RFS 11300FOOD SYS: AGRIBUS & BIG FOOD

Catalog

This course examines the current supply chains of the US food industry from growers to retail markets, with scholarly emphasis placed on “Big Food;” a term referencing the consolidation of corporate actors and the domination of food product markets by a small number of companies. The class community will develop an understanding of the complex relationships of various actors across the supply chain and the key forces foundational to US agribusiness and its resulting outcomes. Students will review various drivers influencing production, distribution, processing, major markets, and the outcomes from this system. Course material will challenge students to consider essential questions in context to the impact of the food system on the environment, economy, and social and human health through case study research.