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Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 2 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Ontario curriculum links
Grade 9/10 Food and Nutrition Grade 12 Food and Nutrition
Self and others Overall expectations• identifythevariousreasonsforthechoices peoplemakeaboutfood
Specific expectations• categorizethereasonswhypeopleeatthefoods• theyeat(e.g.,cultural,emotional,environmental,• nutritional,religious,social)• explainhowfamilies,peers,andthemedia• influenceanindividual’sfoodchoicesandhabits
Overall expectations• identifythesocial,psychological,economic, emotional,cultural,religious,andphysical factorsthataffectfoodchoices
Specific expectations• identifythewaysinwhichphysicalfactors• influencefoodchoices(e.g.,geographical• location,regionalgrowingseasons,availabilityof• foodmarkets,homestoragecapacity)
Diversity, interdependence and global connections
Overall expectations• identifyfoodsupplyandproductionindustries• inCanada
Specific expectations• identifytheprimaryfoodsourcesinCanada
Overall expectations• identifytheeconomic,political,and• environmentalfactorsthataffectfoodproduction• andsupplythroughouttheworld
Specific expectations• investigatetheimpactofavarietyofpolitical• factorsonfoodquality,production,andsupply• (e.g.,internationalfoodpolicies,nationaland• provincialfoodpolicies,foodmarketingboards),• andpresenttheresultsoftheirinvestigation
Social science research skills
Overall expectations• effectivelycommunicatetheresultsoftheir• inquiries
Specific expectations• correctlyusefoodandnutritionterminology(e.g.,• nutrients,foodsecurity,vegetarian,food• additives);• distinguishbetweenresearchevidenceandopinion
Overall expectations• correctlyuseterminologyassociatedwithfood• andnutrition
Specific expectations• correctlyusetheterminologyoffoodand• nutritionsciences(e.g.,nutrientdeficiencies,food• security,vegetarianism,cuisine,agribusiness,• glutendevelopment)• summarizeandinterpretarticlesonfoodand• nutritionfoundinnewspapers,magazines,and• selectedresearchliterature,aswellasonthe• Internet• differentiatebetweenresearchevidenceand• opinion• effectivelycommunicatetheresultsoftheir• inquiries,usingavarietyofmethodsandforms• (e.g.,graphs,charts,diagrams,oralpresentation,• writtenreports,videos)
Thinking critically about local food
Suggested Activities
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 3 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Pre-planning
➤ Inpreparationfor this three-partcriticalchallenge,studentsareaskedtosurveylocalfoodretailers todeterminetheirpoliciesandpracticesregardinglocalfoods.Prepareanintroductoryletterforstudentstogivetoretailersexplainingthenatureoftheirresearchprojectandtheinforma-tiontheyseek.Requestpermissionfromtheretailerstoallowstudentstowalkaround their location forup toanhour togather informationaboutavailabilityanddisplayoflocalfoods,andtoaskapproximatelysixquestionsofoneormoreemployees.
Session One
➤ If students havenot completedLocal food: Myth or reality—CriticalChallenge#1inthiscollection—discussorreviewtheconceptoflocalfoods.Morespecifically,explorewithstudentstheparametersfordeter-miningwhetherornotfoodislocal(e.g.,distancefromfieldtoconsumer;ifprocessed,howfarthefoodtravelledfromfieldtoprocessingplant;howmany“foodmiles”involved;sizeofcarbonfootprint).Ifnecessary,reviewthematerialsinthepreviouscriticalchallenge.
➤ Usethefollowing“graffiti”activitytoreviewstudents’understandingoflocalfoodissues.Postfivesheetsofchartpaperwiththefollowingtitlesinthecenterofeachchart:
• Lifestyleimplicationsoflocalfoods;
• Economicbenefitsoflocalfoods;
• Healthbenefitsoflocalfoods;
• Drawbackstolocalfoods;
• Environmentalbenefitsoflocalfoods.
Organizestudentsintofivegroupsandinstructeachgrouptomovetooneofthecharts.Askstudentsindividuallytorecordtheirthoughtsorideasrelatingtothetitleontheirassignedsheet.Aftertwominutes,instructstudentstorotateinaclockwisemannertothenextsheetofchartpaper,andrecordadditionalordifferingideastothosealreadyrecorded.Repeatthisprocedureuntilthegroupsreturntotheiroriginalsheet.
Askstudentgroupstoreviewallthecommentsrecordedbytheirpeersandtoclustertheideasunderseveralheadingsorcentralideas.Remindstudentsthattheywillneedtobeabletoexplaintheirclusters.Inviteeachgrouptosharetheirconclusions.Presentanyadditionalinformationthatstudentsmightrequireaboutthebenefitsoflocalfoods
➤ Posethequestion:“Givenallthebenefitsofeatinglocal,whyarelocalfoodsnotreadilyavailableyearround?”Pointouttostudentsthatcon-sumers,localfoodproducersandretailersallhavearoleinsupportingthelocalfoodmovement,andthateachofthesegroupsisfacedwithbar-riersthatmakeachievingthisgoaldifficult.Organizestudentsinteamsofthree—eachrepresentingoneofthestakeholdergroups.
Prepare introductory letter to local retailers
Review the concept of local food
understanding of the concept of
local food
Review benefits and drawbacks to
local foods
Explore consumer, producer and retailer
impediments
awareness of benefits
knowledgeof barriers
Thinking critically about local food 4 The Critical Thinking Consortium
➤ ProvidestudentswithaprintcopyofFoodlandOntario’savailabilitychartdescribingtheseasonalfoodproducedinOntarioorarrangeforstudentstoaccessthischartonline:http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca/english/avail-ability.html.Inaddition,distributeonecopyofadifferentarticletoeachstudent,ensuringthateachgrouphasaccesstoallfiveofthefollowingarticles:
• Eating local food is best for environment (BlacklineMaster#2)
• Organic option requires careful thought (BlacklineMaster#3)
• Local food movement stunted by govern-ment regulations(BlacklineMaster#4)
• City scales back plan for locally grown food(BlacklineMaster#5)
• Barriers to local food (BlacklineMaster#6).
➤ Suggest that studentswork in pairs to jointlyreview two articles, looking at them fromtheir assigned stakeholder perspective.Askstudentstolookforstatementsinthearticlesthatmightrevealobstaclesorconcernsandraisequestionsaboutlocalfoodsfortheirstakeholder group. Suggest that studentshighlightpotentiallyrelevantstatementsinthearticle.Explainthatinsomecasesthestatementsareobviousandinothercasestheimpliedbarriersmaybelessobvious(forexample,confusionaboutwhatcountsas“local”maymeanthatconsumerare confusedor retailersdon’tseetheneedtogooutoftheirwaytomakesurethefoodisactu-allylocal).ProvideeverystudentwithacopyofExploring barriers to local foods (BlacklineMaster#1). Encourage each studentto use this sheet to record 10relevantstatementsfromthetwoassignedarticlesandanaccompanyingobstacle,concernorques-tionsuggestedbyeachstatement.
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council
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2A Eating local food is best for environment
Kyl ChhatwalMarch 28, 2007, Kitchener Waterloo Record
In the words of Jules Pretty: “The most political act we do on
a daily basis is eat.”Pretty, a professor at the University of Essex in the United
Kingdom, is co-author of a study showing, among other things,
that if consumers want to be environmentally-friendly in their
eating habits then buying locally is more important even than
buying organic.Many in Canada agree. With a population steeped in global
warming concern, having our peaches shipped from Peru
is making less and less sense. Consumers are beginning to
ask uncomfortable questions of a food industry that, with
globalization, has only gone more global in recent years.
The debate is over the concept of “food miles:” a measure of
how far an item of food has travelled from where it was grown
to where it is ultimately consumed. Studies show that in North
American any item of food travels an average of 1,500 miles (or
2,400 kilometres) before reaching our plates. In the U.K. that
fi gure is 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres)—largely because of its
imports from New Zealand.Pretty’s study highlights the hidden costs of having trucks full of
foodstuffs crossing continents—local environmental damages,
infrastructure damages, and highway congestion, to name a few.
The study estimates that about $5 billion is spent unnecessarily
in the U.K. because food is sourced from outside of the 20-km
radius of where it is consumed.The primary concern over food miles is obvious. A lot of
energy—and a lot of carbon dioxide emissions—are involved in
bringing our pineapples from Paraguay, and consumers around
the world are beginning to wonder if there’s a better way.
The trouble in Canada is that the avenues for consumers to
express their preferences are few and cryptic to navigate.
Felicity Lawrence, in her book Not on the Label, discusses
how distribution systems mean that a tomato grown in a nearby
fi eld—supposedly local—can travel hundreds of kilometers from
supplier to distribution centre to supermarket branches before
reaching the consumers. There is, at present, no simple way for
consumers to know how far food has actually travelled in the
supermarket system.The confusion is compounded by reports showing that food miles
aren’t as accurate a gauge of a food item’s ecological footprints
as previously thought.A study from Lincoln University in New Zealand suggests that
the energy used in shipping produce from New Zealand to the
U.K. is often less than the energy used to grow non-seasonal
fruits and vegetables in hothouses during the British winter. The
study also factors in fertilizer use, which is energy–intensive to
produce.In other words, the study concludes a full analysis of energy use
is required to gauge the ecological footprints of our foods, rather
than simply calculating food miles.The solution to the confusion? The best way to know you’re
buying local is to frequent the local farmers’ markets instead—of
which there are many in Waterloo Region—or buy direct from
farms. Foodlink Waterloo Region is a non-profi t organization
dedicated to food localism in our area. It advertises local farmers’
markets on its website, http://www.foodlink.ca, and publishes
the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Map highlighting locations where
people can buy food directly from local producers.
The best way to avoid buying energy-intensive, hothouse-
grown produce is to simply buy and cook what’s in season.
Visit the Foodland Ontario website at http://www.foodland.gov.
on.cafor good seasonal recipes, and up-to-date lists of seasonal
produce.To educate us on our region’s local produce, Woolwich Healthy
Communities is running an event called A Taste of Woolwich on
April 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Woolwich community Centre in
St. Jacobs. The event will feature food samples, local chefs doing
cooking demonstrations using local foods, and family activities.
It is a chance to meet local farmers and learn where and what you
can buy locally. Visit http://www.woolwichhealthycommunities.
orgfor more information.Waterloo Region is blessed with copious farmland that makes
buying local simple as compared with many places in Ontario.
Nonetheless, because supermarkets have no clear system in place
to distinguish between local and non-local foodstuffs, it’s not as
simple as it should be.If the population galvanizes around the issue—the way it did
around organic food—the megalithic food distribution systems
will be forced to respond, and offer us choices. If we change
our purchasing patterns, supermarkets will get the message, and
make it easier for consumers to buy locally—for instance, by
offering store sections displaying only low-food-mile, seasonal
produce.
Thinking critically about local food
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The Critical Thinking Consortium
1 Exploring barriers to local foods Consumers Retailers Local Producers
Statements from the articles Obstacles, concerns and questions arising for the assigned group
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 5 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Session Two
➤ Oncestudentshavereadtheirassignedarticles,organizethemaccordingtostakeholdergroups(consumers,retailersandlocalfoodproducers).Youmaywanttosub-divideeachgroupbyhavingmembersofeachpairjoinadifferentteam.Arrangeforstudentsfromonestakeholdergrouptosharetheirfindingsusingaplacematstrategy.Provideeachteamwithalargepieceofpaperandinstructthemtodividethesheetsothereisacentralcirclewithonewedge-shapedspaceforeachstudent(orpairofstudentsifthegroupwasnotsubdivided).Thefollowingexamplewouldworkforateamoffourstudentswhosefocuswasconsumerbarriers.
Identify the most significant barriers
placemat
Share findings with the rest of the class
Introduce criteria for retailer commitment
➤ Inviteeachstudenttolistbarrierstolocalfoodsintheirassignedwritingspaceonthechart.Afterthreeminutes, instructstudentstotaketurnssharing theirpersonalwritingwith thegroup.Onceall studentshavesharedtheirideas,challengeeachteamtoidentifythefourmostsignifi-cantbarrierstolocalfoodsfortheirassignedstakeholdergroup.Eachgroupistorecorditsfouragreed-uponideasinthecircleatthecentreoftheplacement.Suggestthefollowingcriteriatojudgethesignificanceofvariousbarriers:• widespread: Doesitaffectmanyproductsandregions?• persistent:Isitanongoingorcontinuingimpediment?• strong impact:Doesitcompletelypreventaccesstolocalproductsor
simplyreducethelikelihoodthattheyareavailable?
➤ Remindstudentsthattheirchallengeistoreachconsensusregardingthetopfourbarriersandtobeabletodefendtheirdecision.
➤ Onceallteamshaveidentifiedthetopfourbarriers,randomlycallupononememberfromeachteamtoshareitsfinallist.Generateaclasslistofthetopbarriersforeachstakeholdergroup.Invitestudentstolookforcommonthreadsacrossthestakeholdergroupsandtosuggestthingsthateachgroupmightdotobegintoovercomethesebarriers.
➤ Informstudentsthattheywillnowfocusmorecloselyontherolethatfood retailersplay insupporting local foods.Theywillassessa localfood retailer’s commitment to providing local foods by scrutinizingadvertisedandin-storepromotions,examininglocalfoodavailabilityatafoodretailerlocation,andinterviewingoneormoreemployees.Invitestudentstoconsiderthecriteriatheywouldusetoassessalocalretailer’scommitmenttosupportinglocalfoodsbyposingthefollowingquestion:“Ifweweretogiveawardstolocalretailersfortheirsupportofthelocalfoodmovement,whatwouldyouneedtofindouttodeterminewhetheraretailerdeservestheaward?”
Barriers to local foods
for consumers
criteria for significant
impediment
criteria for retailer
commitment
Thinking critically about local food 6 The Critical Thinking Consortium
➤ Toassiststudentsinthinkingabouttherelevantcriteria, distribute a copy of Sample retailer scenario (BlacklineMaster#8) toeachpairofstudentsorsimplyprojectacopyfortheentireclasstosee.Askstudentstoreadthetwoscenariosandlookforalltherelevantpieces of informationwhyone store de-servestheawardforpromotinglocalfoodwhiletheotherdoesnot.Basedonthesediscussions,invitestudentstoagreeon,addtoormodifythefollowingcriteriaforasignificantretailercommitmenttolocalfoods:
• offersawiderangeoflocalfoodproductsthataregenerallyavail-able,
• prominentlydisplaysandad-vertiseslocalfoodproducts,
• showsevidenceofsignificantpoli-ciesandeffortstopromotelocalfoodproducts.
➤ Introduce the idea of a retailer report card by distributing a copy ofRetailer’s report card on local foods(BlacklineMaster#7)toeverystu-dentandaskthemtoworkinpairstoassesseachofthesampleretailerscenarios.Foreachretailer,everypairofstudentsshouldcompletethefollowing:
• identifythesuccessesandshortcomingsinpromotinglocalfood,
• use the scale along the left-hand side to rate the retailer’s levelofcommitment
• justifytherating,
• recommendafewnextsteps.
➤ Review several stu-dents’reportcardsandclearupanyconfusionthatmayexistaboutthetask.
Thinking critically about local food
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The Critical Thinking Consortium
8 Sample retailer scenariosFood retailer A
A local grocer has a weekly feature in their fl ier that focuses on a particular farmer, a local
bakery, or a local cheese maker. They always carry local foods such as eggs, local produced
cheeses, local breads and pastries, and local sausage. Locally grown fruits and vegetables
are always in the store, regardless of the time of year, and they are always prominently
displayed. To encourage customers to buy local produce, the grocer makes easy-to-use
recipes featuring locally produced foods available at various places in the store and at the
checkout.
Food retailer BA local grocer promises customers the best prices in town. The weekly fl yer highlights
foods on sale with little emphasis on the origin of the food. Although local foods are
occasionally for sale, this occurs only when the grocer is supplied the food item at a lower
cost than foods imported from outside the local area. In fact, to get the best possible price
year round, the grocer has signed contracts with some suppliers that prevent the selling of
local produce even when it is readily available and less expensive. Local foods are seldom
feature items, and as a result customers must look closely to fi nd local foods.
Apply the retailer’s report card
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7 Retailer’s report card on local foods
Food retailer: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Excellent: a very wide range
of local foods are generally
available and prominently
displayed; retailer has successfully
made signifi cant and obvious
efforts to promote local foods.
Very Good: many local foods are
available much of the time and
prominently displayed; retailer
has made sincere efforts to
promote local foods. Good: many local foods are
available, but not regularly and
not all are prominently displayed;
retailer has made some efforts to
promote local foods Adequate: a small number of
local foods are available and
displayed; retailer has made
some effort to promote local
foods Poor: local foods are rarely
available and rarely featured;
retailer has made very little
effort to promote local foods Very Poor: local foods are never
available and not displayed;
retailer has made no effort to
promote local foods
Successes:
Areas for improvement:
Reasons for assigned grade:
Recommended next steps:
rating scale
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 7 The Critical Thinking Consortium
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9A Evidence of commitment to local foods
Food retailer: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Local food
Availability
Prominence in promotions
Prominence in store
product 0 never available
0 completely absent
0 completely absent
1 less available than non-local food
1 less prominent than non-local food 1 less prominent than non-local food
2 same availability as non-local food
2 same prominence as non-local food 2 same prominence as non-local food
3 more available than non-local food 3 more prominent than non-local food
3 more prominent than non-local food
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
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3
3
0
0
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1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
For each product, record evidence on
the three indicators of commitment and
assign ratings using the scales provided.
Session Three
➤ Invitestudentstoselectalocalretail-er(e.g.,supermarket,grocerystore,farm market or other local foodstore)toassessitscommitmenttolocalfoods.Besurethatstudentsconfirmtheretailers’willingnessto participate in the study bycontacting them and sharingthe letter youhavepreparedtointroducethestudy.Intheinterim,encouragestudentsto gather fliers or otherpromotional materialsused by their selectedretailer and to arrangeto visit the location. Ex-plainthatstudentsaretoscrutinizetheadvertisedandin-storepromotions,examine the availabilityat the retailer locationofanumberoflocalproducts,andinterviewthestoresupervisororthemanagersofvariousdepartments(e.g.,produce,dairyproducts,meats,bakedgoods).ProvidestudentswithacopyofbothpagesofEvi-dence of commitment to local foods(BlacklineMaster#9A-B)toassistthemingatheringthisinformation.Ifyouwantstudentstocanvasmorethanfivekindsoflocalfoodproducts,provideadditionalcopiesofthefirstpage(Blackline#9A).Inadditiontoaskingtheretailertoprovidetheinformationlistedonthesecondpageofthedatachart(BlacklineMaster#9B),suggestthatstudentsprepareoneormorequestionsoftheirowntoask.
➤ Beforestudentsbegintocollecttheinformation,reviewtheparameterstheyaretousetodefine“localfood.”Invitethemtodiscussthefollow-ing:• Whatradiusshouldbeusedforafoodtobedeemedlocal?Doesthe
commonlyused100kmradiusseemreasonable?• Whatifafoodisproducedlocally,butprocessedorrefinedinasite
outsidethe100kmradius?Forexample,eggsaresentfromthefarmtoanegggradingsitebeforebeingsenttostores,ormilkisgatheredatfarmsandsenttoadairywhereitispasteurizedorusedtomakeproductssuchascheese.
• Whataboutfoodsthatarecreatedlocallybutusesomeingredientsthatarenotlocal(e.g.,alocalbakeryusingsugarfromtheCaribbean)?
Toassiststudentsinhandlingthecomplexitiesoflocalfoods,considerestablishing a certification or standard for local foods. For example,“gold”forfoodsthatarecompletelylocalfromfieldorfarmtothetable;“silver”forfoodsgrownlocallybutprocessedoutsidethelocalarea;and“bronze”forfoodspreparedlocallyusingprimarilylocallygrownandprocessedingredients.
Introduce study of local retailer commitment
Determine the parameters for local
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Topics
Retailer’s response
Company policy about carrying
local foods
Major impediments to doing
more to support local foods
Efforts that have been made to
promote local foods
Efforts that have been made
to make local foods more
available
data chart
Thinking critically about local food 8 The Critical Thinking Consortium
➤ Suggestthefollowingconsiderationsfordefininglocalfood:• grownwithin100km(e.g.,fruits,vegetables,meats,milk);• processedwithin100km (e.g., egg inspection, dairyplant, cheese
produced);• assembledwithin100km.
➤ Decidehowmanydifferent local foodproductsyouwant students toinvestigateandwhetheryouwanttheentireclasstoresearchthesameproductsorallowindividualstudentstodecide.Tohelpinthisselection,explainthatadvancesintechnologyandfoodstoragepracticesmakeitpossibleforlocallygrownfoods,suchasapples,carrots,cabbage,andotherfreshproduce,tobeavailableformuchoftheyear.Forexample,controlledatmosphere(CA)storageallowsapplestobestoredsuccess-fullybycontrollingtheoxygen,carbondioxideandtemperaturelevels.Thisprocessallowsconsumerstohavefresh,crisp,locallygrownapplesallwinterandspring.RemindstudentstoconsidertherangeoffoodsavailablethroughouttheyearbyconsultingFoodlandOntario’savail-abilitychartandtoreviewtheparametersestablishedforlocalfoods.
➤ Oncestudentsareclearabouttheexpectationsandhaveassembledwhattheyneed,providetimeduringschoolhoursorafterschoolhoursforthemtoconducttheirstudyandrecordthecollectedinformationonthedatacharts.
Session Four
➤ Whenstudentshavegatheredtheneededinformation,providethemwithanewcopyofBlacklineMaster#7.Invitestudentstocompletethereportcardbycheckingtheappropriaterating,providingevidencetosupportthatratingandidentifyingoverallstrengths,areasforimprovementandrecommendednextsteps.Encouragestudentstosharetheirreportcardwithapeerandtoprovidepeerfeedbacktoeachother.
➤ Allowclasstimeforindividualstudentstoshareoneoftwoofthemostinterestingpiecesofinformationtheylearnedaboutlocal retailers’ efforts and obstacles.Tally students’ ratings to provide asenseof theoverall levelof retailercommitment.Discusswhatstudentsas consumers and other membersofthefoodindustryneedtodotomakelocalfoodmorewidelyandregularly available. Evaluatestudentlearningusingtherubricfound on Assessing the learning expectations(BlacklineMaster#10).
knowledge of local foods
Discuss which local foods to investigate
Gather evidence of commitment to
local foods
Prepare an actual retailer’s report card
Share findings
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council
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The Critical Thinking Consortium
10 Assessing the learning expectationsLevel 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Knowledgeidentify the economic, political, and environmental
factors that affect food production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show
limited understanding of the range of factors affecting food
production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show
some understanding of the range of factors affecting food
production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show a
generally accurate and clear understanding of
the range of factors af-fecting food production
and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show highly
accurate and thorough
understanding of the range of factors
affecting food production and supply
Thinking/inquirysummarize and interpret articles
on food found in various sources
Can summarize and interpret only a few details in selected sources
about the barriers to local foods from
various stakeholder perspectives
Can summarize and interpret various details
in selected sources about the barriers
to local foods from various stakeholder
perspectives
Is generally effective in summarizing and
interpreting details in selected sources
about the barriers to local foods from
various stakeholder perspectives
Is highly effective in summarizing and
interpreting details in selected sources
about the barriers to local foods from
various stakeholder perspectives
Communicationcorrectly use terminology associated with food and nutrition
Makes limited use in oral and written
assignments of appropriate vocabulary
to discuss the issues associated with local
foods
Is somewhat effective in oral and written
assignments in using appropriate vocabulary
to discuss the issues associated with local
foods
Is generally effectively in oral and written
assignments in using a range of appropriate
vocabulary to discuss the issues associated
with local foods
Is very effective in oral and written
assignments in using a wide range of
appropriate vocabulary
to discuss the issues associated with local
foods
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 9 The Critical Thinking Consortium
➤ Invitestudentstowritealetterthatthankstheretailerforparticipatinginthestudy,andeithercongratulatestheretailerforitsstrongcommit-menttolocalfoodsorencouragestheretailertodomoretosupportlocalfoods.Encouragestudentstoshareadraftoftheirletterwithapeerforfeedback.Remindstudentsthateffectivepeercritiquesarerespectful,specificandconstructive.
Write a letter to the local retailer
Thinking critically about local food 10 The Critical Thinking Consortium
1 Exploring barriers to local foods
o Consumers o Retailers o Local Producers
Statements from the articles Obstacles, concerns and questions arising for the assigned group
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 11 The Critical Thinking Consortium
2A Eating local food is best for environmentKylChhatwal
March28,2007,Kitchener Waterloo Record
InthewordsofJulesPretty:“Themostpoliticalactwedoonadailybasisiseat.”
Pretty, a professor at the University of Essex in the UnitedKingdom,isco-authorofastudyshowing,amongotherthings,thatifconsumerswanttobeenvironmentally-friendlyintheireatinghabitsthenbuyinglocallyismoreimportanteventhanbuyingorganic.
Many inCanada agree.With a population steeped in globalwarming concern, having our peaches shipped from Peruis making less and less sense. Consumers are beginning toask uncomfortable questions of a food industry that, withglobalization,hasonlygonemoreglobalinrecentyears.
Thedebateisovertheconceptof“foodmiles:”ameasureofhowfaranitemoffoodhastravelledfromwhereitwasgrowntowhereitisultimatelyconsumed.StudiesshowthatinNorthAmericananyitemoffoodtravelsanaverageof1,500miles(or2,400kilometres)beforereachingourplates.IntheU.K.thatfigureis5,000miles(8,000kilometres)—largelybecauseofitsimportsfromNewZealand.
Pretty’sstudyhighlightsthehiddencostsofhavingtrucksfulloffoodstuffscrossingcontinents—localenvironmentaldamages,infrastructuredamages,andhighwaycongestion,tonameafew.Thestudyestimatesthatabout$5billionisspentunnecessarilyintheU.K.becausefoodissourcedfromoutsideofthe20-kmradiusofwhereitisconsumed.
The primary concern over food miles is obvious. A lot ofenergy—andalotofcarbondioxideemissions—areinvolvedinbringingourpineapplesfromParaguay,andconsumersaroundtheworldarebeginningtowonderifthere’sabetterway.
The trouble in Canada is that the avenues for consumers toexpress their preferences are few and cryptic to navigate.Felicity Lawrence, in her bookNot on the Label, discusseshowdistributionsystemsmeanthatatomatogrowninanearbyfield—supposedlylocal—cantravelhundredsofkilometersfromsuppliertodistributioncentretosupermarketbranchesbeforereachingtheconsumers.Thereis,atpresent,nosimplewayforconsumerstoknowhowfarfoodhasactuallytravelledinthesupermarketsystem.
Theconfusioniscompoundedbyreportsshowingthatfoodmilesaren’tasaccurateagaugeofafooditem’secologicalfootprints
aspreviouslythought.
AstudyfromLincolnUniversityinNewZealandsuggeststhattheenergyusedinshippingproducefromNewZealandtotheU.K.isoftenlessthantheenergyusedtogrownon-seasonalfruitsandvegetablesinhothousesduringtheBritishwinter.Thestudyalsofactorsinfertilizeruse,whichisenergy–intensivetoproduce.
Inotherwords,thestudyconcludesafullanalysisofenergyuseisrequiredtogaugetheecologicalfootprintsofourfoods,ratherthansimplycalculatingfoodmiles.
Thesolution to theconfusion?Thebestwaytoknowyou’rebuyinglocalistofrequentthelocalfarmers’marketsinstead—ofwhichtherearemanyinWaterlooRegion—orbuydirectfromfarms.FoodlinkWaterlooRegionisanon-profitorganizationdedicatedtofoodlocalisminourarea.Itadvertiseslocalfarmers’marketsonitswebsite,http://www.foodlink.ca,andpublishesthe Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Maphighlightinglocationswherepeoplecanbuyfooddirectlyfromlocalproducers.
The best way to avoid buying energy-intensive, hothouse-grown produce is to simply buy and cookwhat’s in season.VisittheFoodlandOntariowebsiteathttp://www.foodland.gov.on.caforgoodseasonalrecipes,andup-to-datelistsofseasonalproduce.
Toeducateusonourregion’slocalproduce,WoolwichHealthyCommunitiesisrunninganeventcalledATasteofWoolwichonApril16from5to8p.m.intheWoolwichcommunityCentreinSt.Jacobs.Theeventwillfeaturefoodsamples,localchefsdoingcookingdemonstrationsusinglocalfoods,andfamilyactivities.Itisachancetomeetlocalfarmersandlearnwhereandwhatyoucanbuylocally.Visithttp://www.woolwichhealthycommunities.orgformoreinformation.
WaterlooRegionisblessedwithcopiousfarmlandthatmakesbuyinglocalsimpleascomparedwithmanyplacesinOntario.Nonetheless,becausesupermarketshavenoclearsysteminplacetodistinguishbetweenlocalandnon-localfoodstuffs,it’snotassimpleasitshouldbe.
Ifthepopulationgalvanizesaroundtheissue—thewayitdidaroundorganicfood—themegalithicfooddistributionsystemswillbeforcedtorespond,andofferuschoices.Ifwechangeourpurchasingpatterns,supermarketswillgetthemessage,andmakeiteasierforconsumerstobuylocally—forinstance,byofferingstoresectionsdisplayingonlylow-food-mile,seasonalproduce.
Thinking critically about local food 12 The Critical Thinking Consortium
2B TheDavidSuzukiFoundationhaspostedalistofthe10ReasonstoBuyLocalonitswebsite:alistthatincludesurbansprawlprevention.Bysupportinglocalfarmersinsteadofinternationalplantations,youbringaddedvaluetolocalfarmland,meaningfarmerswillkeepfarmingratherthansellinglandtodevelopers,therebysavingthecharmingagrarianlandscapethatcharacterizesthe region.
Inaddition,localfoodisnotgenetically-modified,andsinceitisconsumedclosertoharvesttime,itishealthierandtastiertoo.
Theadvantagesofbuyinglocalareobviousandmany,butthemajorimpedimenttothelocalfoodmovementremainsthatlocalfoodisrarelydistinguishablefromfar-travelled,energy-intensivefoodinsupermarkets.
But if consumers votewith their dollars, the systemwill beforcedtochangetoaccommodatethedemand.It’shappenedwithorganicfoodinthepastfewyears,anditcanhappenwithlocalfoodtoo.
Used with permission.
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 13 The Critical Thinking Consortium
3 Organic option requires careful thoughtGenevaRae
March15,2007, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Followingistheviewpointofthewriter,apolicyanalystwiththeCanadaWestFoundation.
Abarrageofsignsthatproclaimedorganicfoodasthe“healthychoice”leftmewonderingonarecentgrocerytripabouthowtofeedtheconsumerdemandfororganicsinCanadathat’sgrowingfasterthanfarmerscanmeetit.
According to a recent report by Canadian Organic GrowersInc.,organicfarmsconstitutedonly1.5percentoftotalfarmingoperationsinthecountryin2005.ThenumberisevenlowerintheUnitedStates,whereonly0.5percentofcroplandiscertifiedasorganic.
Whilepersonalhealthlikelyisthemaindriver,thedemandmaybedueinparttoincreasingconsumerconsciousnessabouttheenvironmentalimpactsofagriculture.Manyseeorganicfarmingas a less intensive andmore sustainable formof agriculture.Recent federal government efforts to ensure more accuratelabeling of organic products are likely to increase consumerdemandfurther.
Ifdomesticproducerscannotsupportthisdemand,consumerswillturntointernationalsuppliers.Butforconsumerswhooptto “goorganic” for environmental reasons, importedorganicfoodmightnotbetheidealoption.
Foodmilesareameasureofthedistancetravelledfromfarmtoforkand,whiletheyonlyareonemeasureoftheenvironmentalimpactoffoodchoices,itprovidesausefulillustration.
Whileconsumersmayfeelnobleaboutpurchasingorganicfood,ifitcomesfromafar,thedistancethefoodtravelscontributestogreenhousegasemissions.Forexample,theaveragenumberoffoodmilesforonekilogramofchocolateis8,598kilometresor1.3kilogramsofgreenhousegasemissions.
Inourincreasinglyurbanandglobalworld,weareevermoredisconnectedfromthefoodweeat.Thinkingintermsoffoodmilescanhelpconsumersgetagriponhowtheirchoicesaffectthebroaderworld.
Organicproductshavemovedfromspecialtystorestomainstreammarkets.Consumerscanaddgreenbangtothebuckbydoingquicklabelcheckstoseefromwheretheproductcomes.
But here’swhere it gets complicated.Do you buy a tomatoinDecember thatwas grown locally in a heated greenhouseor do you buy an organic tomato from California, shippedbyrefrigeratedtruck?Thecomplexityoftheissuemayleave
shoppersfeelingoverwhelmedandreadytorejointhe“ignoranceisbliss”categoryofconsumers.
Oneway tocut through the fog is to learnmoreabout localagriculturalproducers.
Many urbanites are disconnected from the rural areas andare unaware of how they can play a role in helping farmersandranchersbestewardsoftheland.Bylearningmoreaboutlocalfoodsupplyoptionsandsupportingfarmersandranchersnearby,urbanitescanenjoyorganicfoodand,atthesametime,helpsupportruralcommunitiesandgoodlandstewardshipinmetro-adjacentareas.
Therearewin-winsolutionsavailableforfarmandfork.Farmers’markets,forexample,areagreatwaytoconnectwithfarmersandothersinthecommunity.Youcanspeakdirectlytotheproducerandhelplocalfarmersstayonthelandasenvironmentalstewardsandfoodproviders.Oryoucantaketheleadfromthebestchefsandgoevenclosertothesourceandvisitthefarms,vineyardandranchesthemselves.
Amoredirectlinefromfarmtoforkisbecomingincreasinglypopular.
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a partnershipbetween farmer and consumer, where consumers essentiallypurchasea “share” in a farmingoperation in return for farmproducts.Thismayincludehelpingoutonthefarminexchangeforproduce,oritmayinvolvereceivingaweeklybasketoffreshproducewithoutgettingyourhandsdirty.
Eitherway, it increasedthesustainabilityof localagricultureandtheavailabilityoforganicfoodoptionsthroughconsumerchoice.
AttheUniversityofBritishColumbia,theCentreforSustainableFoodSystemsoperates fromtheUBCFarmandaCSABoxprogram.Students,teachers,localchildrenandothercommunitymembers purchase shares andgain both food supplies and akeensenseofwheretheirfoodcomesfromandhowtogrowitinasustainableway.
Organicproducecanbethehealthyfoodchoice.Itisimportant,however, to consider all of the environmental factors thatcontributetosustainableconsumption.
Options exist. A robust agricultural economy grounded inenvironmental healthy, strong communities and informedconsumers can ensurewe sustain a high quality of life.Youtrulyarewhatyoueat.
UsedwithpermissionofCanadaWestFoundation.
Thinking critically about local food 14 The Critical Thinking Consortium
4 Local food movement stunted by government regulations
BCNewDemocraticPartyVictoria,BC,December20,2007
Growingnumbersoffamiliesplantocelebratetheholidayswith meals made from fresh and healthy food that islocally produced, butNewDemocrat agricultural criticCorkyEvans isconcerned thatgovernmentpoliciesarethreateningtheproductionandavailabilityoflocalfood.
“AfterhearingfromfarmersacrossB.C.,Iamconcernedthat local farmsaredisappearingfromthecoreofB.C.culture,”saidEvans,MLAforNelson-Creston.“Buyinglocalandeatinglocalisbecomingmoreandmoredifficultfortheaverageconsumerasaresult.”
Since 2001 the Campbell government has imposedinitiatives that have hurt the farming communityand livelihood of ranchers, growers, producers andprocessors.
“Food regulations have gotten so ridiculous that it isillegalforfarmerstosellafruitpieatafarmersmarketoraturkeyatthefarmgatewithoutwrittenpermissionfromagovernmenthealthofficer,“saidEvans.
B.C.cattleproducersaresayingthey’reexperiencingtheworstindustryconditionsever.
“TheB.C.cattleindustryisinastateofcrisis,”saidAndreaBarnettoftheB.C.Cattlemen’sAssociation.“Thiscrisisis compromising the future of beef production in B.C.andcausingmanyproducerstoleavetheindustry.ThisisreallyunfortunatebecauseB.C.hastremendouspotentialtosupportathrivingandprofitablecattleindustry.”
Barnett added: “Ifweemploy appropriatemanagementtechniques,ensureappropriateprogramsareinplaceandhavepublicandgovernmentsupport,thecattleindustrycould be very successful. The beef industry in B.C. isone thatwe cannot afford to lose because it is vital toB.C.’s economy, B.C.’s food production needs, B.C.’senvironment,andB.C.’sculturalhistory.”
EvanssaidsomeoftheharmfulinitiativesthattheCampbellgovernmenthasimposedsince2001include:
• Ending support for theBuyB.C. program, themostsuccessful food and beverage initiative ever jointlyundertakenbyprovincialgovernmentandtheagri-foodindustry.
• TreatingtheAgriculturalLandReserveasalandbankforpropertydevelopers.
• Failing to implementanti-dumping legislationwhichwouldallowallB.C.farmers tocompeteonanevenplayingfieldwithforeigncounterparts.
• CancellingtheRuralDevelopmentOffice.
• ImplementingtheMeatIndustryRegulationwhichmademeatsalesatthefarmgateillegalandputmanymeatproducersoutofbusiness.
• Imposing restrictive Farmer Market Regulations sothatlocalmarketscannolongersellfruitoreggbasedproductswithoutwrittenpermission.
• Hitting small farms outside the Agricultural LandReservewithheftypropertytaxincreases.
FarmerCindyStarkofElkLakeFarmstookanespeciallyhard blow from the government imposed property taxincreasesafterhertaxbillwasuppedby$4,200.
“Thefaceofthefarmindustryhaschangedsignificantly.Farmsaredisappearingcontinuallyatanepidemicratesowhatwehaveleftaresmallholdings,”saidStark.Today’sfarmer is a small farmer and ifwe don’t support themthey’renotgoingtobeanyleft.”
Evanssaidit’stimefortheCampbellgovernmenttoshiftdirection.“DespitethefactthatBritishColumbianshaveshownstrongsupportforthe100Milediet,thegovernmenthaschosentotakeanotherpaththatdefiespublicopinion.Itiscompletelyarrogantandmisguidedgovernance,”hesaid.
“Supportinglocalfoodproductionisparamounttohealthylivingandsustainingagreenenvironment.Sadly,wehavea government that ismore interested in selling off theprovincethaninvestinginit.”
http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/local-food-movement-stunted-government-regulations
Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council 21 The Critical Thinking Consortium
10 Assessing the learning expectations
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Knowledgeidentify the economic, political, and environmental factors that affect food production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show limited understanding of the range of factors affecting food production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show some understanding of the range of factors affecting food production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show a generally accurate and clear understanding of the range of factors af-fecting food production and supply
Analyses of barriers to local foods show highly accurate and thorough understanding of the range of factors affecting food production and supply
Thinking/inquirysummarize and interpret articles on food found in various sources
Can summarize and interpret only a few details in selected sources about the barriers to local foods from various stakeholder perspectives
Can summarize and interpret various details in selected sources about the barriers to local foods from various stakeholder perspectives
Is generally effective in summarizing and interpreting details in selected sources about the barriers to local foods from various stakeholder perspectives
Is highly effective in summarizing and interpreting details in selected sources about the barriers to local foods from various stakeholder perspectives
Communicationcorrectly use terminology associated with food and nutrition
Makes limited use in oral and written assignments of appropriate vocabulary to discuss the issues associated with local foods
Is somewhat effective in oral and written assignments in using appropriate vocabulary to discuss the issues associated with local foods
Is generally effectively in oral and written assignments in using a range of appropriate vocabulary to discuss the issues associated with local foods
Is very effective in oral and written assignments in using a wide range of appropriate vocabulary to discuss the issues associated with local foods