Climate change and food security - Assignment Example

?Environmental science Food security, according to Lobell and Burke, is a broad term that incorporates availability of food, safety of the available food types, and the qualitative composition of the foods in terms of nutrients (14). Profit motivation of the corporate sector has however compromised the concept of food security and even though they achieve availability and, partially, nutrients composition needs, food safety remains an issue. This paper, based on the Food Inc film, offers my daily food thought and a reflection Daily food thought Derived knowledge of corporations’ profit motive in production of consumables has changed my perception over industrially processed foods and influenced my thoughts over my food consumption in the past one week. My day one intake consisted of natural foods, some of which are industrially processed, and this developed a negative attitude towards the consumption. Wheat bread, peanut butter, fruit juice, and raisin beverage made up my breakfast I feared consumption of chemical components from the foods processing processes and threats of genetic engineering that I believe can interfere with my genome. Even though my snack for the day was orange fruit, there was still the fear of possible genetic engineering in the fruits’ development. Wheat bread, chicken stew, potatoes, milk, and green grams were the other consumptions of day one and even though I perceived no alternative for safe consumption, I feared the foods’ safety levels. Calorie level in the consumption was another concern and I decided to research on calorie characteristics of my food components for minimization. Consumptions in the second also consisted, predominantly, of natural foods with uncontrollable food safety concerns. Oatmeal, raisins, beef, rice, milk, and fruits were the major components with threats of genetic engineering and, though limited, the amount of chemicals that could have been applied in their processing and temporary preservation. I however ensured reduced levels of calories intake through restricting volumes of consumption per food type. Bran flakes, potatoes soup, beef, and rice formed the major component of my third day food intake with other natural foods like milk and fruits. While these retained my fears of direct chemical contamination together with adverse effects of biological engineering on the foods’ sources, processed foods were also identifiable to increase my worries on the day’s intake. Jelly, margarine, and sugar-enriched lemonade are the major examples of processed components of the day’s consumption. Consumptions in day four was more conscious of processed food and observed calories levels through nutrient information and quantity of each of the consumed food type. The day’s consumption was a revised diet set from day one’s consumption for better safety level and I believe the reduced calories level consumption achieved this. Intakes in the remaining three days alternated between the major components of the types of foods in the first four days and my general opinion on my food choices is that however much we try to select safe food products; our choices are limited by available products and developed preferences. Food safety therefore remains a major concern and political forces, instead of individual power through money, should ensure safety. This is because such money power at consumer level is decentralized and ineffective. Reflection Food safety consciousness, especially after watching the Food Inc film, motivated me to research on sources of available food products and observed safety standards by different food processors. Available information from internet sources has for example informed of the different sources of my food, geographical locations of sources of natural supplies, and manufacturers of processed supplies. I am also aware of distribution channels of major foods among my consumables and possible activities at each level of the channels. Similarly, I am also informed of regulatory strategies and regulatory agencies over the food that I consume. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for safety of commercially availed supplies and tests the foods before their registered supply into the market. It also ensures that processors maintain standards with which supplies are registered. The United States Department of Agriculture is another agency that regulates food supplies through its mandate on natural agricultural policies. My knowledge of food processing is however limited because of the limited information on the involved processes and complexity of such processes. My new perspective on food has changed my attitude towards consumptions, I am now keen to know sources, and contents of each type of food that I plan to consume. The exercise also changed my diet that is now conscious of the types of foods, based on their nutrient contents and their processes, and volumes of foods that I consume. I believe that my former eating habit is similar to the average American that is susceptible to industrialization effects and corporate sector profit interests. My patterns in food consumption changed during the exercised and I believe that corrective responsibility, supported by political policies are necessary to ensure food safety and food security. Better World category Your product/brand Your product/brand grade Why? Category corporate hero Why? Category corporate villain Why? Beer Abita n/a Abita Brewing Company. Has a variety of products to select from N/a Chocolate Booja Booja n/a Booja Booja. It produces gluten free products Dante Confections. Its product has very high levels of cocoa Coffee or tea Herbal tea n/a Herbal tea International. Portrays the image of chemical free products Teavana. The company does not specialize and therefore cast doubts of efficiency and quality Dairy products Adirondack cheese products Premium Adirondack cheese co. inc. offers quality guarantee All American foods. Lacks specialization Fast food McDonalds n/a McDonalds Has a strong history of customer utility Better World category Your product/brand Your product/brand grade Why? Category corporate hero Why? Category corporate villain Why? Beer Abita n/a Abita Brewing Company. Has a variety of products to select from N/a Chocolate Booja Booja n/a Booja Booja. It produces gluten free products Dante Confections. Its product has very high levels of cocoa Coffee or tea Herbal tea n/a Herbal tea International. Portrays the image of chemical free products Teavana. The company does not specialize and therefore cast doubts of efficiency and quality Dairy products Adirondack cheese products Premium Adirondack cheese co. inc. offers quality guarantee All American foods. Lacks specialization Fast food McDonalds n/a McDonalds Has a strong history of customer utility Dairy queen Is relatively inferior Meat products/ meat alternatives Daily’s bacon Premium Daily’s Meats. Has high quality product and is specialized n/a Soda Fanta n/a Coca-Cola Company. Well established and meets customers’ utility n/a Supermarkets Aldi n/a Aldi. Has a national outlook that establishes a strong corporate image. Is also popular among consumers. n/a Water Dasani n/a Coca-Cola Compaty. Well established and meets customers’ utility Produce n/a n/a n/a n/a Bread Arnold Natural 100 % whole wheat Premium Arnold Premium Breads. High quality and natural products Juice Shelved juices n/a Barsotti Juice Company Has natural and higly regarded products Works cited Lobell, David, and Burke, Marshall. Climate change and food security: Adapting acriculture to a warmer world. New York, NY: Springer, 2009. Print. Read More