The game « it is good on my plate, for me and for my planet ! »

Who is the game aimed at ?

Initially the game was designed and created for young children. However, following further research and testing with groups aged from 8 to 16 and with adults involved in professional training, it has proved to be a success with all ages.

What are the rules of the game ?

The game board is divided into the following five sections that correspond to five essential food categories : Fruit and vegetables, Starchy foods, Dairy products, Meat, fish and eggs, Drinks. Each player has to compose a balanced meal using one food product from each category. When a product is chosen the player then discovers its nutritional and environmental characteristics. The winner of the game is the player who has successfully composed a balanced meal quicker than the other players. In the game, the impact on the environment by each product is based upon the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted during their production, from farm to the fork. This effect on the environment is illustrated by the allocation of clouds. Each food product has an allocation of either one, two or three clouds and as the players make their choices they discover the number of clouds associated with each product. These clouds are then gathered on a map of the world. If at any point during the game the world map becomes covered with clouds, everyone loses. The aim of this scenario is to help the players become more conscious of the collective consequences of our individual choices. See a video of the game at the international agricultural show in Paris : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4...

In which context was the game created ?

The game, available in French and in English, is an educational tool that was developed in 2008 as part of the AgroParisTech “Grignon Énergie Positive” program (France’s leading Institute for Education and Research in Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences). This program brings together Teachers, Researchers and Engineers from AgroParisTech, private enterprises from the agriculture, food production and energy sectors and finally French public organisations. The objective of the program is to experiment with new methods of agricultural and food production to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Which scientific sources have been used to create the game ?

The game “It is good on my plate, for Me and for my Planet !” is founded on a new scientific research field called “nutrition ecology”.

 For the nutritional characteristics of the food products, we have used the “SAIN,LIM system” : a two-dimensional approach for classifying foods based on their nutrient content. Darmon, Maillot, Drewnowski, JADA, 2005 - Mailllot, Darmon, Lafay, Drewnowski, J Nutr, 2007.

 For the greenhouse gases emissions of the food products, we have used the following sources : “Guide des facteurs d’émission” Bilan Carbone® - Ademe - 2007, “Environmental Impacts of Food Production and Consumption” - Defra - December 2006, “Fruit & vegetable UK greenhouse gas emissions : exploring the relationship” - Food Climate Research Network, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey - 2006, “Animal feed, livestock and greenhouse gas emissions : What are the issues ?” - Food Climate Research Network, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey - January 2007, “The carbon emissions generated in all that we consume” - The carbon trust - 2007, “Environmental impact of future milk supply chains in Sweden : a scenario study” - The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology - March 2002, “The Validity of Food Miles as an Indicator of Sustainable Development” - Defra - July 2005, “Food Miles : Background and Marketing” - ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - 2007, “Food and life cycle energy inputs : consequences of diet and ways to increase efficiency” - Environmental Strategies Research Group - Sweden Department of Home Economics, Göteborg University - 2002.