Food Fight (IQL-101)

Which would you rather eat, an organically grown apple from California or a conventionally grown apple from a local orchard? What would you consider when making your decision? Food choices can be difficult and confusing. In this course, we will explore different ways that we place values on foods. We will compare nutritional content and price across different types and brands of foods. We will track our diets and estimate the carbon footprint of our personal food choices. Using data collected by the USDA, we will identify and evaluate the role of farm subsidies in agricultural trends over the last half-century. Finally, each student will use skills gained in the course to develop a food valuation tool that can be used to make daily food decisions.