Shopping

Shopping for food

Question: How do you know the food you buy is safe to eat, and where it comes from? EU rules aim to ensure food safety. There are regulations on food labelling, description of contents, expiry date, and on traceability of origins in the case of meat.

Food labelling

The EU has rules that ensure that consumers get essential information about food to enable them to make informed choices ... more

Discuss: What about "food miles"?  Would knowing about where, and how far, your food comes from influence your choice?  Would that help to protect the environment?

Recycling

Use of recycled bags or plastic that can be recycled or long life shopping bags: EU directives on recycling.

Have a look at the Waste page here

The €uro

The €uro was introduced as a common European currency in 2002, with twenty states taking it up.  Since then Slovakia began to use the €uro in 2009.  Estonia has been the latest country to start using the €uro, from 1st January 2011. Buying with €uros Questions: Which EU countries use the euro ? What benefit do they get out of it ? Can we use it in the UK ?

Games/Tasks

Discussion on shopping bags and packaging
Should there be a charge for plastic bags, repayable on return?  What do other EU member states do?

Group task
Take a range of cans/ packets etc of food/ baking materials etc. What are the ingredients (if you can read them). What is the expiry date, where is it printed/ stamped etc

Euro
What denominations, how many to the pound, how many to the US dollar?  why is there a difference between buying and selling rates at the bank? how much is it?