The Concept of Organic and Inorganic Products - Assignment Example

Eating Local Eating Local Part A During the two-days’ local eating practice, I sought to find out exactly what is involved in the whole production processes until the various local food products are availed in the local groceries, retail shops, and supermarkets. I decided to buy a vegetarian burger from the Gastropub Street Restaurant in Eugene. After inquiries of the ingredients’ source, the restaurant’s manager asserted that Buckleberry Farm remained the sole supplier of the basic ingredients. A tour at the Buckleberry accrued information that sustainability and healthy-driven objectives yielded success in growing and outsourcing its quality products. The mere appearance of the burger was enticing. On consumption, I articulated its tasty nature to the regular and fast deliveries covered from the farm to the restaurant. Further, the organic farming practices and sustainable strategies used by the farm in outsourcing other products contributed to the food’s value. I ate mashed potatoes served with beef stew on the second day, whose ingredients emanated from Buckleberry Farm. It was realistic from the cost analysis that the farm stipulated reduced prices for its products prices citing to the reduced costs of the meals (Miller, 2014). For instance, the burger sold at $7 compared to the other burgers that cost $7.9 in the competing restaurants. The perception held following the meal’s consumption was that “local” food represented any supplies bred under sustainable and socio friendly methods within the US (Schindler, 2014). I concluded that eating local food was a healthy and an economical practice worth embracing. Part B In the contemporary global community, the majority human population prefers organic to inorganic foods. The perception is that organic agricultural foods are healthy compared to those grown under inorganic practices. It is arguable that the former practices include toxic elements that harm flora and fauna. The highlighted aspect prevails amongst other benefits accrued from the solution to consume locally grown and processed foods. The production and processing of the food at Buckleberry Farm is subject to strategic measures that guarantee hygiene and fast delivery thereafter. Arguably, the locally produced food will cost less compared to similar foreign or distant products in Eugene, Oregon. The freshness of local foods is evident from the practices embraced by the stakeholders (Miller, 2014). Foreign foods are subject to costly processes from production to marketing. In the end, outsourcing of the foreign foods incurs huge costs to the proprietors of the businesses or the companies responsible for distribution of the non-local foods. After reviewing the Buckleberry farm’s practices among others in Oregon, it is realistic that the use of biodegradable fertilizers and pesticides developed the sustainability approaches stipulate their devotion towards environmental conservation. Similarly, the recycling of wastewater in three of the leading farms in Oregon ascertains the prevalence of sustainable practices towards the conservation of resources. The significant practices are influential to every individual who is aware of the health and environmental impacts born to the inorganic farming practices. In addition, inorganic farming practitioners tend to be ignorant of the highlighted sustainable measures (Schindler, 2014). Economists would argue that the sustainability of an economy depends on the effective means and measures taken into consideration when assessing the production and distribution processes in relation to LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) and the health benefits accruing to the population. In understanding the argument, I was compelled to reassess two specific items in the market. I decided to shop for locally available ingredients for the preparation of beef stew and mashed potatoes. Usually, 1lb of local beef in Safeways, Eugene cost was lower by $5 over that of a similar amount from the neighboring states’ farms. On reviewing the prices for the potatoes and the other vegetables available in a local grocery, it was evident that the local farms presented the most quality products over their foreign counterparts (Miller, 2014). The recipe for the meal was specific on the inclusion of all the necessary ingredients for preparing beef stew, which are readily available on supermarket shelves. It is notable that the prices for these items remain economical; hence, any person devoted to consuming local agricultural products in Oregon accrues economic empowerment from the presence of transparent and ethical production and distribution strategies. One would seek to inquire about the differences in the pricing of these commodities (Schindler, 2014). Eventually, a person would realize that the high prices emanate from the fact that non-local foods are outsourced from the conventional food production and distribution systems. The network of food production and the supply of non-local food begin on large farms where mass production of a particular food, in this case, vegetables and beefsteak, are grown and reared respectively. The next step entails transportation of the products to a centralized facility for value addition and processing. It is apparent that the criterion includes packaging and inspection approaches. Afterward, the farms management embraces distribution processes to reach local and global clientele. It is realistic that these products reach the intended markets after being subjected to the various networks (Miller, 2014). However, some of the farms provisions compel the stakeholders to pursue outsourcing programs for foreign entities whose farming criteria match the beneficial organic farming and health measures. In the process, some non-local foods require importation. The prices differ extensively with those of the locally grown foods with the understanding that the two processes comprise distinct costs. It is notable that some local foods do not necessarily need to rely on intermediaries for storage and processing. Therefore, the low costs incurred in the whole production process enable the producers to exercise direct “business-to-business” relationships. Apparently, the farmers deliver their products to institution-based markets like schools and restaurants. Further, these farmers extent their delivery practices to the local and centralized establishments or food corporations for the wide-range supply. Apparently, a conclusive analysis of the embodied energy and the LCA (Life Cycle Analyses, has to be based on all levels of production and supply. For example, one could choose to test for his health from the available medical practitioners if such a decision would yield the information required in a reassessment of the local diets. The eradication of the existing impediments would stimulate the growth of local food systems owing to the consolidation of food processing units. The revamped approach is critical in establishing value-based resources to ensure that local farmers have access to crucial facilities, which increases their products’ profitability. Small-scale farmers are vulnerable to unfair practice from the leading entities farms when venturing into mass production (Schindler, 2014). However, in consideration of the externalities, it is arguable that choosing to eat local foods has societal impacts hence plays a role in determining market prices for the various food provisions. Consuming local food might assist in the control of some diet-associated health risks spurred by poor eating habits. On the contrary, there exists a gap in clarifying whether consumption of local foods is a means or a strategy for alleviating food crises. The argument emanates from the findings of personal research sought to provide in-depth analysis on the relationship between other economic factors in the advent of food insecurity. In conclusion, the ability for Buckleberry among other Oregon farms to guarantee healthy and sustainable food supply remains a strategic solution in eradicating food insecurity cases, may be restricted by some aspects such as decreased sales rates experienced by markets in whichever side. However, the prevailing challenges are born to the impact of external markets’ prices on products lacking in the Oregon’s economy (Miller, 2014). Therefore, I hold the notion that the community should embrace the local consumption practices in support of sustainable agro-economics to benefit the entire population. References Miller, S. R. (2014). Cultivating Candides Foodshed: A Coordinated Approach to Food Safety and Land Use Law at the Urban Fringe. American Journal of Law and Medicine, Forthcoming. Schindler, S. (2014). Unpermitted Urban Agriculture: Transgressive Actions, Changing Norms, and the Local Food Movement. Wis. L. Rev., 369. Read More