A resource for teaching and learning about consuming planet earth

C
SECTION C
The real cost of food
Aims and overview
In this unit students will consider the total costs involved in the production, transportation,
packaging, selling and consumption of different foods (health, environmental, economic,
financial and social).
Key concepts
Sustainable agriculture, ‘green revolution’, genetically modified foods, the life cycle of foods.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit students should be able to:
– calculate the total energy input in the production of different foods
– assess the economic and environmental consequences of personal food choices
– design and carry out a survey and record the results in a meaningful way
– explain how consumers can make informed choices about the foods they purchase,
prepare and eat.
Background information
The food and grocery products industry is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, with an
annual turnover in excess of $50 billion. But what is the true cost of food? It is not the amount
of money handed over in the supermarket or grocery store but the total cost, including the
environmental, social, and societal costs. Food, and its production costs (food production
and processing, packaging, storage and transport) is the biggest contributor to Victoria’s
ecological footprint – at 37 per cent.
Consumers influence how and where their food is produced. For example, choosing to buy in
season fruit from a local farmers’ market rather than non-seasonal produce that originated
on the other side of the planet. We often buy food from distant countries without thinking
of the significant environmental costs involved. Buying local produce saves energy from being
expended on freezing, refrigerating and transporting food thousands of kilometres. When the
food travels by air the costs increase dramatically, for instance, it takes 47 times as much energy
to carry a tonne of food one km by air than it does by boat.
Another choice that consumers make is between conventionally produced fruits, vegetables,
cereals and organic produce. Conventional methods generally involve using synthetic pesticides
and fertilizers: these increase the yields and reduce prices for customers. However, chemicals
enter the waterways and cause pollution – this is the hidden cost. Other hidden costs can
include soil degradation, environmental problems and the use of large amounts of energy.
Organic farming does not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, farmers use more natural
techniques to control pests and protect soil fertility.
Of growing concern is the issue of genetically modified (GM) foods. World Consumer Rights
Day 2005, organised by Consumers International, focused on GM foods. Demands were made
for compulsory labelling of all GM foods, and for independent safety testing.
See the Consumers International fact sheet ‘Why consumers should take action’ at the
Consumers International website: www.consumersinternational.org
consumer affairs victoria
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Need consumer help? 1300 55 81 81 www.consumer.vic.gov.au