of the interviewer (including the interviewer’s attitudes or physical characteristics like sex or race). Marketing - labels and pictures on the boxes and containers in which food is packaged. A large portion of the money used to buy the products goes to the development of attractive images to encourage the consumer to choose one product over another. The marketing step researches what people are attracted to and finds ways to show the consumers their products by television, newspaper, and magazine advertisements. Natural Resources – something from the earth that we can use to perform or create something we need or want. Most people know that oil and gas are natural resources, but soil, water and air are also natural resources required to produce food. Open-ended questions – a type of question on an interview that does not limit the respondent’s response to any pre-selected alternatives. Output – something that is produced by a system. Outputs can be desirable products, such as crops from a farm system, or undesirable, such as nitrogen run-off from fertilizers used on a farm. Packaging – the step in the food system in which food is put into containers that will be presented to the consumers. The packagers receive the food from the processors or the farms and put them in paper, foil, plastic, cans, etc. for distribution to stores and markets. Perennials – plants that will bear fruit for several years before needing to be replaced with new plantings Pie Chart – a circle that is divided into portions (pieces) that represent the different possible responses to a question. The circle, or the whole pie, represents all the people who responded to the question. The pieces reflect how many of that total responded to the possible answers.

Population – the total number of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole. A designated part of a universe from which a sample is drawn; also, the aggregation of people or other research subjects to which one wishes to generalize his or her research. Processing - the step in the food system that involves everything done to change the food form from its original, such as, cutting, freezing, boiling, canning, etc. A food can be prepared in a variety of ways for a variety of uses. For example, a processing plant may receive apples to process into applesauce or apple juice. Response Rate – the number of completed interviews or questionnaires divided by the number of eligible respondents in the sample. Retailing – the step in which food is transported to market. This may be at a family owned grocery store or a franchised supermarket. Sample - a small group of people selected in order to find out something about the entire population. The sample is usually selected randomly, so that it is more likely to be representative of the population Serving size - the basis for reporting each food's nutrient content. It is uniform and reflects the amounts of a food people actually eat. Shelf life – the amount of time a food will maintain quality at room temperature Storing - keeping food items in a climate controlled environment until it is used. For example, this is done with apples in the northeast in order for local apples to available throughout the winter months. Some foods are more perishable so they cannot be stored for a long period of time while potatoes can be kept for many months. Subject – someone who agrees to participate in a study. Survey Research – the research strategy where one collects data from all or part of a population to assess the relative incidence, distribution, and interrelations of naturally occurring variables. System - an interdependent group of items that form a unified whole. A system is a group of interacting, interrelated, and oftentimes interdependent elements that function together as a complex, unified whole. A core concept is that a change in one element of a system has an impact, either directly or indirectly, on one or more additional elements in that system. Systems theory provides a holistic perspective for examining the boundaries of a related set (or sets) of elements,

delineating subsystems, considering relationships among subsystems, and exploring the tendency toward a stable state of equilibrium (Sobal et al, 1998). Systems theory rejects the idea that components of any system should be, indeed can be, treated or considered in isolation from other related components or elements of the system. The focus is on relationships or processes at various levels within a system (Buckley, 1967). Transporting - the step in the food system that brings the food product from the producing farm or storage facility to the processing facility or right to the market if it is to be sold fresh. This can be by air, truck, train or barge. In the instance of a farm stand, the farmer may bring the food up to the stand by tractor thereby significantly reducing the transportation involved. U.S. Census Bureau - a part of the government that conducts surveys to determine the population number and the aspects of that population in the United States.