I'm doing my project over discourse surrounding the portrayals of the FDA and USDA in popular media. In my research I've come across a lot of information about food labeling and nutrition information that has caused me to look at cereal boxes a little differently.
You may have been walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store and seen the front of of a box of frosted flakes. On the front of the box you might see in large letters, "Long Lasting Energy,10 grams of whole grain, a good source of Fiber!" When deciding between this brand of frosted flakes and another equally priced box of frosted flakes from a different company without these claims, those words in large print may be the deciding factor. You might think to yourself, "If the food company was allowed to print this on their box it must be true. Why not get something healthier?" Your terministic screen in dealing with claims on the front of food packages causes you to trust and view the claims with legitimacy. But the real question you should be asking is, "Is it healthier?"
According to Michael Pollan's book, Food Rules we should avoid foods which make health claims. He writes,"If a food has a health claim, it probably has a package and that means it's very likely processed. Moreover, the FDA's "qualified" health claims" are all but meaningless." After learning this information, I became much more suspect of health claims on the front of food packages.
My terministic screen had changed. I no longer look at claims on the front of food packages with total legitimacy. I'm more sceptical. I think to myself, "If they have to put this on the front, lets see what they are compensating for on the back." Then I turn it around and view the Nutritional Facts. Notice they are "facts" not "claims" and they are the only food label I know trust.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Food Inc and Sustainability
I recently viewed the film Food Inc, a documentary that explores the origin of many foods and industrialization of the food industry. It explores how the food industry’s focus on maximizing output instead of focusing on quality has led to foods that are less healthy and less safe, environmentally damaging farming practices, and the poor treatment of both workers and animals.
The film treads on material in relation to this class in its attention to sustainability. Corporate large-scale farms are juxtaposed with a small, local, pasture based farm in order to show their stark differences. The corporate farm system is based around producing as much food as possible at increasingly cheaper and faster rates. In order to produce as much meat as possible farmers overcrowd cattle and chicken into warehouses and small fenced in pens. Since the animals are in such close contact with one another and unable to graze, they often tread in their own feces, which makes for an optimal breeding ground for disease or bacteria. We the consumer then injest this meat along with any of the bacteria or infections it has gained in the process.
Cows on these farms are fed corn instead of grass because of its cheap cost, fattening effect, and the fact that these cows are not kept in areas where grass is growing from the ground. The only problem is that cows stomachs are not meant to digest corn and they often develop dangerous E-coli infections as a result. There have been several cases of E-Coli infected beef causing illness and even death.
The simple act of feeding and disposing of the manure from these cattle has turned into a massive operation. Loads of corn and grain must be shipped in constantly, which adds more fossil fuels into the environment worsening the effects of global warming. Manure must be shipped out, which amounts to the same problem.
The local, free pasture based farm on the other hand keeps things simple. Cows graze in large grassy fields eating and moving at their own pace. The system self-sustainable and environmentally safe since there is no need to ship out manure or ship in food. The cows poop in the fields, which fertilizes the grass allowing more to grow for them to eat, which leads to more manure and so on.
I’d say this documentary falls somewhere between informative and persuasive on Kinneavy’s aims of discourse. It informs of how our food is made and how the food could negatively effect us in the hopes that we consumers may be persuaded to eat and buy differently in the future.
The film treads on material in relation to this class in its attention to sustainability. Corporate large-scale farms are juxtaposed with a small, local, pasture based farm in order to show their stark differences. The corporate farm system is based around producing as much food as possible at increasingly cheaper and faster rates. In order to produce as much meat as possible farmers overcrowd cattle and chicken into warehouses and small fenced in pens. Since the animals are in such close contact with one another and unable to graze, they often tread in their own feces, which makes for an optimal breeding ground for disease or bacteria. We the consumer then injest this meat along with any of the bacteria or infections it has gained in the process.
Cows on these farms are fed corn instead of grass because of its cheap cost, fattening effect, and the fact that these cows are not kept in areas where grass is growing from the ground. The only problem is that cows stomachs are not meant to digest corn and they often develop dangerous E-coli infections as a result. There have been several cases of E-Coli infected beef causing illness and even death.
The simple act of feeding and disposing of the manure from these cattle has turned into a massive operation. Loads of corn and grain must be shipped in constantly, which adds more fossil fuels into the environment worsening the effects of global warming. Manure must be shipped out, which amounts to the same problem.
The local, free pasture based farm on the other hand keeps things simple. Cows graze in large grassy fields eating and moving at their own pace. The system self-sustainable and environmentally safe since there is no need to ship out manure or ship in food. The cows poop in the fields, which fertilizes the grass allowing more to grow for them to eat, which leads to more manure and so on.
I’d say this documentary falls somewhere between informative and persuasive on Kinneavy’s aims of discourse. It informs of how our food is made and how the food could negatively effect us in the hopes that we consumers may be persuaded to eat and buy differently in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)