unit 4 - global food supply

Question 1

what is a staple food?

Answer 1

Foods that make up a region’s basic food supply
Dependent on what is able to grow in the region
Ex: wheat, rice, corn, oats, lentils, etc.

Question 2

what are factors that determine staple food supply

Answer 2

Geography: good rich soil, on valleys & plains; mountainous regions are more difficult to farm
Climate: sometimes only seasonal growing when temperatures are warm
Rainfall: some rain is necessary for all agriculture

Question 3

what are typical staple foods?

Answer 3

Wheat:
35% of world’s population relies on it
high in nutrients, easy to store & transport.
Corn:
second largest cereal crop
Low in nutrients
relying on it can lead to nutritional deficiency
Rice :
one of the oldest & most important staples
has less protein than other grains & is mostly carbs.

Question 4

what is food security

Answer 4

Having physical and financial access to safe, nutritious food
The food meets dietary needs
Food preferences are available for a healthy, active life

Question 5

what is hunger

Answer 5

Craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient
a weakened condition brought by prolonged lack of food
World hunger is not the best term.

Question 6

what is a developed nation

Answer 6

Developed nation: industrialized nation which relies on sophisticated, organized food industries to supply food. (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.)

Question 7

what is a developing nation

Answer 7

Developing nation: not yet industrialized or are just beginning to become so. People must grow most of their own food.

Question 8

3 causes of food insecurity in developing nations

Answer 8

3 Causes of Food Insecurity in Developing Nations:

1) Low agricultural productivity caused by one or a combination of factors:

- political, (conflict/war, corruption)
   	- institutional (Lack of agricultural education)
 	- limited technological = limited production = subsistence farming*
* farming only to meet needs of family, relying only on yourself for your food

2) Seasonal and yearly weather causing lack of rainfall
- insufficient water for crops & livestock, creates instability
3) Unstable employment to contributes to low & unstable incomes in urban and rural areas

Question 9

what is a food shortage

Answer 9

Food Shortages: food is simply not available
Estimated 800 million don’t have enough to eat.
More than 20% of the world is chronically undernourished
Most severe shortages are famines, lasting months or years
Caused by issues in agricultural productivity/unstable access to food, and several other factors

Question 10

factors that contribute to hunger in developing nations

Answer 10

Factors that Contribute to Hunger in Developing Nations:
**In addition to factors impacting food insecurity…

Economics: in most developing countries people are too poor to afford food and must live on meager home grown staples (subsistence farming)
Food Distribution Networks:
Good roads are rare in developing countries.
Villages can be isolated and food distribution is difficult
Fuel shortages: people are unable to cook their food
Overpopulation: more people, more land taken for housing that was used for farming, clearing forests means removing the most common source of fuel for cooking.
War & politics:
Farms & livestock are destroyed, people have to flee, the food distribution system is disrupted.
Food can be used as a political weapon by interrupting food supply, selling, trading on black market for weapons
Natural disasters: crops damaged, animals die, soil erosion during drought or flood, roads damaged

Question 11

common micronutrient deficiency - iron

Answer 11

)Iron: 66-80% of the world is estimated to be deficient.
Leads to: illness, maternal hemorrhaging, premature death
Also contributes to lower work productivity, poor academics, loss of earning
Loss of earning affects communities and the whole country → more people become deficient
Mostly affects poor and least educated→ these people also have the most to gain from improved iron levels

Question 12

common micronutrient deficiency - vitamin A

Answer 12

Vitamin A: essential for immune system
Deficiency results in blindness, higher risk of measles, malaria, diarrhea
Vit. A reduces:
risk of maternal & infant death
infection and anemia
Vit. A improves:
child survival rate … which adds to communities’ development

Question 13

common micronutrient deficiency - iodine

Answer 13

3)Iodine: 							
deficiency causes brain damage
can be improved by iodized salt						
improves babies’ health 		
prevents cretinism from of mental cognitive abnormalities

Question 14

factors of malnutrition

Answer 14

Factors

Poverty
low income
low education
poor access to education
*Malnutrition is the single most important risk factor for disease

Question 15

downward spiral of bad nutrition

Answer 15

Low income leads to lower quality food purchased and consumed
Consuming food with low nutritional value leads to higher risk of illness
Illness decreases ability to grow food or earn enough to buy food
Leads to lower income, lower quality food
Leads to nutritional deficiencies and hunger, eventually can end in death

Question 16

FAO

Answer 16

Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO):

Focuses on countries increasing their food production in sufficient, sustainable, culturally appropriate ways
Ensures access to food
Invests in food security
Deals properly with disasters

Question 17

SPFS

Answer 17

Special Program of Food Security (SPFS):
Believe that changes in food security come from two areas:
Local - teaching farmers about new methods
National - changing institutions & policies in government

Question 18

CIDA

Answer 18

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA):
Works with farmers to improve production methods in agriculture
Is key to rural development in developing nations.
If farmers are more successful the overall health and well-being of their community improves.
Increase global food supply by:
Increasing water supply with what they have.
Educating people to improve methods and equipment

Question 19

WFP

Answer 19

World Food Program (WFP):
Is the food aid section of the United Nations
Mission: to eradicate global hunger and poverty
Uses food to meet emergency needs and support economic and social development

WFP Fights Hunger Through:
Rescue: ready to provide food aid during disaster or war
Rapid Reaction: plans to move food and aid quickly to needed areas
Rehabilitation: helps get affected areas back to normal
Deterrence: to combat malnutrition of children and workers to help people and communities get out of poverty and hunger.

Question 20

what causes hunger in canada

Answer 20

Intrinsically connected to changes in income and social support programs
Declining number of jobs that offer living wage
Increase in “non-standard” work
contract, part-time
Social programs are not as accessible as they are to urban dwellers.
Rural residents are more dependent on cars
additional substantial cost incurred
Fewer employment opportunities
Canada’s current unemployment rate is approximately 13.7% ( due to COVID19)
Before 2020, the rate was typically between 5-7%.

Question 21

what is the anti-poverty approach

Answer 21

Anti-Poverty Approach:
Assumes we produce enough food for everyone
BUT
Many people do not have access to that food
This approach believes the causes of hunger and poverty are:
high unemployment
“good” & “bad” jobs
minimum wages below poverty line
inadequate social welfare levels
high cost of housing

Question 22

what is the sustainable food systems approach

Answer 22

The Sustainable Food Systems approach:
Look at changes over the last 70 years.
Those changes include:
Marginalization of small-scale food producers and processors
Urbanization And loss of rural ways
Ex: taking care of your neighbor, especially with sharing food
changing packaging to increase profit
Ex: large sizes, reduced weight in packs, fewer bread slices in a pack.
Alienation of consumers from food producers
Ex: loss of connection and understanding of where our food comes from.
This approach believes the causes of hunger and poverty are:
Corporate control of food system
Disregard for environmental and human costs which makes it unsustainable.
Issues at several/all components of the food system:
production, distribution, preservation, preparation, and consumption,
Recycling of food waste must improve to become more sustainable.
Farmers markets, community gardens and kitchens must help the poor provide their own food.

Question 23

food security in Canada definition

Answer 23

Definition of Food Security in Canada:

Availability of a variety of foods at reasonable cost
Ready access to quality food stores, food services or alternative food sources
Sufficient income from household for food
Freedom to choose personally & culturally acceptable foods
Confidence in the food available
Easy access to information on food & nutrition
Assurance of a viable sustainable food production system

Question 24

methods of food subsidization

Answer 24

Food banks: free access to donated food by individuals or business
Community gardens: vegetable gardens grown by community groups who share
The produce
Good Food Box: distributed boxes of affordable, local fruits & vegetables
Food Access Grants: grants for social service agencies for their food access
programs to make good-quality food more available
Diversion of food to food banks: “Reclaims” safe but unsellable food to food
banks
Community Kitchens: Groups of people come together to cook large quantities of food to reduce the overall costs for everyone.

Question 25

obesity rates over the years

Answer 25

Obesity:
1978 – 14%
2004 - 23%
2014 - 28%

Question 26

what is gas chromatography

Answer 26

Gas chromatography
Became commercially available in 1954
Analyzes and extracts individual compound from one “flavour”
Therefore, it allows scientists to recreate flavours using chemical compounds

Question 27

vanilla and vanillin

Answer 27

Most real vanilla is from Madagascar
In the 1930s, a new regime took over, and it ruined bumper crops (unproductive crops) to boost the cost of vanilla
This made vanilla scarce, driving prices up
Therefore, companies looked for a new source
Vanillin - makes the taste of vanilla
made from white crystallized substance in pine cones
Now can come from many sources, including completely synthetic flavouring

Question 28

what is natural flavour

Answer 28

Natural flavour: derived from a plant or animal source
Does not mean it is taken from the food which flavour it mimics
Ex. Natural almond flavour mostly comes from the pits of peaches and apricots.
Ex. Natural raspberry/strawberry flavours can sometimes come from secretions from beavers.

Natural flavouring also refers to natural chemical processes
Using enzymes, heat or organic solvents to extract flavourings

Question 29

what is artificial flavour

Answer 29

Artificial flavour: not derived from a plant or animal source
Typically a synthesized chemical

Question 30

which type of flavouring is better

Answer 30

Maybe slight difference in taste, no difference in safety
Just because something is artificial, does not mean it is harmful
Usually these flavourings are even more controlled for safety
However, “natural” sells better - important in food marketing

Question 31

what is the Dorito effect

Answer 31

The Dorito Effect
“The declining flavor and nutritional content of meats, vegetables and fruits are likely part of the reason why an increasing percentage of Americans are overweight.
We must eat more of these foods to get the same nutritional content…we often cover these bland foods in high-fat and/or high-calorie sauces (and seasonings) to give them flavor
…and we resort to eating unhealthful processed foods that feature artificial flavors to find the flavor that’s now missing from “real foods”
In short, all our food is becoming more like a seasoned potato chip, inherently bland but loaded with irresistible flavorings—the ‘Dorito effect.’” (Schatzker, 2015)

Question 32

what is food addiction

Answer 32

Food Addiction
Food scientists can manipulate food in a way to increase cravings for that food
Change or enhance flavours to make people want more
These flavours create similar chemical reactions in the brain to drugs
Can then get withdrawal symptoms when cutting down or taking them out all together.
Food addiction is comparable to drug addiction
(some people are more impacted than others)

Salt, Sugar, Fat
Sugar → triggers the same brain circuitry as heroin and cocaine
Salt & fat → activate the brain regions associated with desire and reward.

HOWEVER
Inherently:
When thirsty– we drink
When deficient in salt – we crave salt
Too much protein – we crave fat
- Our bodies CAN tell us what we need BUT
	BUT
	- are we listening?
	AND
- Both added “natural” and artificial flavours confuse the body 
- “food” is made so we crave eating more

Question 33

what is industrial style agriculture

Answer 33

Why Industrial-Style Agriculture?
- more people want more food, cheaper and faster

Most agriculture in Canada and the US is industrial-style agriculture.

farms are now often very large, highly specialized

• run like factories
• emit many fossil fuels
• use a lot of pesticides and other chemicals
• use synthetic fertilizers derived from oil.

Question 34

how does industrial style agriculture affect farmers and people

Answer 34

Impact on Livelihoods

- Fewer farmers (approx. 80%) less in the last 30 years
	- Loss of livelihood and income
		- Reliant on social services - “cheap food” is getting more expensive - due to high costs of wasteful processing and packaging techniques.  - most profits go to corporate middlemen at the expense of farmers - sell farmers seed at inflated prices - pay low rates to purchase crops for processing

Question 35

human health costs

Answer 35

More Human health costs:
animals raised on CAFOs are less healthy and are less nutritious for consumers
Antibiotic use in livestock has been linked to the antibiotic resistant bacterial strains
food with antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones have been linked to cancer
Can impact those who work with the materials as well as those who consume them
The impact of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics pose many risks on human health, but with government and agri-business so intertwined, the “real picture” is not always readily available to the masses
People must take it upon themselves to become informed