Finding organic whole foods is not too difficult in Omaha, but it is expensive. Whole Foods provides very good whole food choices, however, it earns its “Whole Paycheck” nickname. Fortunately, local grocery stores are offering a lot more organic produce and more all natural, hormone and antibiotic free meat and dairy options at fairly reasonable prices. Nonetheless, we are still uncertain about where the food came from, when it was harvested, and how far it traveled.
Living in an urban setting, our food sources are somewhat of a mystery. We might know that the grapes were grown in California and shipped here which still leaves us out of touch with the source. Pollan recommends that we “shake the hand that feeds us;” difficult to do when you
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According to the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform website, "Sustainable agriculture is the efficient production of safe, high quality agricultural products, in a way that protects and improves the natural environment, the social and economic conditions of farmers, their employees and local communities, and safeguards the health and welfare of all farmed species." That sounds pretty clinical, but most of these farms are small, family-owned enterprises that rely on the farm for income. These are great sources of all natural meats, dairy, and organic fruits and vegetables. There are a few of these of farms in Nebraska. For a list of them and what they offer visit the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society website at http://www.nebsusag.org/. Unfortunately urban sprawl is converting much of Nebraska’s available farmland into nonfarm uses. According to an article on Prairie Fire Newspaper’s website “Multifunctional Rural Landscapes: Impacts of Land-use Change in Nebraska” by Twyla M. Hansen and Charles A. Francis, the conversion of farmland near cities like Omaha to other uses inhibits the long-term ability to provide food to a growing population. Encouraging smart growth helps to limit sprawl by stopping leap-frog, low-density housing projects and preserve open land. (Palen, 248) Using up farmland for housing developments has sparked the relatively new idea of urban
He probes them to learn the what, where, and how of dinner – knowing what is going into the body, knowing where that food came from, and knowing how that food was made. By first knowing what is being consumed, people can make better informed decisions about their purchases. Nutrition, or lack thereof, is a key component in the battle against obesity. Food giants are hoping to hide the often unnecessary filler present in their products by use of dodgy claims and socially engineered advertisements. In general, most consumers probably couldn’t say where their food came from. This usually boils down to the fact that shoppers typically don’t think about it. Breaking this reliance on mass-grown foods is the second part of Pollan’s proposition. The third and equally important element is how the food is produced. More specifically, Pollan is concerned whether or not the food has been produced in a sustainable manner. Preserving the biodiversity of food, maintaining fertile land for future generations, and ensuring consumers receive food that does not compromise health are all factors of sustainability. Without informed consumers, what, where, and how will continue to be unanswered questions. Whether it is for nutritional or ethical choices, a particular food’s history is something that needs to once again become common
Many consumers are not able to see where their food comes from, similarly to how the corn no longer has the information of how it was produced. The change in food production also is evident in the decline in personal nature via packaging. Two centuries ago, people were able to purchase their corn from “the farm where the corn had been grown” and most likely where they had developed a more personal linkage with the farmer on a local level. Now, the connection between the source of consumer’s food production and the consumer itself are separated by thousands of miles, lacking communication, acknowledgement, and awareness of the production process. Pollan implements something as simple as a produce “sack” to showcase the reality that modern-day consumers are denied their right to know where and how their food was developed, violating one foundation of food justice: the right to know what one is eating.
As he goes on in the book, he goes back and forth in time to explain how the science of nutrition was changed over the years. In terms of place, Pollan focuses on America when he talks about the history of nutrition and the impacts it had on people. He also brings up other places to compare their diet with the Western diet, such as France, Italy, and Japan. Pollan wrote this book as a guide to the people out there that are wondering about how to eat healthily and also enjoy food at the same time. Readers have asked Pollan questions regarding nutrition. As mentioned on page 2 of the book, the readers have asked, “what should I eat? And now that you’ve been to the feedlots, the food-processing plants, the organic factory farms, and the local farms and ranches, what do you eat?” It was the curiosity and uncertainty of people concerned with nutrition that encouraged Pollan to produce and publish this
Personally, I am fortunate to live in an area that has a fairly wide array of organic foods. There is a healthy mix of large supermarkets and small, independent grocers that sell organic foods.
According to Coughlin (1980), “The annual loss of prime agricultural land due to urbanization is between 390,000 acres and 760,000 acres” (p. 1). Many companies, business, and homes are being built in areas that were being used for agriculture. Many of the urban farmers don’t have a saying on what is being done by the government. In some cases, with the low economy, many urban farmers decide to sell their land to get the money they need to
Firstly, Pollan explains how baffling the American supermarket can be. He mentions that food corporations process foods in such a way that it’s intended to catch the eyes of the consumers. For example, Pollan points out that when does eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast become a therapeutic procedure in which made him to argue that food inventions have distracted people from eating healthy. Pollan also acknowledges that he is not a nutritionist or a scientist but a journalist hoping to answer questions for himself and his family.
More and more health-conscious individuals are scrutinizing the source of the food their family consumes. However, even the most conscientious consumer is not fully aware of the exhaustive efforts and struggle to get a juicy, ripe strawberry or that plump tomato in the middle of winter, even in Florida. These foods are harvested and picked mostly by seasonal and migrant farm workers. Migrant workers hail, in large part, from Mexico and the Caribbean, and their families often travel with them. Migrant farm workers must endure challenging conditions so that Americans can have the beautiful selection of berries, tomatoes, and other fresh foods often found at places like a farmer’s market or a traditional super market. Seasonal and
The year is 2022 and the population of New York City is 40 million. The temperature is a scorching 90 degrees and there is no longer winter. This is due to global warming from years of pollution to the environment. People flood the streets in search of anything they can get their hands on: food, water, and other basic necessities. Food is in the form of chip like squares people eat called Soylent green, yellow, and red. The makers of Soylent claim their products are made from plankton, however further investigation shows Soylent green is made from dead people. This all makes for a poor quality of life. Basic human needs are in short supply in addition society no longer values human life. Due to urbanization and overpopulation the world as portrayed
The organic food industry has seen a huge spike in growth that is expected to continue into the future due to an increase in consumption. This will provide Whole Foods Market with huge opportunities. In addition, a wave of ethical and responsible consumption has swept across America. Whole Foods’ decision to pursue sustainable activities will certainly give consumers an added incentive to purchase its organic products.
Mitchum, Michelle is an American journalist and author, she writes, reports for news channels and a filmmaker. She states in Organic food, that for the past two decades the consumption of organic food has radically changed, by twenty-five billion dollars from 1996 to 2016. This accumulative grow is a result of people briefs' that organic food free pesticides, chemical and grown in good arable, are healthier form nutrition and health wise than controversially grown food. The subject separates like deadly disease and brings attention to competent health authorities and forced development, processing of conventionally grown foods to be aware of their next move, then the public starts questioning themselves the effect of consuming food that's been grown in an increasing profit method. There are enough researches to prove
When it comes to what is the healthiest raw vegan foods or just food in general, the simpler the better. This is because digestion takes up less energy and nutrients are absorbed better. You will have more energy eating this way plus it is less time-consuming. If you do the raw vegan diet right, over time as you adjust and learn, you will actually save time. I'll also include some easy recipes such as banana ice cream, rawtella, and super ants on a log. However for the maximum benefits from your raw vegan meals I believe there a few simple food groups that will give you the best results.
Local farm food is usually cheaper since your not paying for the packaging and the shipping across the country. Also the food is way fresher and healthier for consumption since it is freshly grown and has not been sitting on a shelf for days. In addition the farmers that live on the farm are used to the quiet area of the farm and using the farm as their income source. By converting the land it means the farmers and their families will lose their homes and will need to adapt to the noisy and dense areas and in addition they will need to find a new job. Also some farms have been in families for generations and will break their hearts to sell it. In conclusion the conversion of farmland into commercial areas will affect the economy and innocent
Farmlands are being lost for the creation of new highways, fringe industrial parks and sprawl housing developments. The loss of farmland would minimize our capability to grow fiber and food. The increase in property tax due to the pressure of urban development has forced farmer to lose their business. They inevitably have to sell their farmland for different type of housing development. U.S. Census of Agriculture reported a decline in farmland acres from about 938.3 million in 2002 to about 922.1 million in 2007, a loss of 1.7 percent. The loss of farmland would reduce the quality and quantity of food supply due to the possible shortcoming
The majority of the people really concerns about their appearances mainly teenagers and women. Thus, they are wasting their money to buy expensive cosmetics or products in order to look pretty and attractive which finally give negative effects to their body and health. However, there is an easier way to look radiant and younger, by eating fruits prior to main meals. In another aspect, many people, including some Muslims also misunderstand the right way of eating fruits, especially when related to main meals. As Burn mentioned:
In order for one to sustain life, naturally we all have to recognize what is essentially important and that is to have a well balanced nutritional diet on a daily basis. That is what we once had thought all of those years of growing up while being educated to consume the necessary recommended daily food groups within the food pyramid. It is very important for consumers today is to recognize that what is important to them is that they have high expectations that the food they purchase and consume have a high nutritional quality, an affordable value, and most importantly that it is safe upon one’s consumption. Like most consumers it is only natural to show their concern and expect that the necessary standard policies and procedures have been