Notes

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

Summary - The beginning of the article described a meeting of America's largest food companies executives and introducing to them the effect of their products on the American public's health. Stephen Sanger, then head of General Mills, was quoted as saying "Don’t talk to me about nutrition, talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good." This attitude was reflected in General Mill's product line with the importance of sales outweighing consumer's health. The article then segmented into Howard Moskowitz and his effect on the food market and products. Moskowitz is known for optimizing products into their "perfect" forms as well as finding the bliss point of ingredients, such as sugar, fat or salt. The bliss point is akin to the Goldilock's zone, not too much and not too little. The story of Lunchables and their rise to success was told next. It described the exorbitant amounts of sugar, saturated fat and sodium found within and again told the story of how companies exploit low-cost, low-quality ingredients for profit. This story was echoed in the last two sections with Frito-Lays and Coca-Cola. 

Analysis - Personally I think the actions of these companies are despicable. Today over 36% of Americans are obese and these companies are pushing their products harder than ever. The success of these companies comes at the detriment of the American public's health and as long as they can act with no true responsibility for their actions, they will continue their behavior. I see this as a huge problem facing young Americans and generations to come. The amount of money these companies bring to our economy is not even close to worth what their products do to our health.

How Junk Food Can End Obesity

Summary - This article explored the concept of the healthfulness of "wholesome" food and the unhealthfulness of processed food. The author explained how "wholesome" foods were often just the opposite and contained similar amounts of sodium and fats as processed food. The importance that class has in one's physical health along with the psychology of what makes products sell was explored next. An important idea within the text was how natural foods are not inherently "healthier" than processed foods and how nutrition is extremely nuanced and complex.

Analysis - I personally liked how this article opened up thinking of the healthiness of foods. Being more objective in your thinking can help you make better decisions in regards to your personal nutrition as well as holding judgment against others for their choices when there is much more at play than self control, such as class, location and addiction.

Oh, This Is Great

Summary - "Oh, This is Great" takes a detour from the previous food based articles and hones the readers' focus on the epidemic of plastic found in the oceans. More particularly the North Pacific Gyre. Located here is a cesspool of plastics and other wastes. The author explained how unlike every other substance on Earth, plastics never truly can be broken down, a fact that is utterly devastating for the marine life population. 

Analysis - Like the author, I have never been involved with much environmental activism but this article did make me question the actions of humans as a whole. This quote resonated with me the most, "...it’s terrible enough to litter sections of the planet with things that can conceivably be removed—I mean, even oil spills and radioactive dust can be cleaned up to a certain extent. But to fundamentally alter the composition of seawater at one of the farthest points from civilization on the globe is a whole different ballpark of f***ing the planet." It shows that our actions, whether we can see their effects or not, still have effects. 

The Story of Stuff 


Summary - The Story of things is a short film showing what occurs with the items we purchase and the events and journeys they undergo. The video begins by emphasizing that all goods in the world follow a system that spans from extraction through manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and eventually disposal. Extraction refers to the process of extracting raw materials from natural resources such as trees, rocks, soil, plants, and animals. The section of the extraction in the film showed how different corporations recklessly extract materials without considering the necessity to replenish these natural resources for sustainability. The next phase, manufacturing, includes the procedure that is to be used by raw materials. This section of the film details how pollutants are released into the air during the production process and its influence on the world. Then we distribute the packaging and shipping of items to suppliers worldwide. The following stage, the consumer now receives and is ready to utilize the goods. The film underlines the influence of every step on the earth in general throughout the aforementioned phases. For example, because of the large use of natural resources by our consumers, the economy will eventually runs out of resources to produce products and to sustain life. The costs of sold items are outsourced which means that the amount paid for the product does not relate to the price, which also has a major influence on the economy. The production phase demonstrates the avarice of some companies where they manufacture items which after a certain period quickly fail or get out of date to sell more every year. The video ends with the presentation of a call to action for companies to end such irrational actions and be a more mindful consumer. 

Analysis - Discourse on subjects like these is necessary and I think that we all need to be more active before companies do true irreversible damage to our natural resources. Being a more mindful consumer is a important step in this process as well, purchasing more long-lasting, environmentally friendly products to counteract the wastefulness of disposable products. 

 The Global Food Waste Shortage 

Summary - The speaker highlighted the waste that is produced all over the world by supermarkets, farmers and other companies. He demonstrated this by showing a graph showing that the U.S as well as many other richer countries have upwards of 400% of the food needed to feed their populations. 

Analysis - The facts and figures as well as the anecdotes the speaker gave were staggering and changed my outlook on how hunger could/should be solved. We have enough food to feed every single person on Earth, we just have to find ways to get it to them and not waste the food that we do have. 

A Guerrilla Gardener in South Central LA

Summary - 

Analysis -

Urban Farming Benefits the Local Economy

Summary - As explained urban farming allows food to be consumed closer to the source, cutting costs on transportation, storage and allows products to be delivered fresher. It also delved into how urban farming projects can lead to infrastructure improvements and increased local economy activity.

Analysis - I believe that urban farming is a genuinely viable solution to some problems faced in urban life. Some, but not all however. Urban farming has it limits but I think it is an avenue that should be explored. 




Prompt - An additional source I found on the topic I wish to write about was Jim Kwik's "Kwik Brain". Although this is more of a self-book, it explores ideas that correlate with the Internet and Intelligence. It is particularly useful because of the research and statistics that are compiled within about the effects of internet usage and our brains capabilities. Kwik cites many very credible sources with research from Stanford psychology professors and other high ranking figures in academia.