Category Archives: COVID-19 News

How Industries Individualize Responsibility Amid the Covid-19 Epidemic

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Meatpacking plants are being devastated by Covid-19 amid orders to continue essential work, exposing the shortcomings of the institutions tasked with protecting our most vulnerable populations. This situation is a clear example of the claims made in Michael Maniates’ “Individualization,” where he discussed how institutions deflect responsibility onto the individuals they are ostensibly responsible for.

The Covid-19 epidemic seems to be an obvious example of an extraordinary circumstance requiring large institutional changes, especially as it relates to crucial industries like food production. These industries simply must continue operating to prevent food shortages. At the same time, however, workers in meatpacking plants tend to belong to vulnerable populations including the elderly and undocumented immigrants with no health insurance. Thus we should be seeing major operational changes to these facilities, such as the universal adoption of strict safety practices, or additional financial support for those who cannot work.

Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images.

Instead, both the government and the meatpacking facilities have externalized costs onto their workers while absolving themselves of any responsibility. The CDC and OSHA have issued guidelines to the facilities, but rather than recommending a productive solution which could be costly to the company such as mandatory testing or installing distancing barriers, they recommended better communication and wearing masks; plus, none of their guidelines are compulsory but are unenforced recommendations. The facilities, in turn, did not institute actual policy changes either, though they now “offer access” to masks for employees who request them. More egregious is the fact that any worker who wishes to quarantine is required to take unpaid leave and risk getting fired. This is a perfect example of institutions continually pushing responsibilities further down the line until it reaches their most vulnerable members, and it exemplifies the need for legitimate structural change if we wish to solve our most pressing issues.

Original article at https://thefern.org/2020/05/the-workers-are-being-sacrificed-as-cases-mounted-meatpacker-jbs-kept-people-on-crowded-factory-floors/

 

Restaurants during COVID-19

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Blog Post 2

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/world/europe/coronavirus-inequality.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/27/magazine/david-chang-restaurants-covid19.html

One of the contemplative practices that we learnt in class is analyzing the international trade and global inequalities through food and food systems. The restaurant industry is a good example of this especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic the restaurant industry has been hit quite hard. Restaurants lost most of their demand for their food overnight. They were considered non-essential services and couldn’t dine in customers anymore. As a result most restaurants had to consider whether to close their restaurant or offer delivery. 

This information might be irrelevant to thinking about inequality. Lets just picture the University Ave. It’s a street filled with our favorite food and drink places. It would not be an unlikely scenario that after the pandemic is over that a good amount of restaurants on the Ave would be closed permanently. Those are the restaurants that thrive on having an influx of college students dining in and also taking out food. The ones that will survive are the ones that adapted to delivery apps or contact less take out as famous restaurateur David Chang said in an interview with the NY Times. That’s the real inequality in the restaurant industry, who is able to adapt faster than the other. As Individuals what can we do? I would like to think we love food and love our local restaurants. What can we do to prevent our favorite places from closing especially those that are struggling to adapt to the changes. Buy gift cards from the place and get take out as much as you can if they offer it. I want to come out of this crisis knowing that my local communities have their favorite food still readily available.

A Symbol of Resilience: Urban Gardens Amidst a Pandemic

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In response to: “Urban Gardens Combat COVID-19 Virus” by ari3

Your post peaked my interest as the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated how crucial food sovereignty is in the face of a crisis; even Amartya Sven, someone that has claimed food sovereignty to be a “a peculiarly obtuse way of thinking about food security”, admits that in time of crisis and instability self-sufficiency is valuable.

As we’ve discussed in class, urban gardening can be used as a source of empowerment and can ensure that disenfranchised groups have access to healthy food. It is important to note that the same health issues exacerbated by living in a food desert, such as obesity and heart disease, have also led to a disproportionate amount of COVID-related deaths amongst African Americans. As the fight for a more equitable and just food system continues, the value of, and need for, urban gardens and farms has never been more evident.

With that being said, your post does bring up the important point that although the need for urban gardens is unmistakable, current public health precautions make maintaining urban gardens increasingly difficult. As a result, I have decided to highlight instances where urban gardens have demonstrated resilience in the face of the pandemic.

I would be remiss not to address my own experience with the local community garden in my neighborhood. Eager to continue operations, the volunteer coordinators quickly adapted to the developing situation, requiring all volunteers to bring a mask, their own gloves, and hand-sanitizer, while also limiting work parties to 5 people and enforcing social distancing guidelines. Food that is harvested is currently being donated to a local food pantry and is available to any volunteers in need. Other urban gardens like, Sprout Nola in Louisiana, have identified another solution by delivering seedlings started by seasoned gardeners to members of the community. Our own UW Farm, a typically student-powered operation, has continued to function on our student-less campus, thanks to the dedication of full-time manager Perry Aceworth and AmeriCorps volunteer Adam Houston.

What a work day looks like in the era of coronavirus at the Sustain DuPage garden. Photo by: Anya Gavrylko

Although current conditions are less than ideal for urban gardens and farms, these food systems have been a symbol of social-ecological resilience in the face of a crisis, and will hopefully strengthen our food system for years to come.

Sources

Amartya Sven quote: https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/211/44284.html

The New Normal

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In response to Cat Kelly’s “How are You?”

I scrolled through nearly all, and read many, of the blogs thus far posted in search of something to respond to. Many topics, paragraphs and links earned my attention and over an hour later I felt overwhelmed with choice. But then I read Cat Kelly’s reflection on our very first contemplative practice. This meditation was the simplest, Professor Litfin simply asked us to explore our feelings in the present moment. 

Cat’s reflection was piercing to read. I too have felt the need to slow down and (even before this pandemic) the need to “enjoy my life the way I like to enjoy it, not how America trains us to enjoy it”. Cat hit every nerve with me, writing about the desire to not over-achieve or over burden herself with work. She wondered if she could just live for herself right now and peel away all the expectation. 

I want to yell to Cat and to everyone “Do it! Slow down! This is a hard moment! And this is a big moment!!”. You see Cat, I believe that this pandemic has given you the pause and opportunity to let go of some of those socially imposed expectations that you normally hold on to. This is wonderful. But also, I do not believe that the overwork, over-achievement, overproduction and over-consumption you are normally pressured into participating in is a good normal, nor should we be desperate to return to it. 

A friend recently sent me an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure”. Distilling the message of this piece into a sentence would go something like this: slow down and take a breath because all of your panicked productivity is an expression of your desire that the world get back to normal, but the truth of the matter is we are living through a world-changing-crisis and what we all need to be doing is processing the fact that our world will not go back to what is was before… ever. While this message is tough to swallow and difficult to process, there is also enormous potential in this reality. As the author Aisha Ahmad writes,

Be slow… Let it change how you think and how you see the world. Because the world is our work. And so, may this tragedy tear down all our faulty assumptions and give us the courage of bold new ideas.

What could these bold new ideas hold? 

To turn to our food system, as we all slow down perhaps we will see the world with fresh and adjusted eyes now brave enough to face what is crumbling. Hopefully some of the most unjust, dangerous and corrosive aspects of our food system will reveal themselves to be no-longer ignorable in the fabric of a new world shaped by greater understanding of the potential for catastrophe. As Paolo Di Croce, the secretary general of Slow Food International, said in a recent video “this fight to change the food system is more important now than ever”. 

An Image from a World Economic Forum web page entitled “COVID-19 is exacerbating food shortages in Africa” — Many systemic food problems may come to a head during this crisis, revealing our broken system

Perhaps if we all slow down, as Cat suggested, adjust to the harshness of this crumbling world and emerge on the other side of our individual emotional struggles with renewed bravery, we will then have the courage to take up good fights to change this new world for the better. 

In some ways, this could be a fresh start. But first we must slow down and accept that it is happening.

-Aisling Doyle Wade

Sources:

Ahmad, Aisha. 2020. “Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 27, 2020. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-You-Should-Ignore-All-That/248366.

How Are You?

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Before the start of Spring Quarter, I signed up for this class not knowing really what I was getting into and what I would learn or gain from it. With this in mind, our professor started our first class session with a contemplative practice, and to me this specific one had me think the most and allowed me to really think about myself and how I am with everything that has been going on around me and in the world. She took time from class to have us reflect and to give thought about things when she asked the class “how are you.”

For me personally, I did not really put in much thought because at first I was thinking to myself, I am good, which was straight forward and to the point. However, because of the fact that she gave us a solid amount of time to ourselves, not just a few minutes, I was able to dig deeper and really contemplate on what has happened to me given the coronavirus pandemic and the stay at home order, and how it has affected me and so many other people around me. It made me realize how much I have taken advantage of before COVID-19 worsened and the stay at home order was implemented, such as going to some place, and seeing and talking to people in person. I know I am not the only one who is struggling with this, because being sociable really helps boost my mood and has a positive effect on my life. After that exercise I understood that it is normal for me to feel upset, stressed, just anything that had a negative influence on myself because this current situation is a difficult time. I really appreciated that contemplative practice the most because I realized everything I have been feeling, and that I knew so many people were going through that as well, and that I was not alone in this. We all are struggling somehow. Because of this practice, I twas able to come up of ways to ease and help myself stay positive, too keep myself busy. And it has helped me in the long run.

Photo Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle

Womxn, Food, and Security Amid COVID-19 in Yemen

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ON APRIL 9, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it will reduce its international aid contribution by 50% to Yemen. Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis that threatens Yemen’s population and puts nearly 14 million people at risk of starvation according to the United Nations, the COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately impact the status on womxn in an already conflict ridden country. 

In addition to the estimated 3M womxn at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) in 2018, the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Report estimated that rising food shortages left an estimated 1.1 million pregnant womxn malnourished. The reduction in WFP aid will increase the already estimated 12 million Yemenis in need each month that the WPF feeds, increasing the risk towards malnourished womxn and children.

Schoolgirls in Yemen enjoy WFP provided meals. Image courtesy of WFP/Mohammed Nasher

The crisis calls into question the shifting roles that womxn will take on to tackle food insecurity as international organizations become strained. What additional burdens will this place on womxn already experiencing violence? My prediction is that more womxn will step into roles of political leadership, peacemaking, and environmentalism with the rise of COVID-19. 

In the face of the crisis, womxn have already stepped up to organize and speak up about food insecurity in the midst of the pandemic, raising issues of inclusive peace talks and starting grassroots initiatives in their communities to help alleviate hunger. Muna Luqman, founder of the Food for Humanity Foundation has used her platform to work on coronavirus relief in Yemen. In the coming months, Yemeni womxn will not only face the blunt impact of the food crisis that COVID-19 is exacerbating, they will also serve as primary leaders and organizers in their communities in the midst of declining humanitarian aid to the country. 

The original inspiration for the article can be found at https://insight.wfp.org/inside-the-lives-of-women-living-through-the-crisis-in-yemen-e45d5662972

Urban Farms’ Rapid Response to COVID-19

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The spread of COVID-19 has unveiled our problematic and inequitable systems of society. It has also demonstrated great opportunity to change our current systems- such as rethinking and appreciating food. Royte’s article brings to light the importance of urban farming and how smaller, more accessible farms that are tied by place to the communities that they serve is beneficial, especially during a global pandemic.

Urban farms are extremely productive, and can produce a variety of crops in a densely populated space. The author describes in detail regarding the logistical adaptations and challenges of a 2.75 and 1.5 acre farms based in Brooklyn, New York. It was interesting to hear about how food systems are being impacted especially such a highly effected area that is increasingly experiencing immense loss in their community. The farms have launched delivery options, and have traded more labor-intensive crops, such as snap peas and microgreens to others that are suited for home cooking and grocery stores. A community supported agricultural model (CSA) was also described, where customers can pay up front for a guarantee box of fresh produce every week, which ultimately can provide much needed income to farmers who normally rely on in-person farmer’s markets or storefronts to sell crops.

To rely on a monopoly food corporation or national food distribution chain is a dangerous dice to roll, especially in a global pandemic. To have ultimate rule over a national distribution chain is a lot of pressure and responsibility when a chaotic event occurs, and overall has historically consolidated wealth and power. I believe that small urban farms can adapt and pivot quickly in a time of crisis in order to serve a community, and put more power into the hands of the people. Urban farms are the future!

Original article: https://thefern.org/ag_insider/virus-is-changing-how-urban-farms-operate-and-even-what-they-grow/

How COVID-19 Has Exacerbated Food Insecurity

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The article I chose was titled “Food waste–and food insecurity–rising amid coronavirus panic” and was written by Elizabeth Royte who is a Contributing Editor to the Food & Environment Reporting Network. My initial thought process when reading the article was “why don’t farmers donate their product rather than let it rot or destroy it?”. The solution however is not as simple, the food supply chain contains many moving elements that are all interconnected. To begin with much of the agricultural sector of the US is propped up and dependent upon immigrant labor, but U.S. immigration policy has constrained visas for workers, subsequently preventing the arrival of 200,000 seasonal migrants from Mexico. Not only will this impact the grocery store shelves in the US, many of the migrants depend upon agricultural work to feed their families as well. Farms are also struggling with how to most efficiently distribute the produce, dairy products, eggs and more to food banks. As Janet Poppendieck, an expert on poverty and food assistance explains “To purchase from a whole new set of farmers and suppliers — it takes time, it takes knowledge, you have to find the people, develop the contracts.” Another issue is the lack of volunteers available to distribute the food at food banks, as the older volunteers who are at higher risk for COVID-19, aren’t showing up to work (rightfully so). On top of this congregating in crowds, whether in soup kitchens, senior centers, or food pantries, is now forbidden in many states, leaving agencies scrambling to find ways to deliver meals to clients sheltering in place. However, it must also be acknowledged that to many of these billion-dollar corporations such as Sanderson Farms, the costs of donating their products may not have as much of an impact on their overall profit as it would on smaller family farms. Thus, making donating their product a much more feasible option. Throughout my research it was fascinating to see how ill-prepared these multi-billion-dollar corporations were for a decrease in profit. It appears that in the US we have paid more attention to and policed the financial security of low wage workers in a way unlike billionaire corporations have been. Unfortunately, the burden of these companies’ financial instability has fallen on the backs of Americans who are already experiencing hardship.

Food Waste During COVID-19 Panic

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      This article first addresses the issues of food waste and how the U.S already wastes 40% of the food bought and how this will of course rise during this pandemic. There is a focus on food banks and the increased strain on these facilities. It really hit hard for me, at a point in my life my family relied on the food bank and it was extremely essential for us in terms of food stability. I also work at Trader Joe’s and we work with local food banks for donations and I see how this pandemic has affected our ability to help out. However, we are still donating food and it is being picked up so I see that as a good sign that at least there is a push to continue helping the community. Being on the frontline during this pandemic, gives me an intimate knowledge of how the issues brought up in the article are going to affect the supply chain and the food system for months or even years to come. 

       “ Now, anxious consumers who hoarded food may discover there’s no way they can eat everything they’ve bought.”  I saw this firsthand at Trader Joes, the first wave of panic resulted in people clearing out shelves completely, we had almost no product left, and sales were doubled and even tripled per day. Customers would be clearing off shelves and piling their carts high with perishable foods. There is absolutely no way that they can get through all this food, it ultimately will be returned and since we can’t donate returned food it will be tossed. So how exactly do we try and fix this problem? The article mentions a local restaurant in Woodinville that is repurposing food waste and creating lunch boxes for healthcare workers. I thought this was great to hear. However, ultimately this crisis just amplifies current issues in the system such as the food left rotting in fields, and the uncertainty of food banks and the supply and distribution of food to the most vulnerable. There needs to be more cohesive solutions that are on a much larger scale to actually solve the U.S’s food waste problems. 

https://thefern.org/2020/03/food-waste-and-food-insecurity-rising-amid-coronavirus-panic/

Obesity in U.S and COVID-19

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Across the ocean, France’s chief epidemiologist said that the “US will ‘probably have the most problems’ with coronavirus, partly due to obesity”. Is obesity in the U.S as bad as he says? In fact yes! The U.S is one of the 12 most obese countries in the world with 36.2% in the adult population in 2016 from the CIA when South Korea and Japan, the healthiest countries with a similar economy to the US, are around 4%.

Why do people in the U.S record a much higher number in terms of obesity or being overweight than other wealthy countries around the world? And, how has the food system had an impact on our health?

The U.S was the first to have a vision of food as a pack of nutrients containing molecules arranged in four big families: proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. Between 1930 and 1950 the U.S military started to enrich rations with vitamins and nutrients. In fact, as all military innovation, it did not take long to find the same processed food in our supermarket. Also, the U.S had the strongest industrial system of the world, and entrepreneurs saw a new niche market in industrially processed food by using theories of nutritionism to market food as healthier than unprocessed food. However, many issues have arisen with this new industry’s food system such as a range of chronic diseases, cancers, hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and many other diseases associated with obesity.

This new model of consumption had and still has a terrible impact on the population, especially on the poorest where most of the time industrialized food is the only things that they can afford. The above graph is perfectly highlighting the correlation between the rise of obesity and the expansion of processed food in the 70s and 80s in the U.S, as well as the differences with countries who do not share this way of food consumption.

Henceforth, the pandemic of COVID-19, which mostly affects persons with a weak immune system, is showing us again how our lack of knowledge in nutritionism combines with the U.S political-economy of industrialized processed food is causing dramatic consequences on our metabolism.