External Influences http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm is the link for “‘How truthful is that information”? The How Truthful is that information is an extra activity if computer access is available. All images are available on www.google.com with a Creative Commons 0 License.

Media Print Radio Television Popular press Internet Newspaper Magazines Books Internet The media acquaints you with, reminds you of, and informs you about food products and nutrition issues. The quality of the information from the media ranges from excellent to totally worthless and harmful.

Economic Influences Price Food’s availability Demand Although food is becoming more expensive in the United States, there is enough food. That is not the case in other countries. Seafood is now more widely included in American diets, a fact that has resulted in decreasing numbers of fish that are available close to shore. When the demand for a food increases, the cost generally rises.

Environmental Influences Ecological factors Climate issues Land availability Ecological factors include the type of soil, the amount of rainfall and other climatic conditions. The social factors include what is considered acceptable in the culture in which one lives.

Technological Influences Food processing Food preparation Food processing includes additives that enhance shelf life, nutritional value and food quality. Food preparation includes equipment such as microwaves, convection oven commercial equipment is now available to homeowners.