APFS-110: Introduction to Food Systems

This course will help students to understand the connections between the kitchen and the rest of the world. It will provide them with the tools needed to select and source high quality, sustainable ingredients, and inspire them to explore and understand our food system. The focus will be on contemporary methods of food production, distribution, processing, marketing, purchasing, preparation, and waste management. These components will be examined from an environmental perspective with the objective of understanding the resource-intensive nature of the current food system and its impact on social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Particular emphasis will be placed on the contributions of restaurants to the climate crisis and their potential role in ameliorating its causes. It is hoped that through the experience of this course, students will contribute to food sustainability by practicing the responsible sourcing of ingredients.