Where Our Food Really Comes From

While cooking your meals with locally produced fruits and homegrown veggies is ideal, it's not always feasible. Learn about the industry that is responsible for cultivating and producing most of the food you eat from the grocery store tomato to your run-of-the-mill frozen lasagna.

As consumers in the 21st century, we have more power than we realize. See how suppliers approach and make use of personal data in today's consumer-driven economy. Then, turn your attention to how you can help eliminate food waste and tackle food insecurity, by being more deliberate about what you eat.

And what about the retailer, where most people buy their food? Explore three different types of retail strategies, zeroing in on how each cultivates customer loyalty and encourages purchases. Dissect the anatomy of a supermarket from shelf slots to two-for-one deals. And finish by surveying the manufacturing process.

Dive into what food service consists of, focusing on what makes commercial and noncommercial food service establishments tick, by looking at fancy fine dining restaurants; supermarket hot food bars; fast food; and even high-volume, public-school cafeterias.

Whether we cook much at home or not, we can learn a lot from chefs and how they approach food from the procurement of ingredients to dinner service. See what it really takes to manage a commercial kitchen and discover how chefs craft and prepare tasty but also practical menus.

Start by examining the history of farming from the Morrill Act onward, before looking at the economics of growing and distributing food. What does it take? How does the average farmer fit into the process? And what happens if the supply chain doesn't-or can't-reach everybody?

Our modern food industry-efficient, precise, and vast-has some significant costs. Explore how the complex system that feeds America can negatively impact human health and the natural environment. Examine the viability of prospective solutions like true cost accounting, wage hikes, consumer boycotts, and academic research.

At the course's finale, look forward. With the possibility of a devastating syndemic staring you in the face, take stock of what you learned here to make better decisions about what you eat, and see how others, like Menus of Change and Louisiana food hall chefs, are pioneering better ways to procure and prepare food.