Activity 1: Impact of Labels on Marketing and Consumer Perceptions

1. Define the word imply as, "to strongly suggest the truth or existence of something not expressly stated." 
2. Divide your class into nine small groups and give each group one If... Then... food label card.
3. Instruct students to read their card and brainstorm what messages may be implied from the food package label. Point out that words on a label can imply messages in numerous categories.
   • Tip: To help students think more about the "big picture," project the Looking Under the Label PowerPoint (slide 3) on the board or give each group a hard copy. Encourage them to think about categories such as food safety, nutrition, economics, impact on the environment, animal welfare, etc.
4. Once students have brainstormed as a group, instruct them to attach their card to the board with tape or a magnet and list what is implied by the food label below the card. 
5. Once each group has recorded on the board what they believe the labels have implied, review each label as a class and add the Actually... card to the board which will define and give clarity to the meaning of each label.
6. After discussing each label, have the class decide if the label "tells you" about the food or if it "sells you" a food. Answers may vary, and in some cases, your students could choose both. Use the following guidelines to determine:
   • Labels that Tell You: These labels identify foods with an objective (measurable) difference from one package or brand to another. An ideal example from the activity is the "No Added Sugar" label. This claim can be measured (grams of sugar) and verified using the Nutrition Facts Label which is regulated by the FDA. Choosing a diet with foods low in added sugar has been scientifically proven to help people maintain a healthy weight.
   • Labels that Sell You: These food labels separate foods that don't actually contain a measurable difference in safety, nutrition or other factors. While these foods may be produced in different ways (eggs produced by chickens housed in cages verses hens in free-range housing), the end product provides the same levels of food safety, quality, and nutrition.
7. Summarize the activity by concluding that labels impact consumer choices. Some labels tell us a lot about foods, and other labels are for marketing purposes and can create misconceptions. 

 Activity 2: Food Labels 101

1. Give each student one copy of the Food Labels 101 activity sheet.
2. Project the Looking Under the Label PowerPoint (slide 5). Describe each of the four categories of food labels and instruct students to add the definition of each to their activity sheet.
3. Open the Looking Under the Label: Categorizing Food Labels Kahoot. Use the game as a review and formative assessment. Students will be shown fifteen food labels and will categorize them accordingly.
4. For added clarity, point out the following as you go through the Kahoot:
   • The Nutrition Facts label and Nutrient Content claims can have some of the same information. Nutrition Facts are found on the side or back panel of the package. They are required by law on all foods with nutrient content. Nutrient Content Claims are found on the front of the package and are voluntarily placed by food processing companies to help market their product.
   • Any logo, label, or text describing the farm where the food was produced would be considered a Farm Production System label.
   • Some labels are regulated and others can be voluntarily placed by food companies for advertising and promotion of the product.

Activity 3: Production Style Food Labeling

1. Now that students have been introduced to some of the psychology and marketing of food labels and they can recognize the types of labels that can be found on food packages, inform students that you will be focusing on some of the most common farm production style labels found on foods today.
2. The first question you will be answering is, "What does it mean if a food is labeled as organic?" Share the Did You Know (Ag Facts) listed at the beginning of the lesson plan. Explain that you will illustrate what organic means with an analogy.
3. Using the Looking Under the Label PowerPoint, show students a picture of a tree (slide 7). Explain to them that the tree needs to be removed. Conclude with your students that you will need a tool to accomplish the task. Ask for student volunteers to offer ideas of tools that can be used to remove the tree. Students may think of an ax, hand saw, chain saw, or even a highly automatic tree harvesting machine (slide 8).
4. Ask the following questions:
   • Will each of these tools accomplish the goal of removing the tree? (yes)
   • Are there pros and cons associated with the use of each tool? (yes) 
   • Could different people see different aspects of each tool and have a different opinion of which tool is "best?" (yes)
   • What are some pros and cons of each tool? (An ax and hand saw require a lot of physical exertion and would take longer to cut down a tree. A chain saw or tree cutting machine requires fuel and is more expensive to purchase but would perform the job much faster.)
5. After summarizing that there are different tools that can accomplish the same job, explain that farmers also have many different "tools" to produce our food. For example, farmers use tools to control weeds and pests that damage and kill crops as well as diseases in both crops and animals. The type of "tool" or technique a farmer has used to produce a crop (plant or animal) is sometimes noted by a specific label on a food package. The "organic" label is an example.
6. Explain that Organic farms represent a portion of farms in the United States. Most farms in the United States are known as conventional farms. They use some of the same "tools" as organic farms, but have a few more options to choose from.
7. Watch the video clip, Give it a Minute: Organic and Conventional Farming to see the similarities and differences in organic and conventional farming methods. 
8. Summarize that foods labeled as "organic" were produced by a farmer who used different tools or techniques than a farmer who produces food on a conventional farm. In addition to the organic label, there are many more food labels that describe the tools or technologies used (or not used) on farms where our food was produced.
9. Using PowerPoint slides 10-12 give three examples of different farming practices that are depicted by labels on food. Continue using the analogy of "tools" to illustrate that labels can indicate what type of tools or techniques farmers use in the production of food.

Concept Elaboration and Evaluation

1. (Slide 13) Define the word psychology for students as, the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. Ask, "Can psychology impact consumer decisions about food?" (yes!)
2. Using PowerPoint slide 14, discuss with students why we as consumers seek and avoid specific things when we are shopping for food. 
3. Introduce the concept of confirmation bias (slide 15). Ask students to think of examples of confirmation bias in their lives. Prompt them to think of things they have been told and viewpoints they have seen or read on the internet or social media. Refer back to the example labels given in the If...Then... food cards used in Activity 1. Ask students, "Could confirmation biases impact consumers' beliefs about their foods? (perhaps) "Do labels impact confirmation bias?" (yes)
4. Ask students, "Why is this important?.... so what?" Explain to students that our grocery store choices ripple through the agriculture industry (slide 16) , impacting how farmers produce crops and livestock and how food manufacturers process, label, and market their products. Review the laws of supply and demand. It's important for consumers to understand the food choices they are given and to select the option that will create a positive change when considering all factors (slide 17). Some labels tell about a food product and the practices used to produce it. Other labels sell a product with labels that mean very little and create misconceptions about food and modern farming methods.
5. Challenge students to think critically about ALL food labels they see, especially those indicating the type of practices used on the farm where it was produced. Discuss what your students perceive as the pros and cons of these labels in our food system.

Deceptions can be found on food labels. Rather than pointing out erroneous label content, allow and encourage students to think critically about what food packaging labels mean and evaluate the claims. Ask them to consider how consumer perceptions and biases may influence the search for evidence, and how credible evidence should influence decision making.