Article: Globalization of the Food Industry: Transnational Food Corporations, the Spread of Processed Food, and Their Implications for Food Security and Nutrition
Summary: With free trade agreements becoming increasingly popular in the world, food affordability, diversity, quality, and nutrition have changed. The researcher conducted multiple interviews and researched government documents to determine how free trade has had influences on nutrition, disease, and food sovereignty on developing countries. The researcher argues that urbanization combined with the presence of imported foods in urban areas have increased the demand for imported food, thus increasing the amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined ingredients in consumers’ diets. He also states that, “Big Food” companies with their low-quality food and prices are running small, local farms out of business, subsequently decreasing the food sovereignty of these developing countries. Finally, he finds that the shift from traditional diets towards modern diets (marked by refined ingredients, increased fats, lack of fruits and vegetables, and processing) has resulted in an increase in non-communicable diseases.
Assessment: This source is useful as it clearly points out the effects that free trade has on the food in developing countries and accomplishes its goal of revealing the detriments of free trade on local food markets. The author shows no bias and remains objective while stating the facts of her research. This source contains reliable information from other credible sources, and the source itself was a published study. Also, the information provided is valid because the source was published in 2016 and therefore contains current information.
Reflection: My primary goal for my research was to inspect the effects of free trade on the American food industry. However, this source is from the perspective of how free trade affects the food industries of developing countries. It may be helpful to add another aspect of free trade as it can reveal the effects of free trade on both sides of the deal. This article does help to bring the international food industry into perspective, and it create a sort of ladder of superiority in which countries such as China and Mexico have a large stake in the American food industry, while the United States has a large stake in the food industries of developing countries.
Article: A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System
Summary: This study focuses on the wealth, life quality, and health of producers, distributers, and consumers. While the American agricultural industry has been more productive in recent years, most farm households rely on income that is unrelated to the farm. As for quality of life, farm owners are finding it to be increasingly difficult to succeed in the food industry because of high costs and inconsistent economic gains. Also, farmers have limited access to healthcare due to the fact that nearly all farms are located in rural areas. This study also found that having a distributer act as the middleman between the farmers and consumers eliminates the risk of farmers not selling their products. While workers at distribution plants have higher average salaries than farmers, they are at a higher risk for injuries because of the equipment they work with. This study also points out that most American households are food secure (have a consistent food supply), and they choose their foods based on five factors: taste, price healthfulness, convenience, and sustainability.
Assessment: This is a useful source because, unlike the previous source, this study focuses entirely on the United States food industry. All the information from the source is cited, and the source itself was published by a credited institution. Also, it was published in 2015, so it contains recent information. It shows no clear bias as it simply points out facts about the American food industry, and it accomplishes its goal of pointing out the positives and negatives of the food industry.
Reflection: This source is helpful to me as it fits into my research of the food industry. While it does not discuss free trade in great detail, it does point out the increased competition domestic producers have due to foreign product. This source also adds more detail to my research because it reveals the perspectives of American food producers, distributers, and consumers. While it has not changed the way I think about my topic, it allows me to have more detailed thoughts about my topic.
Article: Transatlantic Free Trade Agreements and European Food Standards
Summary: This article reviews that status of international food trade laws that govern food standards, specifically between the United States and the European Union. It discusses how these food laws can prevent certain products from entering either side of the trade agreement. It also points out that the United States and the European Union have different standards when it comes to food safety. For example, in the U.S. chicken can be produced and treated with chlorine dioxide, sodium chloride, and other substances to decontaminate germs; however, the European Union barred the U.S. from exporting this as it violates their health standards. The article proceeds to discuss the varying regulations the U.S. and E.U. have on foods.
Assessment: Unlike the other sources, this source focuses on food regulations between the U.S. and the E.U. This source is not as useful as it focuses primarily on regulations and not the results of enforcing the regulations. However, the article did not have any clear bias in it and provided multitudinous details about food regulations. This source is reliable as it contains current information and was published.
Reflection: Unfortunately, this article did not produce anything conclusive that would help either side of my topic. While I can use this source to provide background information on trade deals and organizations, it will not be useful for shaping an argument. It does, however, provide a European perspective of trade deals, but fails to point towards any social effects those trade deals have. So, while this source cannot be used to show any cause-and-effect, it can provide some helpful references.
Article: How NAFTA Changed American (And Mexican) Food Forever
Summary: This article describes how the North American Free Trade Agreement has had an impact on diets across the continent. After NAFTA was implemented, Americans began eating twice as much fruit and vegetables from Mexico and Canada as opposed to twenty years ago. While American farmers have a large market in Mexico for livestock feed, Mexicans are buying three times as much processed food since 1999. Also, Mexico is now accepting American ingredients to produce foods like high-fructose corn syrup. Consequentially, Mexico is accepting 863 times as many high-fructose corn syrup exports since before NAFTA.
Assessment: This source is useful as it directly examines trade results from NAFTA. The source does show bias in support of NAFTA as it focuses heavily on the benefits and only briefly describes the downfalls. The source comes from mainstream news media and contains current information. Unlike the other sources, this article does not discuss any of the actual regulations of NAFTA.
Reflection: This article can help because it details trade with Mexico, a major trade partner of the United States. It also provides quantitative information for my paper, though not qualitative. It also helps with visualizing the revenue the United States benefits from by having free trade agreements. Unfortunately, this source did not discuss the quality of the imported food or the work conditions.
Article: Funding Gap Hinders Law for Ensuring Food Safety
Summary: With the United States having multiple free trade agreements in place, it is vital for the FDA to be able to successfully inspect these imports. However, the FDA is vastly underfunded and is incapable of carrying out these duties. Every year, 48 million Americans suffer from food-borne illnesses with 128,000 people being hospitalized and 3,000 dying. Also, the treatment and lost income costs 15 billion dollars a year, according to the Department of Agriculture. However, without a change, the FDA will continue to check food inadequately.
Assessment: Unlike the other sources in my bibliography, this source reviews another aspect of the food industry: inspection. It is useful as it provides another aspect to look at and it remains objective in its analysis of the FDA. The information it contains is current and cited. Also, it successfully illustrates the inadequacy of the FDA and the need for reform.
Reflection: This source is helpful to me as the FDA is a vital part of free trade. It can help in detailing the unintended consequences of free trade and the cost of implementing such deals. This source has helped me to understand the safety measures that the government has implemented to prevent foodborne illnesses. This source however, did not cover the levels of inspection other countries utilize when exporting food to the U.S.