I picked this article because it is something that I have personally dealt with. A little over 10 years ago, I was having stomach pain and massive headaches after eating certain foods and my family couldn't figure out why. A family friend with the same problem finally suggested that it could be a reaction to MSG. I avoided eating foods with this additive for awhile and my issues disappeared. This article was both familiar and shocking to me, I had no idea that MSG could be hiding in so many different forms. It was also interesting to read about the possibility that MSG causes kidney and liver damage as well as high blood pressure. The fact that they believe it may be linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia is also quite scary considering the many different forms that it comes in and that people may not recognize as MSG, making it harder to avoid. Our readings in class have discussed dangerous food additives and their addictive properties. MSG is used because it adds great flavor to food, people really enjoy the taste, but they may not know the risks they are taking by ingesting this substance.
Reading this article was difficult emotionally. I can't believe that things like this go on in the United States. It really breaks my heart that these families have to leave their home in order to "make more money" and they come here and get paid meager wages that US citizens would never tolerate. It must be so hard on these families, they are so desperate for work and to provide for their families that they are willing to work in difficult conditions where their health and safety is compromised. I also can't believe the intense measures that they go through just to get into the country, even though they are breaking the law, it is really hard not to empathize with them and wish that they could do what they do in a safer, more legal manner. I never really thought of who picks my fruit and vegetables, but after reading this article, the class readings, and watching La Cosecha I think that I have a better understanding of the subject. This problem is one that is difficult to fix for many reasons. The first of these problems is that most of these workers are illegals, therefore they cannot demand higher wages or better working conditions. The second problem is that, while people want this practice to stop, Americans would not work these jobs even if they had the chance and farmers would not want them to because then they would be forced by law to raise wages and improve working conditions. This is a vicious cycle that will be a hard one to break. If we crack down on border control, what will happen to our food supply? Who will pick the crops? If we make tougher standards and laws for farmers about wages and working conditions, will Americans want to start working in the fields? If these impoverished families lose the only opportunity they have to make money, what will happen to them? There are many questions that are tough to answer, but I think it's about time we start asking them.
This article was really eye-opening for me. I was shocked by a quote near the beginning that said, "In the United States more than half of hungry households are white, and two-thirds of those with children have at least one working adult—typically in a full-time job." I never considered that someone with a full-time job could have a hungry family waiting for them at home. This article referenced the Food Stamps program quite a few times and reminded me of our reading "The Faces of Food Stamps". The articles were very similar, but I think this one did a better job of documenting problems that exist within the programs provided for those that don't make enough money to feed themselves or their families. I didn't know that these families aren't referred to as "going hungry", but instead they are called "food insecure". They explain that this term refers to the lack of nutritious food that these people are given to help feed their families. Although I do understand that some families may have to skip meals and feel "hungry", it seems that the bigger issue here is the lack of nutrition that brings about many other health problems. Obesity can lead to expensive health concerns such as diabetes and problems with heart health that these families are not economically equipped to deal with. I am concerned that they referred to this as "the new face of hunger". That quote disturbs me in particular, because real hunger exists, not only in the US, but in other countries all over the world. Deeming our American "food insecurity" as "the new face of hunger" seems ethnocentric and insensitive to the problems other areas are facing that are much more serious than skipping lunch or only receiving sugary, salty, or fatty foods. Other people go hungry all day and receive no relief of any kind. I think that something really needs to be done to provide these people with healthier options, but I also think we need to put our issues into perspective with those of the rest of the world. Comparably, our problems look very small and insignificant.
I found this article especially interesting since it was an idea expressed by George Ritzer in his book, The McDonaldization of Society. The article discusses the possibility that robotic technology exists at this time that could take the place of humans in the fast food industry. According to this article, the whole idea behind replacing humans with robots would be motivated by economics. This article did not explicitly say that robots would be taking the place of human workers to increase efficiency or to cut back on time that the human factor may add, it seemed to focus the fact that, at some point, it may become more costly to employ workers than replace them with machines. This would obviously cause huge problems considering that according to this quote, "Fast-food restaurants employ nearly 3.8 million people." If the machines could eventually replace all workers, that would put nearly 4 million people out of work. However, it seems that for now this technology is meant to aid the human workers and cut down on labor expenses for the business, not take jobs. Check out this awesome yet rather depressing video about the effects of McDonaldization:
Although this article is almost a year old, it is still relevant. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and it serves as a reminder to think about where our food comes from. Although the concept of food miles is one that I don't fully understand, I think that this article puts it in simple terms and makes understanding a confusing and mathematical process a little bit easier. I personally do not eat any of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes so this does not help me figure out my Thanksgiving food miles, but it did help me put it into perspective. This article makes food miles out to be the bad guy, but in the article "Math Lessons for Locavores" by Stephen Budiansky, it is suggested that food miles might not be so bad after all. Budiansky's article refers to food miles as "calories of energy" and compares these calories to energy used by typical families. He says this about the subject, "...households make up for 22 percent of all the energy expenditures in the United States. Agriculture, on the other hand, accounts for just 2 percent of our nation's energy usage." Budiansky sees food miles as a necessity, attributing the abundance of all types of food year-round and the ability to feed hundreds of millions to it. He sums up his article with this quote, "The relative pittance of our energy budget that we spend on modern farming is one of the wisest energy investments we can make, when we honestly look at what it returns to our land, our economy, our environment and our well-being." While I am supportive of eating local when you can, I love being able to snack on grapefruits in the winter and tropical fruits year-round. I tend to side more with Budiansky on this topic, I believe that food miles are necessary and not necessarily an evil.
One of the great debates going on in our world today involves the questionable ethics of the meat industry. The article that I found from the New York Times discusses the alternatives for those who choose not to support the killing of animals for human consumption. Since I have been a vegetarian for 6 years, these products are very familiar to me and I believe more people should be informed about their conservation and ethical potential. This article is meant to show its readers just how far "fake" meat has come with regards to both taste and quality. Coming from my somewhat biased point of view, fake meat is a no-brainer. While I did not become a vegetarian for humanitarian purposes or for the benefit of our planet, it is nice to know that I am also accomplishing those things while avoiding something that humans do not need to eat in order to survive. This article discusses the tremendous growth of "fake" meat-producing companies which is encouraging. However, I think most people want to run the other way when they hear the words "fake" and "meat" in the same sentence. Although the name is not particularly appetizing, I think that more people should be open to the idea of "meat" made from a plant-based protein and should consider substituting it for some of the real meat in their diets. The decision to reduce or eradicate meat consumption in your personal life is one that can be made for many reasons. These reasons include: compassion for animals, ethical concerns about the way our meat is produced (antibiotics and hormones), earth-consciousness, awareness about one's personal health, or, more simply, the desire to eat less meat. The great thing about this decision is that, no matter what your original goal or intention was, you are helping to change all of the other issues that I just listed. Check out my favorite meat substitute here!