Conscious Grocery Shopping

Course Description

"Conscious Grocery Shopping" is an enlightening and practical course that takes you on a virtual journey through a grocery store, exploring the complex world of food-related decisions we make every day. This course, offered by the University of Bayreuth's newly founded faculty of life sciences, provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the far-reaching implications of our food choices on health, society, economics, and the environment.

Through six engaging modules, you'll follow fictional characters Ben and Sophie as they navigate common dilemmas in different departments of a grocery store. Expert guidance from various fields, including law, psychology, economics, social sciences, and natural sciences, will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions when faced with similar challenges in real life.

What You'll Learn

• Various aspects of food sustainability, including specific labels and innovations like indoor farming and alternative proteins
• The composition and metabolism of major food nutrient groups
• How different food ingredients impact human health
• Strategies to recognize and positively influence one's own behavior in food choices
• Key legal aspects of food production, safety, and market placement in the EU
• Scientific background on controversial food-related topics
• The complexity of food quality and supply chain management systems

Prerequisites

No special prerequisites are required. This course is designed for anyone interested in the field, regardless of their level of expertise.

Course Coverage

• Food sustainability and innovations
• Nutritional science and human metabolism
• Psychology of food choices
• Food law and regulations
• Controversial topics in food science
• Food quality and supply chain management
• Practical application of knowledge in grocery shopping scenarios

Who This Course Is For

• Consumers who want to make more informed food choices
• Students interested in food science, nutrition, or sustainability
• Professionals in the food industry seeking a broader understanding of consumer behavior
• Anyone curious about the interdisciplinary nature of food-related decisions

Real-World Applications

The knowledge gained from this course can be immediately applied to daily life. Learners will be able to:

• Make more conscious and informed decisions while grocery shopping
• Understand the broader impact of their food choices on health, society, and the environment
• Navigate food labels and marketing claims more effectively
• Contribute to discussions on food sustainability and innovation
• Apply psychological strategies to overcome the intention-behavior gap in food choices

Syllabus

Each chapter is set in a different area of the grocery store, where Ben and Sophie explore various food-related topics with the guidance of expert professors.