Week One:Paul Roberts: Prologue to The End of Food
Roberts' outlook for the food system is rather bleak. How do you respond to his message that the current industrialized food economy is endangering us? What do you believe the future of food to be in the United States and globally? In the picture: at an almond processor in Sacramento, each concrete silo holds one million pounds of almonds. Did you know that all almonds sold in the US have either been fumigated or heat-treated as a kill step against harmful pathogens?
--Brent W.
"As a culture, we probably haven't paid this much attention to the food system and it's flaws since the turn of the last century"
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. page xxii)
Over the last ten years we have seen an increase in food contamination of one form or another. It's also occurring with food that is imported. Now, there is an ever increasing vigilance in what we eat and where it comes from. The quote describes the gaining momentum of awareness that the average consumer now has regarding certain aspects of the food system.
Today, there is a boom in the natural grocer, increased availability of organic items, and farmers markets. These increases show the awareness of the people. The ever increasing popularity of these things could signal the shift from the reliance of the mega businesses to the smaller family farms. Then the question becomes, how long will it be before the small farms are unable to meet demands? Will there be a solution to the on-coming food crisis? I personally think there will eventually be a collapse of the food system in the future.
Denny M.
"despite the fact that food costs are half what they were fifty years ago and despite a global food supply that now exceeds per capita caloric needs by about 20 percent, the world has nearly as many malnourished citizens as it does overnourished ones" (Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. page xvii)
ReplyDeleteWith all this perverse talk about how horrible our food system is today, the author fails to explain how we got here. How before fertilizer was created, much more of the world was starving, and to fix this problem, we came up with new technologies to find a way to actually feed the people. Although there are still problems with the system, many of them are more ethical on a person by person basis, but we fail to see that people could play a role in their own lives. Although there are many obese people and many malnourished people, what are the comparisons of these numbers to how they used to be? The comments the author makes are entirely irrelevant when not put into perspective, although they are derived to make the reader think a certain way, they are still rendered meaningless. If there are people still malnourished today, what is the comparison of those people to how many were fifty years ago? one hundred years ago? The author makes claims as to how horrible the food industry is and many people make these same claims, very few of the nay-sayers ever have any positive input as to what can be done to help with this problem.
“Corporate candor of this kind is generally either accidental or purely tactical, and clearly, food retailers have been trying to push as much responsibility for food-borne illnesses and contamination onto their suppliers as they possibly can- just as retailers have always done with costs they do not wish to pay.”
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. page x)
Since the dawn of the modern food system, the general mindset has been to take an assembly line approach to food. Now that, may work fine for cars and couches and things of that nature, but food is an entirely different animal altogether. The quote explains how retailers and other players in the food system are treating food as a commodity with the mindset that food is a limitless resource. No one wants to take the blame when something goes awry or when the system fails. They put profits ahead of safety and sustainability.
The reading itself can be an eye-opener for many, essentially drawing the curtains aside of the once-hidden world that is the modern food system. For me, it was very informative and a little unnerving that so little is being done. I agree with the author in that our food system needs to be drastically restructured and looked at in a different light, but I do believe in the perseverance and tenacity of the human race to overcome obstacles. The challenge of reworking the modern food system and creating a world of sustainable foods and eliminating world hunger is without a doubt something we can achieve.
Mike D.
“The very meaning of food is being transformed: food cultures that once treated cooking and eating as central elements in maintaining social structure and tradition are slowly being usurped by a global food culture where cost and convenience are dominant, the social meal is obsolete, and the art of cooking is fetishized in coffee-table cookbooks and on television shows.”
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. page xii)
The author here addresses the effect that modern food systems have had on the way we as humans perceive our food and the way we eat as a result of the profit-driven business tactics of major food producing companies. He argues that the lifestyle obsession with abundance and convenience that has become especially prevalent in the Western world has fueled labor-saving production methods, and larger scale production, which has become the basis of our modern food system. The introduction of these new technologies however has resulted in a number of negative externalities such as crop cross contamination and detraction from traditional methods of growing and harvesting. There is a fair amount of truth in these statements. Although it is evident that exponential global population growth has required an appropriate response in order to meet the ever growing demand for more, the value we now hold in where a product originates and the efforts taken to transform it into its final state has greatly diminished. In all honesty, when was the last time you ate a meal and held a conscious respect for the origins of every ingredient that went into its production? Although I personally attest to this form of mindless eating a majority of the time, I find it hard to believe that the value of eating in a cultural or social context has become ‘obsolete’ as the author suggests.
Trevor C.
"After decades of hearing that our food system is the best, it almost seemed as if a curtain had been drawn back and we'd been allowed a glimpse of the shadowy structures behind the fude system"
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, Prologue. page xi)
As a culinary student it still amazes me how blind some people are to the food that they are really eating. This quote by Paul Roberts, which refers to the food bourn illness outbreaks that have devestated our country, is a gives a great overview of how the average American looks at food. For years people thought it was all perfect and it took something like this to open our eyes to the fact that flaws to exist in the food industry. Roberts is implying that we have almost been lied to about the food that we are eating in order to cover up what is really going on, and I completely agree with him. It is unfortunate it had to come to the point of people getting sick and some dieing in order for us to realize that a change needed to be made, but at least now we can focus on fixing things.
Joe C.
“Even by conservative estimates, the combination of rising temperatures and shifting patterns in rainfall and storm frequency will push down total global food output, and this while demand is rising. By the year 2070, Africa, a continent already on the brink of a food-system collapse, may be entirely unable to produce certain crops, such as wheat” (Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. Page xix)
ReplyDeleteAmerica’s food system will survive, somehow. While it won’t be easy or straight forward to fix our own problems there are lots of people looking at many different options for solving the various problems. Food borne illness, break downs in transportation, obesity, and the demise of the home cooked meal are all great problems but they are nothing compared to simply not having enough food to eat. All of the problems we are experiencing in America are very threatening but eventually they will be solved. It might take a complete breakdown in our food system but eventually America will rebuild. Places such as Sub-Saharan Africa have always been very closely tied to the land and are much more hard put to find suitable methods in which to grow enough food for the population. If the end of food comes in America we might find ourselves looking to parts of Africa which have always dealt with extremely small amount of food production to find ways to cope with our own hunger.
Robert’s explanation of the situation regarding our food system is very thorough in regards to America and touches on Europe and developing China but besides these economic powerhouses there is not much discussion of how the food systems of poorer countries are fairing. However as Roberts stated America has become the OPEC of the food world and most of the developing countries in the world are working to build their own food systems off of our design. We very much need to figure out how to fix our own system if we are going to be a role model for the world.
Philip R
After decades of hearing that our food system is the best, it almost seemed as if a curtain had been drawn back and we’d been allowed a glimpse of the shadowy structures behind the food system – the huge net work of production and distribution and retailing that convey millions of tons of food to the hundreds of millions of consumers – only to find those structures broken or derailed.”
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. Page xi)
Given any case or situation that claims “the best” there is always a hidden dilemma. In the case of our food system that is claimed to be the best, we see a rise in health and economics issues. This quote sums of how the structure of our food system is really working. In this one statement it expresses the hidden issues that we don’t see when we are grocery shopping. In my opinion of the prologue I agree with the author’s point of view. What is considered our greatest triumph will be our greatest downfall. As we produce larger amounts of food with little regard to the health , safety and environmental concerns we are also producing the opportunities for an increase of food born pathogen and the creation of other resistant strains of diseases. I find Roberts conclusion of who to blame for the failure of the western food system to be divided between food companies to be provoking. Although there is a lack of education on the subject the issue is not locked behind closed doors. A part of the blame need to be on consumers also, considering the each Americans know on the topic there is a small percentage in serious outrage to try and correct the problem. The rest are just waiting for this global pandemic to happen to become fully concerned.
Yolanda B
After decades of hearing that our food system is the best, it almost seemed as if a curtain had been drawn back and we'd been allowed a glimpse of the shadowy structers behind the food system-the huge networks of production and distribution and retailing that convey millions of tons of food to the hundreds of millions of consumers-only to find those structures broken or derailed. (Roberts, Paul. The End of Food, prologue. page xi)
ReplyDeleteThis quote represents the reading because it is saying how everyone thought the our food system has always been the best with no questions asked, but after a recent number of outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella, the world public is starting to realize that our food system is not the best in the world because our society does not take the necessary precautions that we should take. It is also saying that a major flaw in our food system is that we only have a couple distributors for our food, and if one of those suppliers has an outbreak of something, then we will have an even bigger outbreak because of there only being a couple suppliers. The entire reading was very strong in the sense of the author attacking the suppliers. I am in the middle of the road with the agreeing and disagreeing because I do feel that our food system is not the greatest but at the same time it is one of the best in the world because we are able to distribute enough food for our population. You also have to look at it in the sense of those distributors making simple mistakes of feeding animals one wrong thing that is a very costly mistake. This author does a very good job in pointing out the flaws of the american food system, and the statements are all supported by good solid facts.
Alex C.
"The food economy is hardly the only system to have encountered its limits. All sectors - from energy to housing to automotives - are now coming to grips with varies constraints and external costs, and many of the risks the food system now faces, such as declining supplies of energy and the problems of cheap labor, are simply extensions of risks now at play within the larger economic system. But several reasons, the crisis in the food economy is likely to be more problematic."
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul; xx)
I feel this quote captures the prologue because people are easily turned onto pointing out the smaller things in a weak economic system. But our problems are much more seeded that it's hard to change the problems. Food systems can't change over night and without an entire change to all food producing companies then nothing can happen for the greater good. Consumer's as a whole are so fixed on prices that going with change is much harder to do. Production goes on a global scale with imports and exports so companies will always go for the cheapests cost to be able to make the most profit. Now we have farms growing general commodies that will finally end up in China to be packaged then shipped back to be sold in our countries markets. Our changes need to happen at the most problematic ones; even if they might take the most effort.
The reading as a whole had a powerful message in opening the eyes of the consumers'.We need to start somewhere to stop our nation drving the agricultural systems to the ground. Paul Roberts seemed to have a dark look on the food systems. I can say I hate where our food economy has gone but what it has become is pretty spectacular. We were able to supply millions of Americans with great effectiveness. We adapted to our nations changing demands with ease. California is a great example how a desert can be turned into the greatest growing growing state in America. Irrigation has come a long way since it first was brought into use. But we need a change in how we treat the lands, farmers and consumers.
"The organic movement, which emerged in the 1940s as a direct critique of large-scale industrial food production, had by the 1990s been co-opted by that same system, and many organic products are now produced with the same high-volume, low cost methods and sold by the big box retailers." (pxx1, The End of Food, Paul Roberts)
ReplyDeleteThis quote opens the readers eyes to just how massivly produced food has become and that even the organic food people think is more personaly grown is just as massivly produced as the rest of the food economy. Robert's veiw of the food economy is dreary, he sees our food future as an over procesed problem.
I agree partly with Paul Roberts. I believe his veiw to be a bit dark and negative. I think the food industry can make a turn around even a little one with the local and sustainable movement. His writing draws the reader in to feel as if the food economy will quickly run out of supply and our days of growing food are numbered. I found him to have a valid point within the quote above, people try to do themselves and the world better by buying organic foods and little do people know that it is grown almost the same as all other massivly produced food.
Molly O.
"After decades of hearing that our food system is the best, it almost seemed as if a curtain had been drawn back and we'd been allowed a glimpse of the shadowy structures behind the food system - the huge networks of production and distribution and retailing that convey millions of tons of food to the hundreds of millions of consumers - only to find those structures broken or derailed.
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End Of Food, prologue page xi)
There are many in our country who believes America is the best and greatest country in the world. That every part of our culture is great, even our food system is unmatched. Now, after years of that thought, we as informed American citizens are finding out that our current food system has many flaws that are is ways harming us. The quote embodies the full message of the reading, that the food system that we presently has its positive and negative points and if we want to be able to feed future generations we need to move aside that curtain in front of our face and see what other possibilities are out there that can help shape our food for the better.
The reading as a whole for me had slight depressing tone. I know this is important information that every person should know in order to make appropriate decisions dealing with food, but it was delivered in a way meant to slightly scare the reading about what we might be able to expect in the future if we continue the way we're going. I do agree with the author for the most part, that the food systems globalization is making it hard to protect people from food threats and disease which could get worse. What I found challenging about this piece is that the author mentions that global food sustainability is probably the best way to go for future production of food because it will be safer for consumption and healthier in the long run. But, will we as the world population increases every year be able to feed everyone that way? That's the question.
Brandon G.
"After decades of hearing that our food system is the best, it almost seemed as if a curtain had been drawn back and we'd been allowed a glimpse of the shadowy structures behind the food system - the huge networks of production and distribution and retailing that convey millions of tons of food to the hundreds of millions of consumers - only to find those structures broken or derailed.
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End Of Food, prologue page xi)
There are many in our country who believes America is the best and greatest country in the world. That every part of our culture is great, even our food system is unmatched. Now, after years of that thought, we as informed American citizens are finding out that our current food system has many flaws that are is ways harming us. The quote embodies the full message of the reading, that the food system that we presently has its positive and negative points and if we want to be able to feed future generations we need to move aside that curtain in front of our face and see what other possibilities are out there that can help shape our food for the better.
The reading as a whole for me had slight depressing tone. I know this is important information that every person should know in order to make appropriate decisions dealing with food, but it was delivered in a way meant to slightly scare the reading about what we might be able to expect in the future if we continue the way we're going. I do agree with the author for the most part, that the food systems globalization is making it hard to protect people from food threats and disease which could get worse. What I found challenging about this piece is that the author mentions that global food sustainability is probably the best way to go for future production of food because it will be safer for consumption and healthier in the long run. But, will we as the world population increases every year be able to feed everyone that way? Thats the question.
Brandon G.
"Today's food crisis is fundamentally economic, but not in the familiar senses that food companies operate for financial gain or the consumers shop for the best price. Rather, the crisis is economic in the sense that our food system can only be truly understood as and economic system, on that, like all economic systems, has winners and losers, suffers periodic and occasionally profound instability, and is plagued by the same inherent and irreducible gap between what we demand and what is actually supplied."
ReplyDeleteI think it tells a lot about the reading, not so much saying that our food industry isn't good but it has its ups and downs like the economy and at points thrives but also has its mishaps. The whole reading does a good job of describing what happens in the food industry and the problems behind it as well as the successes. It does alot to inform the reader about the industry. I agree with the reading in the way that is is true. Why is this food industry so advanced but we still have this problems. Is it because of greed in the fact that they dont want to spend the money to check products thoroughly. I think its going to be a challange for the industy to meet the standards of the people of the US.
Zach K.
" Perhaps more worrying, farmers are rapidly running out of water"
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End of Food. prologue. page xxi.)
Paul Roberts The End Of Food depicts his opinions on our speedily declining failing food system. From our depletion of fossile fuels, and the increased number of reported food borne illnesses, to the idea that our food is now a comodity. This quote represents the idea that even before we run out of food, fossile fules, or land; we will run out of water. We will even
end up going to war for the liquid gold.
I really enjoyed this reading, I found that it was just as frightening as it was informative. Even as a culinary student aware of some problems, the imformation, ideas, and
predictions of what Roberts thinks is our "end of food" was enlightening. Think of how this would read to someone with no knowledge about food. I completly agreed with Roberts pessimism, his complete non-hope ofwhat is to come seems correct. He backs it up with his facts on
how food is now an assembly line,the lack of kowledge as to how food borne illnesses have broke out in the past, and the lack of a realistic soulution to this problem.
The idea that we will be going to war just like we have for oil for water was very provoking. It also shows me how Ihave been taking advatage of a resource that I use every single day. If their is no water their is no farming, no food, and eventually no life.
Gabrielle C.
"Even as we sturggle to understand why the safety of our food is becoming so much harder to assure, it's clear that safety is only one of a cluster of concerns and that we need to be asking a much broader set of questions: What is happening to our food? How could our immensely successful food system have become so overextended?"
ReplyDelete(Roberts, Paul. The End Of Food, Prolouge. page xii)
People are becoming more aware of food safety concerns and watching where they go out to eat. However, most of the population is also eating tons of processed foods which they have no idea where it's coming from, not to mention, how it was made. Roberts mentions later in the text how assembly lines are a common method of food production, "the way we made everything else began to influence the making of food." This quote by Paul Roberts is quite a scary thought especially when thinking about how assembly lines work. We would rather not have hundreds of people touching our food, or to have it go through huge machinary.
The entire reading was straight to the point. He pointed out all of the flaws and didn't leave anything out. I do agree with a lot of the things Roberts said about our current food system. Change is certainly possbile and there are clear ways to go about it.
Brittany M.