04 food (causes of food consumption patterns)

Question 1

disposable income

Answer 1

from the 1970s to 1980s, south korea experienced rapid economic growth. rice consumption decreased by 6% while consumption of meats and marine products increased threefold and 2 1/2 times respectively.

Question 2

pricing

Answer 2

as LDCs have less disposable income, when food prices increase, more of their income is spent on food compared to the DCs which have more disposable income. from 2006 to 2008, food prices increased steeply in LDCs and caused around 100 million more people into poverty. there was less drastic inflation in the DCs and people turned to cheaper alternatives instead.

Question 3

fast food

Answer 3

in the mid 1990s, india opened up its economy to foreign investors that included transnational fast food chains such as Mcdonald’s and Pizza Hut. with the increasingly hectic life people live, fast food became popular and sales at these places grew at a rate of 28% a year.

Question 4

organic food

Answer 4

as more people become more aware of supposed health issues arising from conventional methods of growing food, more people are choosing organic food as it is pesticide-free. in 2011, 58% of the usa population were reported to prefer organic food over non-organic food. in asia, the demand has grown at around 20% a year since 1997.

Question 5

population growth

Answer 5

as the population of LDCs grow due to high birth rates etc., demand for food increases more than the demand for food in DCs. hence, food production may not be able to keep up.

Question 6

civil war

Answer 6

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Question 7

natural disasters

Answer 7

when natural disasters such as droughts or flood hit, the government has to take measures that ensure every citizen has food on the table. in 2008, when zimbabwe was hit by the worst ever drought, inflation was the highests in the world at above 100%. the rural areas took the biggest hit as there was insufficient food for everyone due to a lack of stockpiling which is the norm for DCs.

Question 8

food safety

Answer 8

when the 2011 tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit the shores of japan, it also caused a nuclear meltdown of the fukushima power plant which released radioactive materials into farms and water soruces. hence, seafood imports from japan to singapore were temporarily suspended in fear of the radioactive materials contaminating food.