Food System Literacy

A critical food system program in South Australia and the effects on consumer knowledge and attitudes

“…Who is responsible for obesity: individuals or the food industry? The content was chosen to reflect a sample of the dominant concerns represented in the literature, [1][2][3][4]16 as well as topics taught in food and agricultural literacy courses. 15,20,23 This course is likely unique in explicitly combining food, environment, equity and health.…”

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The food system is a complex network of inter-relationships between multiple elements and processes spanning the production, processing, packaging, distribution, consumption and waste of food. 1,2 It is well recognised that the food system intersects with compelling problems of modernity including malnutrition, chronic diseases, food insecurity, climate change, loss of biodiversity and unfair trade practices. 1 Hence, there is an imperative for sustainable diets, 1 defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, as "those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations.

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“…16 While food and nutrition literacy are well provided for, public education about the food system and sustainable eating is less widely addressed. 2,17 Sustainable eating at the individual level would involve any of the following suite of behaviours: buying locally grown food, eating less animal products, eating less highly processed and packaged foods and avoiding food waste, in order primarily to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. 3 Addressing equity in the food system would require consideration of adequate remuneration for farm labour, fair payment to farmers, competition in the retail sector, to name a few issues.…”

“…18 There is growing interest among consumers to engage in sustainable eating and a stronger call for public education to enable this. 2,7,17,19 Notwithstanding, modernity and increasing complexity of the food system have resulted in individuals engaging with the food system largely as passive consumers, with little understanding about how the system works and how it influences their food choices, let alone how it affects environmental sustainability, equity and health. 20,21 Food system literacy would enable food consumers to also engage as citizens in food democracy and thereby contribute to solving societal problems associated with the food system.…”

“…25,26 Food literacy has both a narrower definition referring to food knowledge and cooking skills, 27,28 and a broader definition which critically examines the food system. 2,29 Gaining skills in critical food system literacy would enable citizens to analyse the complex power relations within the food system, to consider the health, equity and environmental dimensions of processes within the food chain and to engage in collective as well as individual action. 30,31 The paucity of educational activity and research on food system literacy inspired this study which aimed to investigate the effects of food system literacy on participants.…”