This week some major themes in the readings discussed the process of making genetically modifying products, how they are definitely not an 'all-solving' answer, and the energy it takes to create products, transport them, package and produce them, and transport them for retail. For myself, the energy needed to keep up with our current food system is astounding. Not only do we have to look at the fuels that go into these elements of food production such as oil, coal, and gasoline, but we also have to consider the energy that goes in from an individualistic perspective of driving to the supermarket and what it takes to keep that supermarket running. When you think about the energy it takes to grow and harvest food on an organic farm with non-gmo seeds that's destined for a farmers market, the energy is minimal and reduced to just the gasoline for the tractor, the gasoline for the truck that brings it to the farmers market, and any energy that's utilized to create tools and other machinery for farming.
In comparison, it's crazy to think about all of the food miles and energy that goes into one box of cereal or one bag of chips. Out of curiosity, I looked up how far away the U.S. manufacturing locations of Cheerios are. The main facility is located in Minneapolis which is approximately 1,372 miles away. Even without counting the food miles it takes to get from the farm to the production facility, the box of Cheerios that I have right now has traveled at least 1,372 miles. That's incredibly far for one product on my shelf, not to mention the frozen pizza that I have in my freezer or the bananas that I have on my counter. Then, when you consider that my products contain items that are genetically modified, you have to consider the additional energy that goes into creating the seed, trying to re-nourish the mono-cultured land for it to grow, and that these fruits and vegetables will not re-produce in a later year.
I always wonder about how truly feasible it is to eat only the food that you grow and how likely you are to have success in it in comparison to the large 'all-weather, all conditions' seed production we get through Monsanto. In reality, seeds will reproduce plants and if you use multiple varieties of plants your soil will stay nutrient rich and will be able to allow long-term thriving. Also, when you think about how Pollan mentions that farmers are often slow to change, being that their livelihood is dependent upon consistency as much as possible, what was the final straw that caused the first farmers to side with Monsanto. Do we know that story? Did they look longterm?
Michelle, your introspection regarding your own food choices was really interesting to me. I would not have thought to look up my Cheerios to see how far they have come (well, I don't even have any Cheerios right now), and I think that is an innovative way to consider your food choices. As soon as I read your post, I immediately thought of the "industrial" food in my home. How far did our frozen dumplings travel? How far did the veggies in them travel? How much energy did it take to harvest all the food items in these dumplings, assemble them, freeze them, and transport them? I think you have conceived of a really innovative, easy way for us to all consider our own household food choices. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, the amount of energy we use in our current food system is very shocking. It would be greatly beneficial for our world if everyone grew there own food, but that is not realistic at all in today's society. Not many people have the time, land or resources to produce there own food. The Cheerios example you used illustrates how far people have advanced our food system; we can ship a box of cereal 1,327 miles and it still only costs around $2 at the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I love that you have paid so much attention to the things that usually go unnoticed and that you did your own (stellar!) research! Most people probably don't recognize the major, major impact the oil prices have on consumer products, particularly food. I'm glad that you've pointed it out in your post, and the issue extends beyond items that we can buy at the grocery store. In wholesale production, which are the sources of restaurant ingredients, flour, grains, and meats are most affected by oil prices. Restauranteurs many times have no option but to raise menu prices in response to oil prices that have risen for a long period of time. This affects consumers across the board, no matter the quality of the restaurant. Oil prices implicate more than the transportation and distribution of food, like you mentioned. It's also used to fuel the tractors to plow the fields, the machines to shuck and refine each individual veggie, to make its packaging, etc. The woes of oil consumption in our food system speak to the broader issues of our dependency on oil as a resource, and perhaps all of our conversations of food systems should broaden to consider resource dependency.
ReplyDelete