AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
Changing diets in developed countries means scarce food resources are…
Full specification wording
Factors affecting food security: Changing diets in developed countries means scarce food resources are transported around the world.
As people in developed countries eat more varied diets, they demand foods that cannot be grown locally all year, such as tropical fruits, out-of-season vegetables or imported meats.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 9
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
As people in developed countries eat more varied diets, they demand foods that cannot be grown locally all year, such as tropical fruits, out-of-season vegetables or imported meats. These foods are transported globally by ship, air and road. Transport uses fuel and produces carbon dioxide, and it moves scarce resources such as water and fertile land away from producing regions. This can raise prices and reduce local food security where crops are grown for export rather than for local people.
What earns the marks
- Changing diets in developed countries increase demand for imported and out-of-season foods.
- Transport consumes fuel and releases carbon dioxide, adding environmental cost.
- Producing export crops can use scarce local resources such as water and fertile land.
- Land used for export crops may not feed the local population, affecting local food security.
- Global transport links distant consumers to distant producers, so diets affect food resources elsewhere.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Saying transport creates food.
Put it right: Transport moves food from where it is produced to where it is eaten, using resources.
Ignoring the effect on producing countries.
Put it right: Export crops can use scarce water and land, reducing food available locally.
Treating all imported food as wasteful.
Put it right: The issue is the scale of demand and resource use, not every single import.
Exam tips
- Link a named diet change, such as eating more tropical fruit, to increased transport.
- State both an environmental cost and a food-security cost of transporting scarce resources.
- Use the phrase scarce food resources to refer to limited land, water or crops.
Try the lesson
The start of the Factors affecting food security: Changing diets in developed countries means scarce food resources are transported around the world. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
How do changing diets in developed countries affect scarce food resources globally?
Listen
As people in developed countries eat more varied diets, they demand foods that cannot be grown locally all year, such as tropical fruits, out-of-season vegetables or imported meats. These foods are transported globally by ship, air and road. Transport uses fuel and produces carbon dioxide, and it moves scarce resources such as water and fertile land away from producing regions. This can raise prices and reduce local food security where crops are grown for export rather than for local people. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Changing diets in developed countries increase demand for imported and out-of-season foods. Transport consumes fuel and releases carbon dioxide, adding environmental cost. Producing export crops can use scarce local resources such as water and fertile land. Land used for export crops may not feed the local population, affecting local food security. A common slip: Saying transport creates food. Instead, transport moves food from where it is produced to where it is eaten, using resources. Exam tip: Link a named diet change, such as eating more tropical fruit, to increased transport.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Changing diets
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Global food trade
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Carbon emissions
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Resource use
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Changing diets
- In developed countries, people eat more varied diets and demand foods that cannot be grown locally all year.
- Global food trade
- Foods are transported around the world by ship, air and road from where they are produced to where they are eaten.
- Carbon emissions
- Transport consumes fuel and releases carbon dioxide, adding environmental cost.
- Resource use
- Producing export crops can use scarce local resources such as water and fertile land, which may reduce food available locally.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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