Student: Lauren Genn
Graduation date: May 2015
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2012
Summary
Originally humans participated in a hunter-gatherer society, and the prevention of food spoilage by adding sugar or salt allowed food to be consumed at a later time (Lustig, 2012). When humans developed agricultural societies, around 8,000 B.C.E., food became more readily and consistently available. After the industrial revolution, the amount of grains and ingredients used in processed foods dramatically increased, as well as new ways of harvesting and processing foods (Popkin, 1998). Today, China, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia and the United States are the largest producers of the four most common commodity crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice. These crops are ingredients commonly used in processed foods, and must be planted, harvested, stored, processed or milled, and distributed in order to be consumed (Pullman, 2012). The definition of processed foods changed from the original simple definition of adding sugar or salt, and started to encompass a broader range of goods. New technological advances, incorporated chemically altered ingredients and genetically engineered organisms to be included in the definition of processed foods. Advances in the modern era around processed foods have the same advantages; they keep longer and can be sent to places which need or want the product. Thus, a heated debate resulted. Some economists, large corporations, and business advocates state that processed foods allowed communities, and especially cities, to transport food where it otherwise cannot be grown locally (Pullman, 2012). One example which illustrates this phenomenon is New York City. Preservation techniques allows the shipment and constant supply of food for areas that cannot sustain themselves; processed foods provide food security (Pullman, 2012). In addition, low production costs of cheap, processed food allow low income families to eat and spend a small percentage of their wages on food (Weber, 2009). Also the rise of urbanization has resulted in the consumption of processed commodities among more the socially elite (Basu, 2012). Processing food therefore allows food to be distributed to the majority of the population, no matter one’s socioeconomic position. However, some argue that the increased availability of processed foods has created unforeseen consequences. Authors, public health advocates, and some consumers believe people are experiencing health problems because of the consumption of unhealthy processed foods (Weber, 2009). The over-consumption of sugar, an ingredient found in many processed foods, correlates to an increase in obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other non-genetic illnesses (Lustig, 2012). Michael Pollan critiques the processed food market, and especially corn production, by explaining that corn subsidies only help economic interests of corporations, processors, and snack makers who profit from corn’s overproduction (Pollan, 2002). Research shows that corn, most commonly used in processed foods in the form of high fructose corn syrup, is metabolized in our bodies differently than sugars. Pollan states that triglyceride levels rise shortly after eating, which has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease (Pollan, 2002). Chemically altered and genetically modified foods have a variety of consequences relevant to environmental studies, current agricultural practices, and its use of resources. The modern global agricultural system is energy intensive. The packaging and shipment of processed commodities relies on oil, and the more packaging a food has, the more energy is needed in the production, packaging, and shipment. (Pollan, 2006). The production of agricultural crops affects soil erosion, pesticide and fertilizer use, weed control, air pollution, and water use (Cheesman, 2004). Our surroundings are impacted by what we eat.
I have chosen to situate my concentration around the debates, attractiveness, production, and consumption of highly refined, genetically modified, and chemically altered ingredients in processed foods. The United States has a unique dual role in both the production of ingredients used in processed foods, as well as consumers who are part of the processed foods market. America is one of the largest agricultural producers in the world, and it also exports stable crops like grain (Pullman, 2012). The corn market is another example of the scale of agricultural production in the United States. Government subsidies pay taxpayers’ money to farmers in order to ensure the production of corn. America is not unique in having a global market for processed foods. For example, China is currently importing branded products and prepared foods with value added. In other words, enhanced versions of the original product are being sold instead of the actual food item. The globalization of food means that products are not necessarily grown close to where they are eaten; they pass through many different handlers, and they incorporate ingredients from many locations. The World Health Organization and The Center for Disease Control and Prevention regulate and ensure standards for food safety (Pullman, 2012). Correlations have been drawn between processed food consumption and health problems in both China and the United States such as public health advocates and nutritionists (Popkin, 1997). Corporations have globalized processed products, and ship them to where there is a demand and taste for processed foods. In addition, environmental factors such as land use, urban planning, accessibility of recreation facilities, and transit options also influence activity levels (Popkin et al. 2005). The built environment includes physical infrastructure such as bike paths and roads, and a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with heart disease and health problems (Roux et al. 2001). The environment and physical features of residency has an impact on physical activity, in addition to diet composition. Rapid shifts in diet and activity levels is connected to obesity epidemics and chronic diseases (Popkin, 1997).
References
Basu, Sanjay. “Manufacturing Epidemics: The Role of Global Producers In Increased Consumption of Unhealthy Commodities Including Processed Foods, Alcohol, and Tobacco.” PLoS Medicine. 9. no. 6 (2012).
Cheesman, Oliver. Environmental Impacts of Sugar Production: The Cultivation and Processing of Sugarcane and Sugar Beet. Cambridge: CABI International, 2004.
Elevitch, Craig. Importance of Mixed Crop Farming Systems and Forestry. Permanent Agricultural Resources: Holualoa, 2006.
Lambrecht, Bill. Dinner at the New Gene Café: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the Global Politics of Food. New York: Saint Mary’s Press, 2001.
Lustig, Robert H. “The Toxic Truth About Sugar: Added Sweeteners Pose Dangers to Health That Justify Controlling Them Like Alcohol.” Nature. 428. no. 7383 (2012).
Monteiro , C.A. “All the Harmful Effects of Ultra-Processed Foods Are Not Captured by Nutrient Profiling.” Public Health Nutrition . 12. no. 10 (2009): 1968-1969.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Pollan, Michael. “When a Crop Becomes King.” New York Times. 2002.
Popkin, Barry. “The Nutrition Transition and Its Health Implications In lower-Income Countries.” Public Health Nutrition 1 (1997): 5-21.
Pullman, Madeleine and Wu, Zhaohui. Food Supply Chain Management: Economic, Social, and Environmental Perspectives. New York: Routledge, 2012.
Roux, Ana V. Diez, Sharon Stein Merkin, Donna Arnett, Lloyd Chambless, Mark Massing, F. Javier Nieto, Paul Sorlie, Moyses Szklo, Herman A. Tyroler, and Robert L. Watson. “Neighborhood of residence and incidence of coronary heart disease.” New England Journal of Medicine 345, no. 2 (2001): 99-106.
Simon, Michele. Appetite for profit : How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back. New York: Nation Books, 2006.
Weber, Karl, ed. Food, Inc.: How Industrial Food Is Making Us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer – and What You Can Do About It. New York: PublicAffair, 2009.
Woloson, Wendy A. Refined Tastes: sugar, confectionery, and consumers in nineteenth-century America. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Questions
- Descriptive: How does chemical processing of ingredients, synthetic additives and preservatives, genetic engineering, and packaging methods affect the nutritional value of food? How does a diet consisting of processed foods affect the ratios of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins compared to a diet free of processed foods, and how might this affect the consumer’s body composition? What trends of food consumption choices are evident among different socioeconomic groups, and what associated health conditions present themselves in different socioeconomic groups over time? What are the consequences of the modern food processing?
- Explanatory: Why are processed foods so appealing and desirable?
- Evaluative: To what extent is processed food consumption a problem to public health and to what degree are advertisers and the food industry responsible?
- Instrumental: Can food processors in the food system address our nation’s health crisis, and what policies or regulations can or should be implemented to support these initiatives?
Concentration courses
- PSY 280 (Brain and Behavior, 4 credits), fall 2014. This course relates to how people choice the foods they do, importance of imprinting, epileptics and biological inferences for decision making.
- SOAN 305 (Environmental Sociology, 4 credits), spring 2013. Environmental Sociology explores the importance of social influences on food choices and discusses agricultural shifts in history.
- CHEM 105 (Perspectives in Nutrition, 4 credits), fall 2013. Perspectives in nutrition grounds my concentration in chemical processes and pathways in the human body and explores macro and micro-nutrients.
- RHMS 260 (Health Narratives, 4 credits), spring 2014. Health narratives explores how people express stories of well-being, when the body fails, and the impact of disease on the self and body.
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.