Category Archives: Topics

Our Society Was Sick Well Before Covid-19: The Elephant in The Room

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Thibault Cancel recently wrote about the link between Covid-19 and obesity in the United States. He cited a CIA statistic from 2016 that 36% of the adult population was obese, compared to around just 4% in Japan. Thibault makes a great point about the rise of obesity and how it relates to the rise of processed foods, which have been marketed with various health claims. Claims based on nutrition buzzwords like “protein” and “whole grain,” among others.

Michael Pollan touches on this point in an article for the New York Review of Books. Citing the CDC, he notes the strongest predicting factors of those hospitalized with Covid-19: 49% had pre-existing hypertension, 48% were obese, and 28% had diabetes.

Person Holding Pizza on Box

All are conditions we are predisposed to because of the standard Western diet of processed foods, large quantities of meat, and little fruit or veg. The food system in our country promotes the production of foods which, “are reliably supplying the supermarket shelves and drive-thrus with cheap and abundant calories, it is killing us—slowly in normal times, swiftly in times like these,” Pollan writes.

Please No Smoking, Littering and Radio Signage on Gray Wall

How many dollars and lives has it taken to get the PSA out on the toxicity of Tobacco products? When might we see a similar campaign to properly educate consumers about the foods we see every day on the supermarket shelf, or on that impulse-buy at the counter, which cause disease and increase the threat to viruses such as Covid-19.

It’s high time we address the elephant in the room; Not only do our food choices affect our health and happiness, they also are linked directly to inequities in our society. While I don’t expect everyone to have the resources to eat a healthy diet, we all have personal responsibility over our bodies, and it’s time we get them moving.

Person Running Near Street Between Tall Trees

Response to: Boxed in a Paradox

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Response to: Boxed in a Paradox by ash_marie

Since the start of the pandemic, I have been scared to go out to get groceries or other essentials for fear of contracting the virus and/or bringing it home to my loved ones. Because of this, I have chosen to seldom go to the store, going only every few weeks to buy in bulk. But on occasion I still need something that I have run out of or forgot to purchase. Rather than risk the trip to the grocery store, I chose to order the product online, often kicking myself as I use amazon. While deliveries are not risk free, they have reduced risk compared to in person sopping. I took my ability to do this for granted until I read ‘Boxed in a Paradox’ by ash_marie.

‘Boxed in a Paradox’ explains the reality of a lack of access to online orders for many Americans as well as the immense amount of wealth that online ordering has been generating for companies like Amazon and Walmart while their workers suffer. In the blog post, ash_marie discusses the need to reform the system to make it more equitable for workers and consumers.

Food System Map. Source: https://kumu.io/monicapc/food-system-vision-2050-oct2019

To make reforms, it is important to fully understand the system to begin with. As we have touched on in class, mapping out a system is an effective way to achieve this. Monica Price Cohen develops system maps, such as the food system map, which allows the viewer to gain an in depth understanding of the system that they are investigating by demonstrating connections that the viewer may never have thought of before. Developing a system map of the online ordering system, which would fit within the larger food system map, is a great place to start to understand the next steps to take to make effective change.

-Nathan Mock

In Response to “A Plague Overlooked: The locust crisis lurking in the shadow of COVID-19”

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In response to this blog post.

I chose to respond to Cameron’s blog post because it uncovers a serious crisis currently in the shadow of COVID-19 news. Their post describes the large swarms of locusts overtaking farmland throughout the Horn of Africa. As of May 13th the locusts continue to spread rapidly; officials warn they may migrate east as far as the Indo-Pakistan border and even to West Africa.   

Map showing possible Desert Locust Spread, fao.org

How international organizations are addressing this crisis closely relates our study of the global food economy. Developing countries (like those on the Horn of Africa) face comparatively more severe repercussions from an agricultural crisis like this than in developed countries. Agriculture comprises a much higher portion of their GDP and they lack sufficient resources to respond to such a disaster. The locust swarms are also infesting extremely food insecure nations like South Sudan. Then why has funding been slow and insufficient? Historically (and still today) international trade institutions are manipulated so that the world food system works in favor of developed nations. As discussed by Clapp,  developed countries dump their subsidized food in global markets while developing countries struggle to compete with the cheap costs. There seems to be little international movement towards helping the region during this crisis. Developing countries continue to lack influence in intergovernmental organizations like the U.N yet are facing increasingly devastating environmental crises like this one.

Locusts swarm through East Africa

This issue therefore clearly connects to the idea of “triple inequality” discussed in class. As Cameron mentions, climate change has been linked to the locust swarms. The affected countries have had little historical influence on global warming, yet pay the brunt of the climate costs while having little capacity to adapt and respond to this disaster. The “triple inequality” theory, in combination with the structuring of international organizations and the world food system overall, elucidates how the system is stacked against these developing countries. Sufficient funding should be provided in response to this crisis, but we must also think of larger reforms that reshape these global systems by putting power into the hands of climate change threatened countries. How can we reform these systems so that they are fair, just, and work for all, not just the most powerful?

The Slippery Slope of the Sabra Brand

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Zoe’s article, A Culture of Chocolate showcased a thoughtful, personal contemplation of their cultural identity and its relationship to the world food system. Zoe’s expression of guilt from eating a piece of Ghirardelli chocolate resonated with my own culpability in purchasing a highly controversial food product: Sabra hummus. Being Palestinian, I feel a deep responsibility to advocate for Palestinian justice and rights campaigns, yet little did I know that the hummus I ate was financially supporting a Israeli military infantry accountable for the killing of well over 1,000 Palestinians. 

A line of hummus products from the Sabra Brand.         Image belongs to: https://sabra.com/content/new-sabra-logo.html

Not only is the Sabra Hummus company supporting a cruel military brigade, but also half of its company is owned by PepsiCo. Being a global food giant, PepsiCo has garnered plenty of undesired attention for its human rights violations regarding the unemployment of 162 PepsiCo workers in a West Bengal warehouse, attributable to the workers attempting to join a union. With this newfound knowledge relative to the unethical standards the Sabra brand follows, I have become self-critical and a guilty consumer similar to Zoe’s feelings concerning the chocolate she ate. Looking beyond immoral company standards, it’s also crucial to view the already vulnerable position the Middle East finds itself in relation to food production on account of their scarce water supply, limited access to arable land, and fluctuations in international commodity markets as a consequence of their high dependence on imported grains and other food items.

The non-arable farm land covering the majority of the Middle Eastern region.  Image belongs to: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/middle-east-front-lines-climate-change-mena/

In 2016 it was reported that the Sabra brand generated an estimate of $800 million and was projected to become a  one billion dollar brand. This US based company producing a Middle Eastern staple condiment is going to reap the extravagant rewards, meanwhile Middle Easterners continue to live in a society plunging within the depths of food insecurity. As an Arab American, I feel alarmed.

A Response to “‘Essential Workers’: Heroes or a Sacrifice to Capitalism”

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Coming across “‘Essential Workers’: Heroes or a Sacrifice to Capitalism” reinforced many of my frustrations regarding the valoric framing of laborers during the coronavirus pandemic. As more awareness campaigns, often celebrity-fueled, clap from screen to screen in viral transmission, people embedded within the linkages of our global food chain work to ensure the survival of themselves and those who depend on this vast network, not out of charity, but because that’s the way things are. These are real people with a real capacity for exhaustion, illness, and death- not some Marvel character that can recalibrate their cellular composition when compromised. The use of superhero imagery during this time of crisis to encourage productivity and decrease strike sentiment among food workers whose rights are consistently trampled is not surprising, as it has often been used to normalize and increase citizen engagement in the military industrial complex.


In reading the authored recounting of the Mexican Farm Labor Program Act, I am reminded that the systematic legacy of slavery in America has not yet dissapated, but rather, manifested into more obscured, diverse forms (Yes! Magazine). The cultural enclaves we find doting the outskirts of a pricey Seattle, and the pages of our history books likewise, are not out of choice, but a historical attempt by many immigration quotas to ‘cultivate’ a certain workforce with eugenic-like intent, preying on those whose lives have been destabilized in the industrial rat race to the bottom. We live at an ironic intersection, where the wealthiest of individuals are able to buy back the pastoral fantasy that the likes of Earl Butz’ so eagerly destroyed, while those burdened with the task of feeding an ever-growing urban population work to ensure the economic mobility of their children (GRAIN). Rightfully, this post questions the performative support offered by individual actors with real political and economic influence, much like many of us have questioned the performativity of our own green consumer choices within this class; it’s the easiest way to cope in an infrastructure which abhorrently lags behind the needs of the populace. If history taught us anything, it’s that, every once and awhile, a little civil disobedience is necessary, and that efficient industry and equitable economic distribution puts food on the table (not instagram montages).

Connections with the World System and Ourselves

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Response to Sarah  Champ’s “A refocusing Around Connection”

Feel Connected

This reflection on the Contemplative Practices ties in the very present issue of COVID-19 and the stresses it is bringing to daily lives, and the stresses it puts on the world system. I personally have never felt more transient, with my family’s summer move plans no longer set in stone, all future plans cancelled, and the uncertainty of even returning to school in the fall taking its toll on my ability to feel connected to the life I left (as I am out of state) and even the sense of self I have built over the last year. Sarah feels the same way, as there is both an internal sense of pressure to feel tied down to something, and an external through responsibilities such as coursework and household duties, but an inability to feel a connection to either. People are interconnected, and this sense of connection being disrupted has led to a more systemic approach of every individual and entire countries evaluating their connection to each other.

The greatest impact of this can be seen on the fossil fuel industry. COVID-19 has decimated oil prices as production continues but no consumers are using it, as car use and industrial production are halted due to economic shutdowns worldwide. Divestment in Fossil Fuels: A Preventive Public Health Strategy ...According to Forbes, renewable energy has become more appealing in fossil fuel’s place as they are not nearly as volatile economically, and increase energy sovereignty as constant imports of scarce fossil fuels are cut. Economic bailouts are being drafted for relief, and lawmakers are being given an opportunity to focus relief on more economically viable and environmentally safe instead of continuing to fund the dying fossil fuel industry. Peak Oil and Coal were reached decades ago, and the supply is only fading more and more.

The connection between individuals, the pandemic, and the fossil fuel industry’s future is clear, and it is paramount to make sure that change is enacted for the better.

Why are so many people hungry?

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In response to “Thoughts on hunger after contemplative practice.”

Tristram Stuart’s TED talk that we watched earlier this month first got me thinking about food waste in a structured way. He says that the United States has twice as much food than it actually needs to feed its citizens, a statistic that shocked me. But when I thought about it, I wasn’t really surprised. I throw out food I don’t finish all the time, not feeling too guilty about it. What did I know about what good my food could do in someone else’s hands?

And then it went to the back of my mind for a couple weeks — as concepts we learn so often can — but going through the blog, this post brought it back up again. It reminded me of the connections between our overconsumption and waste of food with famine in less developed countries. Especially as climate change wreaks havoc on our food system both now and even more so in the future, we need to think critically about how we dole out the world’s food because the amount is finite and so many people need to be fed. And the system we’re using now isn’t equitable.

Author Tristram Stuart with a pile of discarded bananas, an emblem of global food waste. (Source: https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/00000148-bd38-d00e-adef-ffbc74fb0000)

“Global hunger is a problem of distribution, access, empowerment,” Michael Carolan writes in chapter 4 of The Real Cost of Cheap Food (italics are the authors).

Carolan rightly notes that global hunger is not the result of a lack of food, but instead is a socioeconomic problem in our system that disproportionately gives food to industrialized countries like ours over developing countries that desperately need it. 

This is not a scientific issue, but a political one that could be solved that way. But the question is: will we?

A Response: The Time to get to Know What’s in My Cup

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A response to: “The time to get to know what’s in my cup” by grahamms

As a fellow coffee drinker, @grahamms’ reflection resonated with me. Not only do I regularly consume large amounts of coffee but it’s also my way of connecting with friends and family. Interestingly enough, the thing that connects me to people is the one thing I’ve never considered myself connected to. What I mean by this is that I never give it a second thought. Coffee makes me feel good, therefore, I drink it. And that is that. @grahamms brought up an interesting point in his post- the introduction of coffee pods. We no longer see the coffee we’re drinking! We’re consuming a product that hugely impacts our environment and we don’t even see it anymore.

I like contemplative practices because they allow us to open up a dialogue with ourselves and others. It puts us in a space where we can question the process of things and the role we play in it. That is why when @grahamms voiced my own feeling of impotence as he mentioned his lack of control over the issues of coffee trade; it led me to wonder- what can we do? Would decreasing or completely stopping our consumption of coffee help alleviate this environmental problem? 

I thought back to Richard Robbins’s essay on the consumption of beef and sugar from a few weeks back. Although Robbins considers reduction, he notes that there are a couple of inconveniences tied to it; not only would the size of the reduction have to be extremely large to see real change, but it would also cause severe economic disruptions. He concludes that it’d be difficult to change our consumption behavior because it’s such a central and necessary part of our culture. 

Although this didn’t leave me with any concrete answers, it did get me to think about the problem and all of the interdependent systems involved. And that is what contemplative practices are all about.

Was Thomas Malthus Right?

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In response to “Is this Hunger?” by Regular Joe

 

While reading his response to the “Hunger” contemplative practice, I noticed a pattern. “Regular Joe” thought about his own hunger, relayed it to the rest of the framework of world hunger, and tried to find solutions to the problem. This is a logical process for most (Identify problem with yourself –> expand to larger view –> look for a mend or solution).

To put it lightly, this process works for a lot of things, but world hunger is a different beast. It consumes the lives of tens of millions each year, most of which we don’t see because of our privilege. America is blessed with wealth, while other countries aren’t so lucky, so it is hard for us to think of hunger in a larger context.

A frame from Interstellar, a movie hypothesizing the future of agriculture.

To fight hunger in the present and in the future, I think we have to look to the past. In his claims, Thomas Malthus believed that human population/demand for food would far surpass supply of food in the coming decades or centuries. And while this could be a danger in the future, right now, Malthus was vastly mistaken overall. He saw around him a way of food production that was sloppy and downright slow by today’s standards, so no wonder he made this claim. But humanity, harnessing innovation, created numerous processes to optimize food growth, such as high-scale irrigation, crop rotation, genetically modified organisms, etc. These are some of the processes Regular Joe references in his response to “Hunger”, but I want to look at the future landscape of agriculture.

 

“Humanity is condemned by the tendency of population to grow geometrically while food production would increase only arithmetically”

-Thomas Malthus

 

To me, I look at the future of food production similarly to what I watched in the movie Interstellar, by Christopher Nolan. In this movie (taken place hundreds of years from now), the world has transitioned most of their citizens to agriculture-based careers, rather than accountants, athletes, movie-stars, etc. Because of the growing population, more food had to be produced, in areas that were optimal for food growth. I see the optimal growing zones on earth shifting more towards the poles (because of global warming) but I see humanity making the most out of it, squeezing all they can (agriculture-wise) out of their new situation.

References

Photo: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2471590/how-interstellar-turned-christopher-nolan-into-an-actual-corn-farmer

Quote: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-malthus-predicted-1798-food-shortages/

Local Food System and Education

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Response to: Globalization to Sustainable Development by Rachel

Rachel discusses globalization of the food system in reference to the chocolate contemplative practice. This made me think about where the other foods I eat come from, and I had no idea. The image to the left demonstrates the idea that foods come from all over the world, you can see that many crops Americans eat regularly are not even grown in our country.

The idea of switching from a globalized food system to a localized agricultural system to decrease climate change was brought up in Rachel’s Article. I wanted to further explore this topic and the benefits of buying from local farmers/businesses. According to Lori Starling from One Green Planet, if you buy foods from local markets you’ll gain access to fresher food that have less packaging and took less transport time, therefore having a much lower carbon footprint than buying from the supermarket. In addition, it allows you to connect with the people involved in your foods development so you can ask all the necessary questions and have an expert there to help you make your decision.

But how do we get people to start buying local foods and shopping at farmers markets rather than the grocery store? Environmental education is the answer. Environmental education is important because it builds a basis of knowledge, understanding, appreciation, and sensitivity towards the environment. These perspectives are important in allowing individuals to develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues. Though, it’s not just explaining environmental mechanisms; it’s building a relationship with nature so that informed personal decisions can be made to protect the planet (EPA).

 

So in conclusion, a localized food system can be very beneficial for the environment, but to get to a point where people are willingly buying local foods, environmental education needs to be improved.