Industrial Food System Analysis: A Critical Essay

Written Essays Option

For this assignment, you will be able to choose the format that best fits with your schedule, situation and learning style - either individual written essay questions or group Zoom discussion with a written portion to also be submitted. Details for both options are outlined below.

Students who prefer to work individually will have to answer the questions below in written essay format. However, you only have to answer enough of the questions to earn 35 points (the amount of points this assignment is worth) - so you can pick which questions to answer, or you can answer all of them for a chance to earn up to 5 extra credit points. It is best to answer the questions as completely as you see fit, without going into great length details. But writing in complete sentences and citing sources from our course materials is highly recommended. Please, do not copy/paste the question into the paper you submit. The question you are answering should be clear by the structure and content of your written responses. Copy and pasting the question will be a deduction of points. You may use bullet points in instances you see appropriate, but complete sentences and proper grammar must still be used. You may likely be using this assignment in the future and expanding upon the answers, so keep that in mind as you answer the questions. Remember to cite any sources used.

1) Explain what the Green Revolution was, who played a significant role in it and its impact on modern day agriculture. What are some of the positive and negative impacts that resulted from the Green Revolution? (5pts)

2) Briefly explain what a commodity crop is and what is its significance in regards to current food policies and the trends that we have seen in rural America and on farms across the country. Explain how it is that most Iowa farmland is essentially a food desert and a state that imports 80% of its food. (6pts)

3) Briefly discuss the relationship of Earl Butz's food policy from 1973 to the meat most of the population eats today in 2020. How did Butz's policies influence the way and where we raise and feed the majority of livestock? Discuss at least two (2) issues associated with such operations as they specifically relate to Illinois farms, farm workers or communities, providing specific examples. (8pts) 

4) Compare the slaughtering process on an industrial-scaled factory farm to that often associated with more sustainably scaled farms, such as Polyface Farms - discuss at least 2 differences in the operations (hint: not how the animals are raised, but how they are killed; and consider more than just the animals). (6pts)

5) Outline the policies/issues/practices of the industrial food system that have shown to be detrimental and unsustainable in regards to personal health and safety of individuals and communities - list at least two (2) ways our current food system is jeopardizing our personal health and safety; provide facts backing your statements. These issues must be different than the issues discussed regarding environmental impacts (see below). (4pts)

Question 1: The Green Revolution

6) Outline the policies/issues/practices of the industrial food system that have shown to be detrimental and unsustainable in regards to the environment - list at least two (2) ways our current food system is jeopardizing the health of the environment; provide facts backing your statements. These issues must be different than the issues outlined regarding personal health and food safety issues. (4pts)

7) Throughout the first half of this course, many aspects of the regulatory side of the food system have been discussed, many of them appearing somewhat “shady”; discuss at least two aspects of the industrial food system that appear to want to keep “consumers in the dark”, aspects of the system that Big Food corporations would rather the consumer not know about. Discuss your thoughts on this type of system and your lack of transparency. (8pts)

8) Discuss three kinds of deregulation that contributed to the current public health crisis, as explained by Marion Nestle. How did these deregulations contribute to the current obesity epidemic? In an effort to address the epidemic, regulatory approaches have been recommended. There are five (5) types of regulatory approaches that Nestle discusses that have been proven effective. Discuss these approaches and in your opinion, is there a regulatory approach that you have found to be most effective or feel would be most effective in helping the general population make healthier choices and change their consumption patterns? (8pts)

9) It has been said that our global public health issues are really food system issues - please explain using at least two (2) ways in which they are linked. How does the health care crisis relate to the food system? Follow this discussion with a brief explanation of the challenge to food system advocates as described by Marion Nestle? Why is this such a challenge when the solutions seem so clear? Briefly discuss and comment on Nestle’s suggestions for personal responsibility. (8pts) 

10) Works Cited is sometimes referred to as References. These terms mean the same thing. Each is an alphabetical list of works cited, or works to which you have made reference in your writing, either essay questions or research paper. Provide your References used in APA format and on a new page. If you did not cite any sources, create a References page for the following sources: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, a FoodPrint blog titled How the Right to Farm Became the Right to Harm (https://foodprint.org/blog/right-to-farm-right-to-harm-film/) and Vandana Shiva from a Bill Moyers segment. (3pts)