homework

Name _____________________________________ Section KM

BIO 112 Assignment #6 - Food

As food production became more industrialized during the 20 th

century, several trends emerged.

One trend was a loss in the number of varieties of crops grown. A second trend was the increasing

amount of energy expended to store food and ship it to market. In the US today, food travels an average

of 1,400 miles from the field to your table. The price you pay for the food covers the cost of this long-

distance transportation, which in 2004 was approximately $1 per ton of food/per mile.

Assuming the average U.S. person eats 2 pounds of food per day, complete the table (3 pts) by

calculating the food transportation costs for your class, your home town (use the internet for 2010 or

more recent information), Florida, and the U.S.

My home town is ______________________________, State _____ or Country __________. (1 pt.)

Remember, there are 2,000 pounds in a ton and 365 days in a year.

So, 2 pounds day = 0.001 tons per day (2 pounds ÷ 2,000 pounds = 0.001 tons per day)

Step 1 - 0.001 tons/day multiplied by $1 = $0.001

Step 2 – 1,400 miles multiplied by $0.001 = $1.40

Consumer Daily Cost Annual Cost

You (n = 1)

$1.40

[daily cost x 365] $511

Your class (n = 30)

Your home town (n = ??)

Florida (n = 18.8 million)

US (n = 309.3 million)

Name _____________________________________ Section KM

1. Describe how this long-distance food production and distribution system impacts environmental

sustainability and provide 2 specific examples. (2 pts)

2. If locally produced food only travels 50 miles to market, there is a 96% saving in transportation

costs. Describe 2 advantages AND 2 disadvantages of using local foods. (4 pts)