Section: Module 2: Food Systems and Sustainability | Public Health Nutrition | NextGenU.org

  • Competencies covered in this module:
    • Have knowledge and understanding of the food chain and its impact on food choice; integrate the food supply with dietary intake.
    • Know the factors that impact the accessibility, adequacy, and safety of the food supply system (production, processing, distribution, and consumption), their relationship with community food systems, and how they affect the desired outcomes of health promotion and disease prevention.

    • Module 2: Lesson 1: Food Sources and Sustainability
       
      Student Learning Outcomes:

      Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

      • Define the term "sustainable food".
      • Give examples of food sustainability.
      • Identify the key determinants of a sustainable food system.
      • Interpret how key determinants and factors of food sustainability interact with one another within the food system.
      • Classify main sources of food supply according to the country, region, or location.
      • Identify the challenges and issues, such as agricultural and environmental impacts, associated with food sustainability.
      • Describe common examples of challenges for achieving sustainable and inclusive future food systems.
      • Discuss potential solutions and perspectives in addressing challenges to food sustainability to achieve a more inclusive food system.

      Approximate time required to complete the readings (at 144 words/minute) and assignments for this module: 6 hours and 42 minutes.

       
      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • Read the entire article. (23 minutes)

      NCBI - 2018

    • Read the entire document. (8 minutes)

      California Department of Social Services - 2013

    • Read the entire journal article. (50 minutes)

      Cambridge University Press - 2013

    • forum icon
      Discussion Forum 1 - Sustainable Diets ( 240 minutes)

      In this activity, you will identify a dietary pattern in your country and evaluate diverse sustainability factors that can affect the security of the food system. 

      Step 1: Read and identify

      Read this article to better understand Sustainable dietary patterns.

      Identify a common dietary pattern consumed by the majority or a diet that is becoming a trend in your country.

      Step 2: Evaluate

      Describe the dietary pattern that you chose. Evaluate factors like water resources, energy and transports resources, land requirements, climate change impact (Greenhouse Gas Emission), and costs, that affect the sustainability of the food system in the long term.

      Step 3: Summarize

      Using all of this information, summarize your findings in 300-500 words. Include the sustainability factors identified, providing a rationale for each one on how this dietary pattern affects food system sustainability. 

      Step 4: Share 

      Share your summary by clicking on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure that you have addressed all the required information. Please ensure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

      Step 5: Interact

      To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “post to forum.” 

      OPTIONAL Step 6: Interact (10 minutes)

      If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”


      Not available unless: The activity Quiz: Module 1 is complete and passed
    • Module 2: Lesson 2: Food Systems and Security 
       
      Student Learning Outcomes:

      Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

      • List all Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that are related to food security.
      • Explain how these SDGs contribute to achieving food security and sustainability.
      • Identify individual and external factors that influence the food system.
      • Assess how these factors and drivers work together to influence food systems, diets, nutrition, and health outcomes.
      • Identify health-related effects associated with the food system.
      • Describe specific health effects associated with the food system, such as obesity, chronic diseases, micro-nutrient deficiencies, etc.
      • Define the term "food security".
      • Describe the dimensions of food security through examples.
      • Describe the methods of food production, preparation, and processing methods.
      • Discuss the beneficial and harmful implications of food production, preparation, and processing to chemical composition and nutritional quality of food.
      • Identify major food and beverage companies that are key players in global food consumption and public health.
      • Describe beneficial and nonbeneficial practices of "BIG FOOD" and their impact on the global food system and public health.
      • Discuss how multinational food and beverage companies work together to increase commitment in food reformulation, consumer information, responsible marketing, promotion of healthy lifestyles, public-private partnerships, etc.

      Approximate time required to complete the readings (at 144 words/minute) and assignments for this module:  6 hours and 48 minutes.

      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • Read the entire journal article. (31 minutes)

      NCBI - 2017

    • Read the entire document. (25 minutes)

      Food Systems Dashboard - 2020

    • Read the entire journal article. (40 minutes)

      Springer - 2018

    • Read from the beginning until the heading "4. From ‘de facto’ to ‘de jure’: The need to formalize the six dimensions of food security". (42 minutes)

      ScienceDirect

    • Read the entire journal article. (38 minutes)

      Scholars Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences - 2015

    • Read the entire journal article. (23 minutes)

      NCBI - 2017

    • quiz icon
      Quiz: Module 2

      To access the quiz, click on the name of the quiz provided above. On the following screen, click the attempt quiz button to view the case studies and respond to the questions.

      TO PASS THIS QUIZ, YOU MUST OBTAIN A SCORE OF 80%