Grocery Shopping Concerns

Subject Area

This activity has been designed for the Food and Nutrition Science NZD 3G1 curriculum. It forms part of Unit 1: Food Choices (core unit) as outlined in Food and Nutrition Sciences Curriculum Guideline for the Senior Division, August 1988. This material has been designed to explore objective “F” on page 62.

Learning Outcomes

Teaching, learning and evaluation will focus on the student’s ability to:

• Survey current advice on food shopping with environmental concerns in mind;
  
• Investigate one piece of advice and apply this information in the creation of a poster to illustrate that concept.

Classroom Development

1. Students, using a variety of resources—books, calendars, booklets, will contribute to a chalkboard list of advice for green consumers.
   
2. Students will select one entry from the list to investigate.
   
3. Students will create a poster to explain/illustrate the idea selected.
   
4. Students will evaluate each other’s posters based on a marking scheme developed in conjunction with the teacher.

Timing

Allow one period for students to prepare an overview and select topics. Research and development of the materials will take place on the student’s own time, or in a work period provided by the teacher.

Resources

Blueprint for a Green Planet. pp. 57-74
The Canadian Green Consumer Guide. Pp. 30-47
The Canadian Junior Green Guide. Pp. 76-79
The Green Consumer. Pp. 77-107
The Daily Planet. Pp. 91-101
Environmental Tips. Pp. 70-80
Home and Family Guide. Pp. 36-43
This Planet is Mine. Pp. 140-162
Your Green Home: Part I, Your Garbage.
Eat, Drink and Be Wary.

Cross-disciplinary Links

Business-Marketing, grade 12—packaging unit
Science, grade 10—waste management unit

Extension Activity

Students might put ideas into pamphlet form and set up a display of posters to illustrate ideas.

Sample Advice List

1. Look for the Environmental Choice EcoLogo on products. These products have been certified as being less harmful to the environment. But less harmful than what? Consider what it means to be “less” versus “not” harmful.
   
   
2. Buy chemical-free organic products when available. Ask for them to be made available if they are not.
   
   
3. Buy beverages in returnable bottles rather than disposable bottles. Always recycle non-returnables if you have to buy them.
   
   
4. Shop at bulk stores to reduce packaging.
   
   
5. Avoid excess packaging - especially polystyrene foam and plastic blister packaging. Buy fruits and vegetables loose. Leave excess packaging in the store so that the manager will know that you oppose it.
   
   
6. Buy locally grown produce to support local agriculture and get the freshest foods.
   
   
7. Buy directly from farms by traveling to pick-your-own farms or farmers’ market, so you can ask questions about how the food is grown, and get the best value for your money. You save money because there is no advertising, handling, packaging, and transport costs; though consider the financial and environmental cost of you and everyone else driving in your cars to the ‘pick your own’ farms.
   
   
8. Buy unbleached products—flour, sugar, paper products—to avoid chlorine use.
   
   
9. Take your own bags to the grocery store. Plastic bags are not compostable and only add to landfill sites.
   
   
10. Avoid all products containing excess chemicals as colourings, flavourings, and preservatives. Check ingredient list carefully. Use simple, fresh food.
    
    
11. Buy products that use rainforest products like Brazil nuts and cashews as long as they do not require trees to have been cut down.
    
    
12. Avoid buying products that cause the cruel or inhumane treatment of animals. Examples of products which involved the inhumane treatment of animals are iron deprived veal, and pâté de fois, both of which involved confining and force feeding the animals. Look for “free range” and organic products.
    
    
13. Eat low on the food chain. Cut down on meat. Substitute vegetable source proteins where possible.
    
    
14. Try growing your own food.
    
    
15. Avoid over-processed foods like potato chips with many nutrients destroyed and unhealthy quantities of fat, sugar or salt added.
    
    
16. Avoid the product of monoculture (one crop) agribusinesses that exploit people in other countries. This includes many imported products from big name companies that you’d recognize on the shelf.