Topic test- food security and packaging

Question 1

Negative impact of packaging

Answer 1

-Uses a lot of resources: energy, water and chemicals to produce
-Its manufacture often generates air emissions including greenhouse gases and particulates, as well as wastewater and/or sludge (containing toxic contaminants)
-Plastic can last for hundreds of years, spoiling beaches, hurting wildlife and contaminating our food.
-Animals can become caught in pieces of plastic/mistakenly see it as food
-Over time, plastic can be broken into smaller and smaller pieces- microplastics-eaten by sea creatures.
-Chemicals from the plastic are passed along the food chain

Question 2

Negative and positive effects of increases global temperatures for food producers

Answer 2

-Higher temperatures and unreliable rainfall make farming difficult, especially for those farming marginal lands/struggling
-Drought- countries like Russia, Australia are huge exporters of wheat and barley- when they suffer drought, less food available globally and global food prices increase, leaves poor most vulnerable.
-Enhanced CO2 may be good for photosynthesis
-Extended growing seasons
-New agriculture areas viable for growing
-Certain foods/grains thrive in warmer conditions

Question 3

Why households are throwing away food

Answer 3

-Buy more than we need
-Cook more than we are going to eat
-We don’t use up food before it goes out of date- we waste it and bin it
-Fridge temp altered (not between 0-5 degrees Celsius)

Question 4

Why do supermarkets import food

Answer 4

-Imported foods can be of good quality
-Importing food can reduce costs in the long run
-Energy efficient
-Provides more choices
-Can contribute to economic growth
-Some products are imported because they cannot easily be manufactured in the importing country due to climate, business capacity, or availability of raw materials

Question 5

Positives of food grown/sourced locally

Answer 5

-Takes a lot of time and resources such as water, energy, and transportation.
-Transportation of food and rotting food can produce greenhouse gases
-By shopping in small local shops or growing your own vegetables this helps to reduce your food miles -Food hasn’t travelled far-less fuel has been used
-Better for air pollution.

Question 6

What is food security

Answer 6

-Food security = when the entire population of a country has access to enough safe and nutritious food to maintain an active life.
-Opposite = food insecurity
Impacts of food insecurity include:
Hunger – caused by a lack of food.
-This can lead to undernutrition, and in more extreme cases, famine
Soil erosion - the removal of soil occurs more rapidly in areas that are very dry.- farmers try to get more out of their land.
-Deforestation, overgrazing and over-cultivation expose the soil and make it vulnerable to erosion.
-Rising prices – when there is less food available, food prices increase due to factors such as poor harvests, disruptions to supplies and political tensions- poorer countries are more vulnerable to increasing food prices.

Question 7

Effects on the following on food security:
Biofuels

Answer 7

Can increase food security by providing a sustainable energy source for farmers, competition for arable land which can affect food availability and prices

Question 8

Wealth

Answer 8

Economic growth generally decreases food insecurity, but income inequality can increase it, undercut the positive effects of economic growth

Question 9

Population growth

Answer 9

Can undermine efforts to increase food production due to factors like land degradation, rural poverty, and urban migration. It also increases demand for food, shifting diets towards more resource-intensive products like meat- bad for land use and greenhouse gases produced

Question 10

How can food waste be reduced?

Answer 10

1. Check your fridge temperature
2. Use your fridge wisely
3. Love your list
4. Water your veg
5. Freeze your 5-a-day…
6. …and freeze leftovers
7. Measure your portions
8. Sauces and dips
9. Freeze dairy products
10. Revive past-it bread