"E. coli strain from retail poultry may cause urinary tract infections in people"
While reading this article I couldn’t help but think about what I learned from watching Food Inc. the other day. E. coli, or Escherichia coli, seems to be a real problem, especially in the retail poultry that us consumers find on the shelves of our chain grocery stores. The movie illustrates that this bacteria can be very harmful and even deadly. One case of the infection took the life of a young boy just trying to enjoy a nice meal. I remember the mother saying how crazy it is to think that her son was in that situation just from eating food. The article describes how it wasn’t easy to pinpoint exactly where the problem was coming from. I could list the statistics, such as the fact that the infection kills thousands of Americans each year, or how the research team found E. coli in 80 percent of meat samples, but this would just be repetitive. What really strikes me as interesting is that there are enough stories and enough research to support the fact that this is a huge problem, yet the problem remains just that. A problem. Why is this? It all comes back to the idea of safe food. Trust in the food industry is honestly something that I believe very few people have. The government needs to figure out a way to intervene to make sure that these problems are solved and lives are saved. Nobody lives forever, but all I know is that no life should be cut short due to a bad chicken or turkey dinner. All we ever hear about is how the food industry is hiding things, not telling us the whole truth, and taking advantage of the consumer. I would be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking twice about what I eat these days. That should not be the case, but sadly that’s the way it is these days. Something has to be done.
"Young Migrant Workers Toil in U.S. Fields"
This edition of The News In Food is on the topic of migrant farming. Migrant farming is when workers consisting of mostly Mexican-born sons, husbands, and fathers leave what is familiar and comfortable with the hopes and dreams of making enough money to support their families back home, feed themselves, purchase land and a home, and ultimately return to their homeland. This article describes the migrant farming experience of young people in the United States, including the benefits as well as hardships surrounding it. It’s focus is on a young boy named Santos Polendo who began this work when he was just 6 years old. He travels around the country, breaking his back to help his family survive.
What I took away from this article is that farming can be a very positive thing for people in many ways other than healthier eating, as well as the fact that food is money. Now, obviously migrant farming is a desperate measure that families must go to in order to survive. We are talking about families that are struggling a great deal. However, this farm work is essentially an option families have that will provide for themselves. As tough as it may be, it is something that gets them by when they don’t really have a choice. The reason for this is that food is always a source of money. Everybody needs it, so everybody must buy it.
In class we have learned a lot about how processed food is a problem through the book Pandora’s Lunchbox and an article about the simple cooking of an Italian Grandmother. What this issue comes down to is money. This is true in the sense that people may not be able to eat how they want to because they don’t have the funds or the means to do so. So, the food industry and many of its companies make huge profits from people buying their products. This may not be good for the consumer, but these companies know that they will continue to bring in the cash. Food makes them money. These migrant farmers are in a very different spot, but what remains true is that food is what keeps them on their feet, and what they have to do to make the money doesn’t matter because they know that they won’t lose that source of income. Farming is a great thing in the sense that it is better food than highly processed foods you can buy at a grocery store. A farmer’s market is a way safer play than going to Walmart. Fresh produce from farms is one of the better foods you can buy and eat. In addition to this, however, clearly farming is a way in which many people can make money. This is seen to be so important to the migrant farmers described in this article. We spend time in class watching things like Food Inc. and reading articles or books that mainly spark negative thoughts of almost all things food related in our world today. What we don’t talk about is the importance of food to many workers in the industry and on the farms. This article highlights the idea that food can be a way for people to find work and simply survive. They can miss out on education or put their bodies through a lot of pain, but these migrant farmers have a way of life at the end of the day. Food in the U.S today can be seen as negative from an industry standpoint, unhealthy, fake and just flat out bad, but if you look at it from the other side of things it can be seen as a dollar sign that helps people and struggling families survive.
What I took away from this article is that farming can be a very positive thing for people in many ways other than healthier eating, as well as the fact that food is money. Now, obviously migrant farming is a desperate measure that families must go to in order to survive. We are talking about families that are struggling a great deal. However, this farm work is essentially an option families have that will provide for themselves. As tough as it may be, it is something that gets them by when they don’t really have a choice. The reason for this is that food is always a source of money. Everybody needs it, so everybody must buy it.
In class we have learned a lot about how processed food is a problem through the book Pandora’s Lunchbox and an article about the simple cooking of an Italian Grandmother. What this issue comes down to is money. This is true in the sense that people may not be able to eat how they want to because they don’t have the funds or the means to do so. So, the food industry and many of its companies make huge profits from people buying their products. This may not be good for the consumer, but these companies know that they will continue to bring in the cash. Food makes them money. These migrant farmers are in a very different spot, but what remains true is that food is what keeps them on their feet, and what they have to do to make the money doesn’t matter because they know that they won’t lose that source of income. Farming is a great thing in the sense that it is better food than highly processed foods you can buy at a grocery store. A farmer’s market is a way safer play than going to Walmart. Fresh produce from farms is one of the better foods you can buy and eat. In addition to this, however, clearly farming is a way in which many people can make money. This is seen to be so important to the migrant farmers described in this article. We spend time in class watching things like Food Inc. and reading articles or books that mainly spark negative thoughts of almost all things food related in our world today. What we don’t talk about is the importance of food to many workers in the industry and on the farms. This article highlights the idea that food can be a way for people to find work and simply survive. They can miss out on education or put their bodies through a lot of pain, but these migrant farmers have a way of life at the end of the day. Food in the U.S today can be seen as negative from an industry standpoint, unhealthy, fake and just flat out bad, but if you look at it from the other side of things it can be seen as a dollar sign that helps people and struggling families survive.
"How Prejudice pushes low-income people onto an unhealthy diet"
This week's topic for The News in Food is food and poverty. The article I chose to analyze is related to food poverty in our neighboring country, Canada. The article describes the situation of poor Canadians, and the backlash they receive from not eating the healthiest diet. What it comes down to is the fact that everyday Canadians are not aware of the poverty-induced food insecurity that one in eight Canadian households face. Furthermore, these less fortunate families are almost viewed negatively, and some researchers state that the way they eat is due to the fact that they lack food knowledge. This could mean they don’t know what to look for, or they don’t know how to prepare fresh vegetables and other healthy foods. The overall issue is the question of, “Is food insecurity a poverty issue or a personal choice?” I found this article very similar to an article we read this week called, “Do Poor People Eat Badly Because of Food Deserts or Personal Preference?” Both articles highlight the idea that we have an unknown answer to this question. Do we need to do more to help people in poverty? Or is it not a question of policy, but simply of personal preference? However, one thing that has to change is the negative perception of poor people. The article sums it up by saying, “For as long as socially constructed attitudes perpetuate oppressive stereotypes about “what low-income people want,” we can’t work toward eliminating inequalities in the food system. We can’t put the issue aside based on an unsupported conclusion that poor people aren’t struggling but simply choosing bad food. There is no real evidence backing this, and it is the easy way out for middle and upper class families that would rather blame them for their food-insecurity. In a nutshell, “If we want all Canadians to have access to culturally appropriate, nutritious food, we need to deconstruct these negative assumptions, increase our collective level of empathy, and advocate for food justice, so that everyone can choose the foods they like in a country that overflows with abundance.
This article is important because it discusses an issue that we face in America as well. There are poor people with food-insecurity all over the country. The thing is, everyone has a different opinion on how to fix this, and some people don’t even view it as a problem. Identifying how and why this happens is the first step. In my opinion, whether it is their choice or not, there is something to be done. Maybe poor people actually lack food knowledge and this is why they eat bad. If so, we need to educate them. If we work together, everyone can eat healthier.
This article is important because it discusses an issue that we face in America as well. There are poor people with food-insecurity all over the country. The thing is, everyone has a different opinion on how to fix this, and some people don’t even view it as a problem. Identifying how and why this happens is the first step. In my opinion, whether it is their choice or not, there is something to be done. Maybe poor people actually lack food knowledge and this is why they eat bad. If so, we need to educate them. If we work together, everyone can eat healthier.
"As College Innovation Efforts Grow, So Do Warnings of a ‘McDonaldization’ of Higher Ed"
For this week's News In Food we are talking about McDonaldization. This article that I read discusses the growing efforts to McDonaldize higher education. Colleges are doing some good things such as increasing the quality of teaching. However, when college leaders adopt corporate practices in their reforms, there is always backlash in the sense that the school becomes largely revolved around efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control at the expense of the core values of the academy. Numbers are assigned to everything and schools are ranked. This is what drives decisions. So, these things put in place to improve education actually do the opposite as they limit creativity and promote intellectual laziness. It is a system that becomes too cut and dry.
This article relates to pieces we have analyzed in class about processed food. Food Inc. shows the McDonaldized food industry where food is made up in large amounts and quickly shipped all over. The processes are so industrialized and predictable in the sense that you can count on finding processed food products in every store. It is calculable for consumers because they know they can get a lot for a little. In “A Place At the Table” we saw individuals try to make the most out of their food stamps, and processed foods were always an option that provided quantity over quality. Processed foods are calculable in that way. Finally, there is control by nonhuman technology in the food industry. Machinery plays a huge role in making the food, and workers can easily be replaced because most of the process is controlled by technology and it is the same process every time.
This idea of looking at McDonaldization is important because it can turn a good thing bad. With the situation in higher education, everyone in this class is touched by it. I would like to see education truly improved without limiting creativity and intellectual thinking. There has to be a balance of the two. Just because things are put in place to improve a school doesn’t mean there has to be “cookie cutter” processes. The obsession with placing a numeric value on everything works against us, and we are becoming driven too often by the wrong things.
This article relates to pieces we have analyzed in class about processed food. Food Inc. shows the McDonaldized food industry where food is made up in large amounts and quickly shipped all over. The processes are so industrialized and predictable in the sense that you can count on finding processed food products in every store. It is calculable for consumers because they know they can get a lot for a little. In “A Place At the Table” we saw individuals try to make the most out of their food stamps, and processed foods were always an option that provided quantity over quality. Processed foods are calculable in that way. Finally, there is control by nonhuman technology in the food industry. Machinery plays a huge role in making the food, and workers can easily be replaced because most of the process is controlled by technology and it is the same process every time.
This idea of looking at McDonaldization is important because it can turn a good thing bad. With the situation in higher education, everyone in this class is touched by it. I would like to see education truly improved without limiting creativity and intellectual thinking. There has to be a balance of the two. Just because things are put in place to improve a school doesn’t mean there has to be “cookie cutter” processes. The obsession with placing a numeric value on everything works against us, and we are becoming driven too often by the wrong things.
"Electric food – the new sci-fi diet that could save our planet"
Our topic of focus for this week's food news is food and climate change. This article by George Monbiot explains the potential benefits of electric food. Over the last year, Finnish researchers have been producing food without either animals or plants. Their only ingredients are hydrogen-oxidising bacteria, electricity from solar panels, a small amount of water, carbon dioxide drawn from the air, nitrogen and trace quantities of minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium and zinc. Their goal is to save our ecosystems, reduce commercial forestry, and save our planet from climate change and pollution. Some targeted issues are cruelty of large-scale animal farming, the blood and gore, filth and pollution, mass clearance of land, "Insectageddon" caused by pesticides, the drying up of rivers, the loss of soil, and the reduction of the magnificent diversity of life on Earth to a homogeneous grey waste.
This article makes points about waste. This reminded me of an article we read called, "Throwaway Culture Has Spread Packaging Waste Worldwide: Here's What to Do About It." Author Dave Hall talks about how our culture and the way food is packaged is a bad combination that creates a land of waste. For me, this sparks the question if the electric food would be packaged differently, or if it would just be the bulk ingredient in foods that are packaged the way we know them to be. One of the goals is to reduce waste, but I wonder if the packaging would still be a problem. Next, we watched Food Inc. in class and it never seems to get out of my head when reading new articles. Certain images like the chickens not being able to walk are hard for me to forget. While reading this I was hoping that these types of cruel problems could actually be fixed, or eliminated. When food can be made without plants or animals, obviously it could be eliminated, but it makes me wonder if it is even possible because the electric food is only an ingredient. Large-scale farming is a huge industry, and I don't know how we could do without it completely with this sic-fi type solution. We'll just have to see where this thing goes.
This article makes points about waste. This reminded me of an article we read called, "Throwaway Culture Has Spread Packaging Waste Worldwide: Here's What to Do About It." Author Dave Hall talks about how our culture and the way food is packaged is a bad combination that creates a land of waste. For me, this sparks the question if the electric food would be packaged differently, or if it would just be the bulk ingredient in foods that are packaged the way we know them to be. One of the goals is to reduce waste, but I wonder if the packaging would still be a problem. Next, we watched Food Inc. in class and it never seems to get out of my head when reading new articles. Certain images like the chickens not being able to walk are hard for me to forget. While reading this I was hoping that these types of cruel problems could actually be fixed, or eliminated. When food can be made without plants or animals, obviously it could be eliminated, but it makes me wonder if it is even possible because the electric food is only an ingredient. Large-scale farming is a huge industry, and I don't know how we could do without it completely with this sic-fi type solution. We'll just have to see where this thing goes.
futuristic food trends
This week in The News In Food, we are talking about the future of food. This article illustrates 5 new methods of producing food. These include 3D printing, In-Vitro Meat, Soylent, Molecular economy, and plants that can grow potatoes and tomatoes. These things seem strange at first, because it is not something we are used to, and it is not how we think of food. Not right now at least. However, the fact of the matter is that these things are happening and they will soon be far less unusual than they seem right now.
The article relates to our class in the sense that we have been talking about odd ways of producing meat, for example. We have talked about growing meat from cells, and growing leather instead of killing animals for it. These things all relate as they point to a future full of new technology and new methods of food and animal products. The article we read called, "How Does This Garden Grow? To The Ceiling." talks about vertical farming that uses LED lighting artificial soil to grow crops. The industry is growing and it is very effective as far as what it can produce in a year compared to typical agriculture. Another article we read called, "Can Dirt Save The Earth?" highlighted different ways of reducing carbon emissions, creating better ground/soil, and efficiently using animals and grass in relation to the carbon cycle. Overall, there is a motivation in the world of food right now to create faster, easier, healthier processes. Most of the time these methods are far different from your idea of the rows of corn in a large field on a farm. We will have to wait and see how things move and where this goes, but if the drawbacks are limited I can see these methods becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on.
The article relates to our class in the sense that we have been talking about odd ways of producing meat, for example. We have talked about growing meat from cells, and growing leather instead of killing animals for it. These things all relate as they point to a future full of new technology and new methods of food and animal products. The article we read called, "How Does This Garden Grow? To The Ceiling." talks about vertical farming that uses LED lighting artificial soil to grow crops. The industry is growing and it is very effective as far as what it can produce in a year compared to typical agriculture. Another article we read called, "Can Dirt Save The Earth?" highlighted different ways of reducing carbon emissions, creating better ground/soil, and efficiently using animals and grass in relation to the carbon cycle. Overall, there is a motivation in the world of food right now to create faster, easier, healthier processes. Most of the time these methods are far different from your idea of the rows of corn in a large field on a farm. We will have to wait and see how things move and where this goes, but if the drawbacks are limited I can see these methods becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on.