Description
The disconnect between consumers and their food — what it is, where it comes from, and how it got to them — is increasing (Ikerd). Food, including the environmental and social impacts of food, affects every person around the world, from the farmer to the consumer, in some way or another. As the population grows and the earth’s resources dwindle, a shift in the way humans produce, demand, and distribute food is urgently necessary. Possessing a sense of food literacy, or having an awareness of the personal, environmental, and societal impacts of one’s food choices (Food Literacy Center) is crucial to the support of a healthy, sustainable community food system (ASI), both locally and globally. The intention of this thesis paper and project is to examine the environmental and social impacts caused by the global food system, and review the proposed solution. The project aims to address food literacy for college students and young professionals through the development of a Visual Food Literacy Program (VFLP). This program showcases a single harvested food item and several visual tools each month including wayfinding signage, food identification cards, and a storytelling timeline for implementation within institution-based, buffet-style foodservice facilities. In order to better understand the effects information graphics and visual storytelling have on increasing food literacy and awareness, two case studies were conducted in 2015: at a Stanford University dining facility and through an online survey. Based on the feedback from the Online case study, the design of the VFLP and the experience participants had interacting with it were successful although the sample size was small (n=19). However, it is evident from the Stanford case study that a new solution for directing consumers from the food identification cards (at the point of food item selection) to the interactive timeline is necessary, as no consumers engaged with the interactive timeline. The VFLP tested in this thesis represents a starting point within institution-based, buffet-style foodservice facilities for encouraging sustainable and healthy food choices in consumers. It also serves as a replicable model for influencing positive change to help people improve their food literacy. The VFLP developed and implemented in this thesis work aims to become a versatile and adaptable system that can be implemented in a multitude of arenas and locations, both locally and globally.