FOOD RESOURCES Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the indictors for developed and less developed countries?
1) Economic Indicators
- GDP per capita
- Employment Opportunity
2) Social Indicators
- Adult Literacy Rate
- Life expectancy
Explain GDP per capita
It is defined as the total value of all final goods and services produced by a country in a given year divided by the total population. The higher the GDP per capita, the more developed a country is and they usually have a large number of productive industries and service industries (e.g. schools, hospitals)
Explain employment opportunity.
It refers to the availability of jobs in a country so more employment opportunity would mean more people having jobs and earning income hence improving their standard of living.
Explain Adult Literacy Rate.
It refers to the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write a short simple statement. With a higher literacy rate, the country is more likely to have more professionals who can contribute their skills and expertise in driving the country’s economy so more developed.
Explain Life Expectancy.
It refers to the average number of years a person born in a country is expected to live and a higher life expectancy usually means higher standard of living and better living conditions (i.e. good quality of health care, water, sanitation, food supply).
Name 3 examples of DCs
1) Singapore
2) Japan
3) United States of America
Name 3 examples of LDCs
1) Brazil
2) Indonesia
3) China
What are the indicators of food consumption?
1) Food consumption per capita
2) Daily Calorie Intake
3) Starchy Staples as a percentage of all calories
What is food consumption per capita?
It refers to the average amount of food a person consumers per year and is measured in kilograms per capita per year. It is used to determine changes in food consumption patterns over time, for example DCs consume much higher amounts of meat and vegetables and larger amounts of food compared to LDCs.
What is total daily calorie intake?
It represents the total number of calories obtained from food consumed per person each day. DCs have a higher daily calorie intake than LDCs and the average recommended daily calorie intake per person is about 2500-3500 calories.
What is starchy staple as a % of all calories?
Staple foods are food (e.g. cereals) that form the main part of the diet, supplying a major proportion of a person’s energy and nutrient needs. Cereals are the world’s main source of energy intake for both DCs and LDCs. DCs are projected to account for 15.9% of the global demand for cereals while LDCs are projected to account for 84.1% between 1995 and 2020.
How has food preference for cereals changed?
Consumption of cereals is higher in LDCs than DCs because the consumption of cereal per capita decreases as income increases. For example, in LDCs, crop-based products comprise about 40% of people’s diets but only 13% in DCs.
How has food preference for meat changed?
Meat is seen as a symbol of wealth so generally an increase in income is linked to increase in meat consumption. For example, in LDCs, cereal consumption from 1960 to 2005 remained constant while meat consumption has grown more than three times by 2005 and egg consumption has grown at least five times. However, lesser red meat is consumed in DCs (but still more than LDCs) because people in DCs are becoming more health conscious and red meat has been linked to health problems such as obesity and heart disease.
How has food preference for fruits and vegetables changed?
Consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased for both LDCs and DCs. In LDCs, consumption of fruits and vegetables have increased due to rising incomes. In DCs, consumption of fruits and vegetables have increased due to increase in awareness of the health benefits of increased fruit and vegetable consumption. For example, in USA, the vegetable consumption increased by 13% and fruit consumption increased by 3% from 1976 to 2009. –> The increase in health benefits of fruits and vegetables is due to international organisations (e.g. WHO and the FAO, Food and Agriculture Organisation) which have been raising awareness on the health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables (e.g. risk of cancer, heart disease) hence promoting consumption of them.
Why has food consumption patterns changed?
1) Economic factors
- Disposable income
- Pricing
2) Socio-cultural factors
- Fast food vs organic food
- Religion
- Population growth
3) Political factors
- Stability of food supply (civil war and natural disasters)
- Food safety
How has disposable income led to varying food consumption patterns?
Disposable income refers to the amount of income left to an individual after taxes have been paid. People in DCs generally have higher disposable income than people in LDCs and with greater disposable income, they have greater financial ability and higher purchasing power so they consume a larger amount and variety of food (e.g. more meat and fewer cereals). In DCs, when disposable income increases, the quality of diets tend to increase and they are also better able to afford more expensive food with certain health benefits (e.g. organic food and olive oil).
For example, Taiwan experienced high economic growth from 1959 to 1991, causing income per capita to increase. During this period, rice consumed per capita decreased by half, meat consumed increased by 4 times, fruit consumed increased by 5 times, and fish consumed doubled.
How has food pricing led to varying food patterns?
The increase in food prices affects LDCs more than DCs because many people in LDCs have lesser disposable income than those in DCs. For example, for every 1US dollar increase in income in DCs like USA, only 20% of the increased income is spent on food. However, for every US1 increase in income in LDCs such as India, up to 60% of the increased income is spent on food. Therefore, LDCs face a larger impact than DCs.
For example, from 2006 to 2008, food prices rose dramatically worldwide, leading to a global food crisis that greatly affected the diets of those living in LDCs. The food crisis pushed 100 million more people worldwide into chronic hunger and poverty from 2006 to 2009.
How does religion affect a person’s diet?
1) For muslims, they consume HALAL food, no pork, and can only eat meat from an animal that has been killed in a way that is approved by Islamic Law.
2) For buddhists and Hindus, they adopt a vegetarian diet or consume very little meat.
3) For Jew, they consume KOSHER food, foods that conform to regulations stated in the Jewish Law.
How has fast food influenced people’s food preferences?
Fast food refers to food that can be prepared quickly and easily, eaten as a quick meal, or packaged for take-away. Due to convenience and affordable pricing, more people opt to dine at these outlets, for example young adults are attracted by the comfortable dining atmosphere of fast food outlets and prefer to spend time there.
Globalisation has also made it possible for fast food chains to set up restaurants in many LDCs. For example, in 1991, India opened up its economy to foreign investors so many fast food chains from the USA (McDonald’s, Pizza Hut etc) have entered the Indian market. More people may choose to dine in these outlets than local food stalls.
However, for DCs although fast food is popular, people are becoming more concerned and are now trying to move away from eating too much fast food as they become increasingly aware of its harmful effects on human health such as how fast food is being prepared and processed with large amounts of oil, processed meat and chemicals used in food preparation.
How has organic food
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