Take critical look at the food you eat, and in particular, where it comes from, what goes
into its production, and what environmental and social consequences result from its production. Take your
findings from your research and write them up into an essay. A successful essay will have the following
components: 1) An introductory section that states the purpose of the essay and gives some background on
agriculture and food 2) A methodology section in which you detail your own search for the origins of the
food you eat in your daily life. Was it difficult to find out what was in your food and where it came from? How
did you go about finding this out – did you look at labels, did you have to do internet searches, or go “behind
the scenes” in the cafeteria? 3) Results of your research/analysis in which you highlight what you found out
about your food through research – how much does it cost, what are the environmental impacts, etc.; and 4)
A conclusion where you discuss the impacts of food on your daily life, what would happen if prices for
certain commodities rose dramatically (and what might cause a rise in prices). Feel free to include your own
opinions and experiences in the conclusion if you see fit to do so. I also expect a table or chart highlighting
your consumption for one day. You can be creative making this (Excel, Powerpoint, and Word all have table
and chart making functions), but it should at least indicate what food product you ate, what ingredients were
in it, and where those ingredients came from (a map, or google earth tour, of where your food came from
would be so amazing!). Remember, we are trying to trace commodity chains here, from farm to factory to
table.
Sample Solution
