By Shidonna Raven, Chef Editor
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Photo Source: Unsplash, Hermes R.
Scripture & Faith
For the life of all flesh – its blood is its life. Therefore I say to the Israelite people: You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off” ( In Leviticus 17:13-14).
If one is asked what they believe, he or she can tell you what their religion or lack thereof is. But, does one understand how such beliefs can impact your health and why there are such food restrictions such as the consumption of blood. In addition to religion one may consider how the following impacts one's health and their food supply.
GMOs & Organic
GMOs or genetically modified organisms speak to how significant science impacts the foods we consume daily. GMOs are foods whose genetic makeup have been altered by science. The cavendish banana represents 95% of the bananas sold and consumed today. The cavendish banana faced extension just prior to the COVID pandemic and may indeed face extension. The cavendish banana is a GMO and does not have a seed. Because of this, when the Panama Disease spread among the cavendish, it almost went extinct.
Science & Biology
Which brings us to the topic of Science and Biology. As farmers were presented with scientific products designed to give them everything from bigger to more to better tasting crops, science's role in the biology of science began to play a bigger role in food production and consumption. Foods also became more processed. Organic, Natural and some small farmers will tell you that food production or growth is healthiest when grown from a biological perspective rather than a scientific in a lab perspective. The scientific perspective often involves chemicals such as pesticides to the removal of seeds from food to prevent the use of such foods to grow food.
Think Global Health reports the following farm and food statistics:
2 Million - In 2017, there were approximately two million farms across the United States
Of these 2 Million farms, small-scale family farms represented 89 percent of all farms by number, but only account for 26 percent of production by volume.
Large-scale family farms accounted for only 2.5 percent and 39 percent, respectively. Crop production is focused in California and the Midwest, with corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and hay representing around 90 percent of harvested acreage in the United States.
Demographically, farmers (excluding farmworkers) are an aging population—the average age of a farmer is fifty-eight years old, making them particularly at risk to coronavirus.
Seed & Extension
Which brings us to the availability of food. Indeed, many seed collectors have begun to collect seeds for the preservation of what is referred to as heirloom and organic plants. Heirloom typically involves preserving the seed as is as even fruits and vegetables in nature can cross with other like fruits and vegetables to create a new variety. Organic, on the other hand, typically involves preserving the plant free of chemicals. Nonetheless, foods that are altered or produced by science often are designed with profit in mind and thus often lack a seed. In addition to being scientifically produced rather than solely biologically grown, threatens the availability of food. When disease, as in the case of the cavendish banana, occurs whole plants (foods) can be wiped out. In the case of the cavendish banana transplanting was used to grow the banana rather than the seed. When disease impacts the cavendish banana, the producers could not simply plant another seed. A new cavendish banana had to be created in a science lab to replace the previous banana to prevent the same disease from wiping out the crop. This if it can be created. That is if there are any of the heirloom or organic seeds of that food: banana or its varieties
Supply Chain & Price
Think Global Health Reports the following farming and food statistics:
The United States imports about 15 percent of its total food supply.
While the bulk of our meat and dairy is produced domestically, we import approximately 32 percent of our vegetables, 55 percent of our fresh fruit, and 94 percent of the seafood that we consume annually
Our top countries of import are Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, and China. Mexico is responsible for nearly half of our total fruits and vegetable imports, while Canada is responsible for around 19 percent of our total meat and fish imports (with Australia, China, and India being not far behind).
The Ukrainian and Russian war has highlighted the delicate balance of the supply chain that delivers foods and other goods to people all over the world. As alliances shift so too did exports and imports of foods leaving some foods to spoil in the fields or redirected to other countries. As and when the supply chain is resolved, it has and can impact the price of food causing higher food prices around the world in the lingering midst of the economic upset of the pandemic.
Obesity & Food Production
As people around the world make pocket book decisions at the grocery store in the midst of higher food prices, it raises an age old question regarding obesity and food production as people maybe left with making different food choices than they typically make. While organic food availability has increased slowly, and consequently has been more expensive for the consumer. Organic foods are less expensive for the farmer to produce as it requires less scientific products to be purchased to grow such foods. Nonetheless, the lower cost of processed foods, in some cases, have been said to be one of the leading causes of obesity in Americans.
Sloth
Not only can one’s choice of food impact their health such as causing obesity and the other health issues surrounding obesity and weight loss, it can also impact food production and the availability of organic more healthier (no chemicals) foods. As demand for organic foods goes up, the cost of them will go down.
How can such practices impact your health? Life? Why?
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