What does sustainability of food mean, and why is food security important?
Sustainability of food and food security: sustainable food production, the 3 Rs of waste, food security and the factors that threaten it, food poverty and food banks, and reducing and recycling food waste.
A focused answer on sustainability and food security for OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309), covering sustainable food production, the 3 Rs, food security and what threatens it, food poverty and food banks, and reducing food waste.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR wants you to explain sustainability of food and food security, the factors that threaten the food supply, and how reducing and recycling waste helps. These are the bigger-picture, global topics in Section B.
Sustainable food production
Ways to produce food more sustainably include sustainable fishing (quotas, larger net holes, avoiding overfishing), farming that protects soil and biodiversity (crop rotation, less chemical use), cutting food miles by buying local and seasonal, using water and energy efficiently, and reducing food waste.
Food security
Factors that threaten food security:
- A rising world population needing more food from the same or less land.
- Climate change and extreme weather (droughts, floods) damaging harvests.
- Rising food and fuel prices, making food less affordable (food poverty).
- Loss of farmland to building, or soil degradation and erosion.
- Pests, crop disease and the loss of crop variety (relying on few crops is risky).
- War and conflict, and over-reliance on imports that can be cut off.
Food poverty and food banks
Reducing and recycling food waste: the 3 Rs
Try this
Q1. Define food security. [1 mark]
- Cue. Reliable access for all people, at all times, to enough safe, nutritious and affordable food.
Q2. Name the 3 Rs used to tackle food waste. [2 marks]
- Cue. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20186 marksExplain what is meant by food security, and discuss the factors that can threaten it.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark free-response question.
Food security means that all people, at all times, have reliable access to enough safe, nutritious and affordable food to lead a healthy life. A country or household with food security can be confident of its food supply.
Factors that threaten food security: a rising world population needing more food; climate change and extreme weather (droughts, floods) damaging harvests; rising food and fuel prices making food less affordable (food poverty); loss of farmland to building or soil degradation; pests, crop disease and the loss of crop variety; war and conflict disrupting supply; and reliance on imports that can be cut off.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) define food security and explain several distinct threats clearly.
OCR 20214 marksDescribe what is meant by sustainable food production and give two ways food can be produced more sustainably.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question.
Sustainable food production means producing food in a way that meets today's needs without damaging the environment or using up resources so that future generations can still produce food.
Two ways (any two): use sustainable fishing (quotas, avoiding overfishing) to protect fish stocks; farm in ways that protect soil and biodiversity (crop rotation, less chemical use); cut food miles by producing and buying locally and seasonally; reduce food waste; and use water and energy efficiently.
Markers reward defining sustainability (meeting needs now without harming the future) and two valid methods.
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