Estimating Your “Foodprint”

Due date will be announced in class.

This exercise will help you become food conscious. You will think about the food you eat,
all the inputs of resources it requires, where it comes from, how it gets to you, what it
takes to produce, process, transport and prepare it for your consumption…and then, guess
what…what happens after it goes through you?

There are two parts to this assignment. Please type your responses.

Part I requires you to do some investigation in a grocery store or supermarket, preferably

the one where you normally purchase your groceries.

Part II involves a keeping a food diary for three days.

Part I – The One Dollar Food Challenge

Your task , a challenging one, is to maximize the number of calories you can purchase with
one dollar ($1). You don't actually have to spend the dollar. Just go to a grocery store or
prepared food establishment, read the labels, and find the most calorie-dense foods you
can purchase for one dollar.

Part II – The Foodprint Diary & Analysis

For at least three full days, record a food diary. Don’t leave anything out! We will use this
information to inform our class discussion about food. Reflect on your foodprint
experience and record your observations and comments.

For Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3

1. Record all food and beverage consumed. You may do this individually or for your
household, if you are the one responsible for most of the food preparation. If you
keep the record for the entire household, be sure to divide by the number of
people to arrive at an estimate of your individual food use.

2. List each item.

3. Where did you obtain it? (supermarket, corner store, take-out,

restaurant/cafeteria/vending machine, etc.)

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 4. What was the quantity? (in ounces, pieces, or whatever other measure makes sense)

5. Where and how did you eat it? Home or take away? Sitting at a table, driving, on
the run?

6. What kind of packaging was used, if any?

7. How much packaging waste did it produce?

8. What quantity of leftovers or other waste (e.g. peels or crusts) was thrown away?

Select one specific food item or dish to study in more detail. Choose something that is
representative of your normal diet.

1. What is its place of origin? You may find that information on the label, or you may
need to ask a store employee or look at the producer's website to find out.

2. Describe, based on your knowledge or brief research, how and where it is grown or
produced. Specify whether or not it is local and seasonal.

3. What are the energy, water, or other resource inputs used in the production of this
item (such as pesticides, fertilizers, chemical preservatives, antibiotics)?

4. Trace the food's path from its point of origin to your plate. Specify how far it
travelled, and what steps were involved. Indicate if it required special handling or
storage along the way (such as air travel, refrigeration or freezing).

5. List the ingredients and nutritional information from the label. Do you recognize all
the ingredients listed, or are there some that look like chemicals or other things
you don't recognize? Does the label indicate anything special, such as organic,
chemical-free, (BVO) growth-hormone, peanut-free? Can you tell how the item was
prepared, or what addititives it contains? Comment.

6. Is it prepared, processed, or home-made?

7. Did you eat it cooked or uncooked?

8. Are there any other inputs to mention?

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 9. Are there any special considerations in connection with this food?

10. One hundred years ago, would people in Philadelphia have been able to obtain this
food at this time of year? Explain.

Now that you have completed your one-dollar challenge and diary, comment on your
findings.

A few relevant terms:

Food miles - the distance food travels from point of production (a farm or field?) to point
of consumption (your plate)

Locavore – one who eats locally grown foods

GMO's – genetically modified organisms

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