Historical information. Historically, food has come from a variety of sources. In the past, people ate wild food, which came as a result of gathering wild plants or hunting wild animals. With the development of agriculture, people domesticated crops and made them their main source of food. As centuries passed, traditional farming was replaced with high-yield farming, based on the use of farming technology. The use of advanced technology in agriculture helps grow more food and meet the increasing demand for food: for example, “the green revolution doubled food production between 1960 and 1980” (Kerr, 2008, p.9).
Certain food comes from certain countries. For example, hot cocoa is made of cocoa beans, and cocoa beans come from African, Central American, and Asian countries (the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, etc) (Rotner & Goss, 2006).

Conflicting information. Even though advanced technology has enabled the humanity to grow more food cheaply, it has also brought serious threats to human health and environment. One example is genetically modified food. Glyphosate, an active ingredient in GMO crops, was found to cause cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruptions, reproductive and developmental damages in mammals, as well as DNA damage (Mather, 2012).

Myths and misconceptions. Some children may think that food is not precious and that they can play with food or throw it away. Here it important to explain children that food is not for wasting but for eating. Food is not a material for creating artistic objects, such as bean collages or necklaces of macaroni, but a valuable resource that nourishes human body and keeps humans alive. Also, food is precious because it is hard to produce and requires a lot of human labor along with natural resources. For example, strawberries are first planted, then maintained, and later picked before they come to supermarkets. It means that some people have to work fields hard for a low pay. As Julie Edwards explains, “Everyone has important contributions to make, regardless of economic background” (Edwards, 2010, p.106).

It is important to respect the hard work of farmers and avoid wasting food. One of the ways to do this is to keep a compost box in the yard so that children can scrape their leftovers into it or into planter boxes where they grow their own vegetables. Growing one’s own food is another way to teach children to respect food. It is also important that children control how much food they take on plates and do not take more than they can eat (Edwards, 2010).

The value of food also stems from scarcity of food in the poor regions of the world. By the estimates of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as many as 820 million of people do not have enough food to eat every year (Kerr, 2008).

In addition, the value of food is great because all food comes at the price of animal and environment welfare. Planting and cultivating plants places a burden on the earth as it pollutes it with herbicides and pesticides. Animals suffer as livestock farming struggles to meet the demand for meat. For example, the cattle are grown in harsh conditions and fed with chemicals to make them grow faster.

In this context, it is important to treat all national meals or food with respect. Even though some children may come from families with strong racial or socio-economic stereotypes (such as calling farmers from Central America “illegal aliens” or “brown people from Mars”), they should be aware of the fact that each nation deserves respect, including its food or other elements of culture (Edwards, 2010, p. 107).

References
• Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association of Young Children.
• Kerr, J. (2008). Food: Ethical debates in what we eat. Evans Brothers.
• Mather, R. (2012). The threats from genetically modified foods. Mother Earth News. Retrieved from https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/sustainable-farming/genetically-modified-foods-zm0z12amzmat?pageid=5#PageContent5.
• Rotner, S. & Goss, G. (2006). Where does food come from? Millbrook Press.