2008 Year in Review

Where Your Food Comes From

Teachers in grades third through five can enhance their students' understanding of where the food on their plates comes from through a new University of Illinois Extension website. Fresh From the World . . . Where Your Food Comes From was developed by Greg Stack and Russ Higgins, U of I Extension educators in horticulture and integrated pest management, respectively, and Jane Scherer, Extension specialist urban programs/web coordination.

"The site looks at 15 different popular foods and explores their histories and origins," Stack said. "The students can gain a new understanding about the food they find in the grocery store and the fact that it sometimes comes from all over the world."

Scherer added that a global farm already exists.

"Popular foods like bananas and strawberries are available year-round because they are grown in many parts of the world and shipped directly to the worldwide markets," she said. "By knowing where in the world our food comes from, a simple phone call brings food to your local grocer's door."

Food festivals and the food distribution process are also covered on the website.

The interactive site also includes a teacher's guide.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
February 25, 2008