What is food? Is food something made with purely natural ingredients? Can it just be a product with nutritional qualities? The sole definition of “food,” has drastically evolved throughout the recent years due to industrialization. Michael Pollan argues that the mass production of these fake food-like products ultimately damages the American food industry, hoping that we “avoid food products that make health claims.” We began to notice a relationship between the amount of ingredients and the authenticity of the food; obtaining excessive quantities of additional nutrients. As America began to industrialize, so did the products that we were consuming.
If we’re so against all these fake foods, then why don’t we all just choose the healthier, authentic counterparts? Sadly, the mass production of fake food products allows unhealthy items, such as Hot Cheetos, to be more accessible and more affordable than a healthier alternative, like a salad. Low-income families feel less obligated to select healthy choices due to the hefty price tag attached. Driving through the streets of Bellevue compared to the streets of Sea-Tac are substantially different in terms of the variety of food selection. Impoverished areas tend to strategically place more fast food restaurants, rather than pricier grocery outlets such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Hey Johnny!
The title of your blog post really grabbed my attention because I think that defining food can be hard to conceptualize, especially considering the abundance of identities it can have. I like that you highlight nutritionism in the first paragraph, and something I think you could’ve added would be excerpts from Michael Carolan’s “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” He mentions how a reductionist perception of food makes “Taste, culture, culinary tradition and variety: all secondary qualities when compared to their shared status as carriers of energy” (Carolan 60).
In your second paragraph, I like that you highlight the accessibility of food and mention a local example of where this would be prevalent in the greater Seattle area. However, I think it is also important to explore why cheap food is “cheap.” Again, bringing up Carolan would be useful in addressing how these prices are “decontextualized” and externalize the costs that are present throughout the mass production of food (Carolan 3).
I really enjoyed reading this post because asking yourself “Is this even food?” brings up many topics, such as food identity, accessibility, and production. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Johnny,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post and I completely agree with your thinking. Food can mean so many different things to so many different people so trying to pinpoint one definition is extremely difficult. Although, for Americans a lot of the food we consume are the products of industrialization and therefore a lot of the food we eat are processed foods full of added nutrients. Our definition of food might be long shelf life or other qualities of processed food. Processed foods are now a huge part of the Western diet which Michael Pollan makes it seem relatively easy to escape. Like you mentioned in your post, financial status can really constrain what you eat here in America. The U.S. food system is designed to increase yields to sell less expensive food and feed as many people as possible. The United States government has also subsidized the producers of corn and wheat, which are main ingredients in processed foods. Do to this, food prices stay low and farmers are further encouraged to grow these crops for maximum profit. This results in those that are financially struggling to be locked into a diet that consists of mostly processed foods since these products are typically less expensive than fresh fruits and vegetables. I read in an article online that a diet that does not include processed foods and is only focused on consuming healthy foods costs about $1.50 more per day per person. A lot of people cannot afford these extra costs a day. Here is the article if you are interested in reading it: http://www.wisechoicemarket.com/blog/-the-true-cost-of-processed-foods/.
Another thing that I noticed you mentioned in your post is how different driving through the streets of Bellevue is compared to the streets of Sea-Tac. People living in places with lower income such as Sea-Tac typically live in areas of food deserts. Food deserts are defined as areas that lack access to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy whole foods. This is largely due to lack of grocery stores, farmers markets, and healthy food providers. There are more fast food places and gas station convenience stores that are full of processed foods nearby therefore people that live in these areas typically go there to get their food.