Real Food

5 May 2010

How much do we know about what we eat?

Friends of the Earth believes there should be fresh, affordable, locally produced and genetically modified free food for all.

Food Safety

Food may appear cheap but cheap food comes at a price - to the environment, to health, to farming communities.

• Genetic modification carries a risk (GM)
  • the long term effects of GM food is still not yet known
  • threat to wildlife
  • threat to production of non-GM food.

Where do you shop?

Our supermarket culture is forcing small farmers and local shops out of business:

• Local suppliers and farmers worldwide are made to accept loss-making prices to compete.
• Local shops disappear leaving less choice and deserted high streets.

Food and climate change

Lots of our food that could be sourced locally is being flown 1000's of miles from abroad before it reaches our plates.

This transportation:

• Contributes to climate change.
• Creates congestion and local air pollution.

Processed and packaged foods, like ready made meals, also use a lot of energy in the manufacturing and transport of ingredients and packaging. This means more climate change gasses released into the environment and more waste.

Real food in the classroom

There are many ways to tackle real food in the classroom. Try looking at what's in your school meal in citizenship or studying farming in geography.
Here's a list of National Curriculum subjects real food can fit into:

• Art
• Citizenship
• Design and technology
• English
• Geography
• History
• Maths
• Science

Students at Loreto College

For more ideas and downloadable lesson plans, visit our resource page.

Find out more about real food.