Grade 12 -
Food Studies - Social and Economic Issues

demonstrate an ability to manage food resources in various situations
evaluate career opportunities in the food industry
critique global environmental and health issues related to the production and consumption of food

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Food Studies - Social and Economic Issues in grade 11 click on an icon below.

Students at this level will already be considering various careeroptions, and they should be given opportunities to explore careers in the food industry. To complement the skills they have developed, students increase their awareness of the impact of food choices on the environment and on the health and well-being of others.

Arrange a visit to a local food bank to observe how it operates. Have students work in pairs to prepare meals using the items in a typical food-bank basket.
Have each student interview or job-shadow someone in a food-industry-related job (e.g., nutritionist, food importer, relief-agency worker). Ask students to report to the class on what they learn (e.g., job descriptions, qualifications, training requirements, job prospects, positive and negative aspects of the careers).
Suggest that students use video, print, and computer resources to research a range of global environmental and health issues related to the production and consumption of food (e.g., famine, malnutrition, food distribution). Ask them to identify organizations and strategies that address these concerns.
Ask students to create media files focussing on environmental issues related to food production and consumption (e.g., use of pesticides, management of food resources and agricultural land reserves, waste management). Discuss these issues as a class. Encourage students to submit articles to the school newspaper.
Organize a field trip to a variety of retail food outlets to investigate the marketing of foods. Have students compare the appearance and prices of foods labelled organic. Discuss what motivates customers to buy such products and the positive and negative aspects of these decisions.

Ask students to prepare food-bank-type meals for a family existing on a poverty-level income. Have them evaluate one another's meals using criteria such as:
- planning is complete and thorough
- choice of meal is appropriate and within the family's budget
- nutritional and cost analysis of the meal is accurate
- uses Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating as a reference
When students report on job-shadowing, note the extent to which they:
- are precise about the career requirements
- include lifestyle factors related to the careers
- discuss tasks involved in successfully filling the jobs
Form small groups and ask each to choose one global food issue to research and critique. Consider the extent to which students:
- use a variety of appropriate resources
- locate relevant information about the issues
- provide relevant, detailed, and accurate information
- make connections to both local and global aspects
- develop logical conclusions
- present information in ways that add to their classmates' appreciation of the issues
Have students compare marketing strategies in two retail food outlets they visit. Look for evidence that their comparisons:
- focus on key aspects of marketing
- offer accurate information
- provide thorough and detailed analyses of both similarities and differences
- consider subtle and complex aspects as well as more obvious ones
- lead to logical conclusions or generalizations