6- Pope, John. “ Meatpacking: Food Poisoning and Injuries”. “Capitalism without responsibility: Fast food’s hidden Dangers.
The meatpacking industry has the lowest pay in America. The article explains how the industry hired immigrants who are willing to work at any cost. It also explains how the untrained employees can contribute to the food poisoning. E.coli is the worst form of poisoning, the article describes how the E.coli is spread mostly in hamburgers.
7- National Steak and Poultry Recall Lawsuit by Pritzer Olsen Attorneys
This law firm represents a woman who contracted E. coli poisoning and hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating steak at a restaurant by National Steak and Poultry. The article stays where the recalled Steak came from.
8- Food Poisioning, Foodborn illness
This article gives the definition of E.coli and also an estimated of the people who are infected every year. It deeply describes the symptoms of this illness once a person is infected. The article also explains what the different treatments for this bacterium are and how it could be prevented.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
MLA annotated Bibliography of The Spread of E.coli
Clare Jalonick, Mary. Associated Press, “Lettuce Recalled in 23 States, E-coli suspected, (AP) May 7, 2010
1- This article is informing about an outbreak of E. coli in 23 states and the District of Columbia which has been sickened 19 people. Fresh Foods of Sydney , Ohio recalled lettuce sold under the Fresh way and imperial Sysco because of a possible link with the outbreak of E.coli. According to Food and Drug administration, 12 people have been hospitalized. College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y have been affected. The FDA is focusing its investigation of this outbreak on lettuce produced in Arizona.
2- Schlosser, Eric. “The Most Dangerous Job”. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of The All-American Meal. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
This particular chapter gives us an introduction of what is E.coli and how is it found in Meat.
E.coli was first isolated in 1982, and it was discovered before HIVs. The rise of slaughterhouses, feedlots and hamburgers grinders help this bacterium to become widely dispersed in the food’s supplies of the nation. The meatpacking industry has been the responsible system for spreading this disease. Although E.coli 1057 has been the main bacteria found in meat, over the past 2 decades scientist has discovered other bacteria. The CDC estimates than more than ¾ of the food related illness are caused by bacteria which have not been identified yet. E. coli comes from Shit of Mammals. The Government cannot make the Meatpacking industry remove contaminated food from the market. The author says the link between the Meatpacking companies and the government; the power of these companies has being sustained by tits donations to Republican members of the Senate.
Sussen, Max. Escherichia Coli: Mechanism of virulence. Cambridge University, 1997
3- This book gives a deep and scientific detailed information about E.coli. it explains how e.coli is spread in animals farms. E.coli can be associated with the conditions in which the animals are raised and feed including poultry. This bacterium is also found in pigs and it is more common in calves and according to veterinarians is more common in young animals. The author describes the factors that contributes to the virulence of e.coli, and it also explain and define the toxins of E.coli.
Hayhurst, Chris. E.coli, The Rosen Publishing, 2003
4- This book talks about the history of E.coli, which was discovered in 1800 by Theodore Escherich. He found the bacteria in the human Colon. The book also examines the new research and cures for E.coli as well as its outbreak from daily foods. It also explains how E.coli has been developed over the time. There are many others types of E.coli but the most common is E.COLI 0157. H7.
5- Watson, Stephanie. Fast Food: what’s in your Fast food? Recipe for disaster, The Rosen Publishing Group 2008,
E.coli is found in Cows intestines which can mix with the ground beef during the meatpacking process and then contaminate the food. The book describes how E.coli is most common in Fast Food such as Hamburgers which are the most common. The book does not only make reference to E.coli in meat but also in vegetables; it explains how this bacteria is spread in vegetables such as beans, spinach and lettuce.
1- This article is informing about an outbreak of E. coli in 23 states and the District of Columbia which has been sickened 19 people. Fresh Foods of Sydney , Ohio recalled lettuce sold under the Fresh way and imperial Sysco because of a possible link with the outbreak of E.coli. According to Food and Drug administration, 12 people have been hospitalized. College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y have been affected. The FDA is focusing its investigation of this outbreak on lettuce produced in Arizona.
2- Schlosser, Eric. “The Most Dangerous Job”. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of The All-American Meal. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
This particular chapter gives us an introduction of what is E.coli and how is it found in Meat.
E.coli was first isolated in 1982, and it was discovered before HIVs. The rise of slaughterhouses, feedlots and hamburgers grinders help this bacterium to become widely dispersed in the food’s supplies of the nation. The meatpacking industry has been the responsible system for spreading this disease. Although E.coli 1057 has been the main bacteria found in meat, over the past 2 decades scientist has discovered other bacteria. The CDC estimates than more than ¾ of the food related illness are caused by bacteria which have not been identified yet. E. coli comes from Shit of Mammals. The Government cannot make the Meatpacking industry remove contaminated food from the market. The author says the link between the Meatpacking companies and the government; the power of these companies has being sustained by tits donations to Republican members of the Senate.
Sussen, Max. Escherichia Coli: Mechanism of virulence. Cambridge University, 1997
3- This book gives a deep and scientific detailed information about E.coli. it explains how e.coli is spread in animals farms. E.coli can be associated with the conditions in which the animals are raised and feed including poultry. This bacterium is also found in pigs and it is more common in calves and according to veterinarians is more common in young animals. The author describes the factors that contributes to the virulence of e.coli, and it also explain and define the toxins of E.coli.
Hayhurst, Chris. E.coli, The Rosen Publishing, 2003
4- This book talks about the history of E.coli, which was discovered in 1800 by Theodore Escherich. He found the bacteria in the human Colon. The book also examines the new research and cures for E.coli as well as its outbreak from daily foods. It also explains how E.coli has been developed over the time. There are many others types of E.coli but the most common is E.COLI 0157. H7.
5- Watson, Stephanie. Fast Food: what’s in your Fast food? Recipe for disaster, The Rosen Publishing Group 2008,
E.coli is found in Cows intestines which can mix with the ground beef during the meatpacking process and then contaminate the food. The book describes how E.coli is most common in Fast Food such as Hamburgers which are the most common. The book does not only make reference to E.coli in meat but also in vegetables; it explains how this bacteria is spread in vegetables such as beans, spinach and lettuce.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Building up a Bigger America By Advertising Junk Food In Schools
Fast food restaurants use different marketing strategies such as fantasy elements, utopian characters internet and TV ads to manipulate kids and teenagers, whom are their main consumers. Therefore these chains want to get access to them, not only by TV commercial or website clubs, but ultimately in schools. As a result of this, young people are not being well educated in school about health care, and good eating habits, and consequently are being affected by different diseases such as obesity, Type II diabetes and bone fractures.
Public schools used to be a place that kept students from the advertising of junk food. But now, they have become the main spot for these companies to conduct economic interests. The junk food companies have different strategies to promote their products in schools. There are many different ways to advertise junk food in schools such as posters in the walls, ads in the school newspaper, logos in athletic scoreboards and sponsorship banners in gym. The schools that sale junk food in vending machines depends somehow on these companies, which supply technological materials for students; “the spiraling cost of textbooks has led thousands of American school district to use corporate-sponsored teaching materials”, states Eric Schlosser in the chapter “My Trusted Friends” (55). In the article “US Schools hooked on Junk food proceeds” by David Nakumara it is stated that “through contracts with soft drinks companies and other vendors, some schools are raising as much as $100,000 a year.” These companies have programs to help students financially; for instance, according to www.fastweb.com Coca-Cola first Generation Scholarship grants $ 5000 to Indian American Students who are in their first or second semester of college, Pizza Hut Reading contest gives kids a free pizza if they reach a reading goal. By this, Fast food brands are trying to get student’s loyalty and make them think that they care about their education. As a result of this, students, especially young kids, will work harder to get better grades and keep eating their favorite junk food, because they know that they will get a price for it.
Likewise, McDonalds also offered free food in schools. “The Campaign for a commercial-free childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers” mentions that “Children in kindergarten through fifth-grade had been receiving their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior, or attendance”, this occurred in Seminole County Florida, but it ended when the parents started complaining about it. Moreover most fast food chains have posters in hallways and in School buses. “Corporate Accountability international: challenging abuse protecting people” states in its website (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) that “ 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food and if a school doesn’t sell it, there will be a location nearby.” Marketers know that one of the most important thing they must keep in mind in order to attract customers to a restaurant or make them buy a certain product, is the location where the product will be sale. Students are much likely to get breakfast from a McDonald’s than take it from home, as well as go to lunch after school. It has been proven that food locations near schools and other public places have greater sales than others.
In addition, soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper have become the leader beverages in public schools, especially in middle and elementary schools. In the book “A Fast Food Nation” chapter “My Trusted Friends” by Eric Schlosser states that “twenty years ago, teenage boys in the Unites States drank twice as much milk as soda; now they drink twice as much soda as milk” (54). This infers that young people are replacing water and milk with soda. Even though milk could have more calories than a can of soda, it’s hardly recommended that people take at least three glasses of milk a day. Milk is needed for your bone structure, and as a result of a lack of its consumption diseases related to bones deficiencies are more common.
Selling sodas in schools has become a great sales project for these companies. The more beverages sold they have, the more commission for the District and soft drinks companies. According to Eric Schlosser, in the chapter “My trusted friends”, “these companies control 90.3 percent of the US market, but have been hurt by declining sales in Asia” (53). The marketers take advantage of the influence that kids have in their parents to buy certain products. The intention of these advertisers is to try to change people’s behavior and keep the brand loyalty.
The explosion of advertising junk food in school has influenced young people and their parents to purchase unhealthy food and beverages which may cause several health problems such as and calcium deficiencies as well as obesity, which is the cause for type II diabetes and heart diseases. In addition, Obesity in childhood increased from 5% in 1964 to a 13% in 1994, and today is a 20%. The presence of junk food in schools contributes rapidly to the epidemic of this disease and students are much likely to get a candy bar and a soda rather than fruits or vegetables.
Soda and other sugary drinks has been targeted as the main cause of the increment of obesity rates among young people, however is not the only source of calories and sugar that student consume at school. Snacks such as M&M’s, Twix, and other candy bars as well as any kind of chips are also part of the diet. And while the obesity rate in US is increasing, the government is looking for strategies to help to overcome this problem; David Patterson governor of New York, proposed taxes on soft drinks and other sugary drinks in December 2008, the proposal is still in debate, but honestly it seems that this strategy won’t work as expected specially when the expenses on advertising junk food are greater than what the government spend to educate students about healthy habits and nutrition. The article “Food advertising & marketing directed at children’s and adolescents in the US” by Mary Story and Simone French, states that in 1997 the total expenses for confectionery and snacks was $1 billion. On the contrary, in the same year, the US Department of agriculture spent only $330 million on nutritional education. More aggressive strategies are needed to combat obesity among young people, and that would be treating the problem from its roots. The Obama administration has announced a plan to ban candy and junk food from schools. Likewise, the first lady Michelle Obama started a campaign against childhood obesity. This seems to be more meaningful than the soda taxes.
After home, school is the place where kids and adolescents spend more time, also is where they adopt different habits and ideas. As a result of this students should be better educated in health and nutrition which shouldn’t be less important than math and science. And the first step to give them the better role model is banning junk food and sugary drinks from school. Young kids learned and copy the things they see, so why give them a bad role model about their food choices if we can encourage them to have a healthier life?
“WORKS CITED”
1- Schlosser, Eric. “My Trusted Friends.” Fast Food Nation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 31-58.Print.
2- Story, Mary & French, Simone. “Food Advertising & Marketing Directed at Children & Adolescents In The US”. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Division of epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis US. February 10, 2004.
3- Campaign from Commercial-free Childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org
4- Nakumura, David. “US Schools Hooked On Junk Food Proceeds”. Washington Post. February 27, 2001.
5- Scholarship search. www.fastweb.com
Public schools used to be a place that kept students from the advertising of junk food. But now, they have become the main spot for these companies to conduct economic interests. The junk food companies have different strategies to promote their products in schools. There are many different ways to advertise junk food in schools such as posters in the walls, ads in the school newspaper, logos in athletic scoreboards and sponsorship banners in gym. The schools that sale junk food in vending machines depends somehow on these companies, which supply technological materials for students; “the spiraling cost of textbooks has led thousands of American school district to use corporate-sponsored teaching materials”, states Eric Schlosser in the chapter “My Trusted Friends” (55). In the article “US Schools hooked on Junk food proceeds” by David Nakumara it is stated that “through contracts with soft drinks companies and other vendors, some schools are raising as much as $100,000 a year.” These companies have programs to help students financially; for instance, according to www.fastweb.com Coca-Cola first Generation Scholarship grants $ 5000 to Indian American Students who are in their first or second semester of college, Pizza Hut Reading contest gives kids a free pizza if they reach a reading goal. By this, Fast food brands are trying to get student’s loyalty and make them think that they care about their education. As a result of this, students, especially young kids, will work harder to get better grades and keep eating their favorite junk food, because they know that they will get a price for it.
Likewise, McDonalds also offered free food in schools. “The Campaign for a commercial-free childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers” mentions that “Children in kindergarten through fifth-grade had been receiving their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior, or attendance”, this occurred in Seminole County Florida, but it ended when the parents started complaining about it. Moreover most fast food chains have posters in hallways and in School buses. “Corporate Accountability international: challenging abuse protecting people” states in its website (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) that “ 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food and if a school doesn’t sell it, there will be a location nearby.” Marketers know that one of the most important thing they must keep in mind in order to attract customers to a restaurant or make them buy a certain product, is the location where the product will be sale. Students are much likely to get breakfast from a McDonald’s than take it from home, as well as go to lunch after school. It has been proven that food locations near schools and other public places have greater sales than others.
In addition, soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper have become the leader beverages in public schools, especially in middle and elementary schools. In the book “A Fast Food Nation” chapter “My Trusted Friends” by Eric Schlosser states that “twenty years ago, teenage boys in the Unites States drank twice as much milk as soda; now they drink twice as much soda as milk” (54). This infers that young people are replacing water and milk with soda. Even though milk could have more calories than a can of soda, it’s hardly recommended that people take at least three glasses of milk a day. Milk is needed for your bone structure, and as a result of a lack of its consumption diseases related to bones deficiencies are more common.
Selling sodas in schools has become a great sales project for these companies. The more beverages sold they have, the more commission for the District and soft drinks companies. According to Eric Schlosser, in the chapter “My trusted friends”, “these companies control 90.3 percent of the US market, but have been hurt by declining sales in Asia” (53). The marketers take advantage of the influence that kids have in their parents to buy certain products. The intention of these advertisers is to try to change people’s behavior and keep the brand loyalty.
The explosion of advertising junk food in school has influenced young people and their parents to purchase unhealthy food and beverages which may cause several health problems such as and calcium deficiencies as well as obesity, which is the cause for type II diabetes and heart diseases. In addition, Obesity in childhood increased from 5% in 1964 to a 13% in 1994, and today is a 20%. The presence of junk food in schools contributes rapidly to the epidemic of this disease and students are much likely to get a candy bar and a soda rather than fruits or vegetables.
Soda and other sugary drinks has been targeted as the main cause of the increment of obesity rates among young people, however is not the only source of calories and sugar that student consume at school. Snacks such as M&M’s, Twix, and other candy bars as well as any kind of chips are also part of the diet. And while the obesity rate in US is increasing, the government is looking for strategies to help to overcome this problem; David Patterson governor of New York, proposed taxes on soft drinks and other sugary drinks in December 2008, the proposal is still in debate, but honestly it seems that this strategy won’t work as expected specially when the expenses on advertising junk food are greater than what the government spend to educate students about healthy habits and nutrition. The article “Food advertising & marketing directed at children’s and adolescents in the US” by Mary Story and Simone French, states that in 1997 the total expenses for confectionery and snacks was $1 billion. On the contrary, in the same year, the US Department of agriculture spent only $330 million on nutritional education. More aggressive strategies are needed to combat obesity among young people, and that would be treating the problem from its roots. The Obama administration has announced a plan to ban candy and junk food from schools. Likewise, the first lady Michelle Obama started a campaign against childhood obesity. This seems to be more meaningful than the soda taxes.
After home, school is the place where kids and adolescents spend more time, also is where they adopt different habits and ideas. As a result of this students should be better educated in health and nutrition which shouldn’t be less important than math and science. And the first step to give them the better role model is banning junk food and sugary drinks from school. Young kids learned and copy the things they see, so why give them a bad role model about their food choices if we can encourage them to have a healthier life?
“WORKS CITED”
1- Schlosser, Eric. “My Trusted Friends.” Fast Food Nation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 31-58.Print.
2- Story, Mary & French, Simone. “Food Advertising & Marketing Directed at Children & Adolescents In The US”. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Division of epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis US. February 10, 2004.
3- Campaign from Commercial-free Childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org
4- Nakumura, David. “US Schools Hooked On Junk Food Proceeds”. Washington Post. February 27, 2001.
5- Scholarship search. www.fastweb.com
Monday, April 19, 2010
Essay Outline
Outline:
Topic: Fast food industry taking kids as the “money maker” machine
(working) Thesis Statement: targeting kids as the junk food’s major consumer, as well as advertising these products in school lead them to have an unhealthy diet which causes many diseases.
Introduction: will be written last
Main Ideas:
1st paragraph: the fast industry targeted kids as their main costumers.
2nd paragraph: the fast food industry is advertising in public schools.
3rd paragraph: advertising in public schools lead children to have an unhealthy diet.
4th paragraph: kid’s diet is the main cause of obesity, type II diabetes and calcium related diseases.
Conclusion: will be written last
Body Paragraph 1:
Fast food restaurants use different marketing strategies to manipulate kids, whom are their main consumer. These restaurants create fantasy elements, promotional toys, playgrounds in their locations, and web site clubs to gather information about their favorite customers; before the marketers change kid’s behavior they have to know their wants. Fast food restaurants have access to kids 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through TV commercials, and internet. “a typical American child spend twenty-one hours watching TV ” and watches more than thirty thousand TV commercials per year. “A kid who loves our TV commercials, and brings her grandparents to a McDonald’s gives us two more customers”, explained Ray Kroc, owner of McDonalds. The strategy of these companies is to have the kids dream about a utopian place where everything is possible, where they want to belong to and to get their loyalty and trust. Eric Schlosser states in the chapter entitled “Your Trusted Friends” (42) that, children are more able to recognize a brand logo before they could even know their names. Kids are important customers for marketers because “they have more influence in their parent’s decision to buy the products that they want and also they are the adult’s consumer of the future”. Since 1980, when the explosion in children’s advertising occurred, kids are being targeted not only by fast food restaurants, but by phone companies, oil companies, foods and cleaning products, clothing stores, as well as soft drinks. These chains want to get access to kids, not only by TV or website clubs, but ultimately in schools.
Body Paragraph 2:
Public schools used to be a place that kept children from the advertising of junk food. But now, they have become the main spot for these companies to conduct economic interests. The fast food restaurants have different strategies to promote their products in schools and the most important thing, keep the brand image up, making the customers believe that they care about their education; “We value the importance of education and have a long-standing commitment to its support,” is a quote from McDonald’s scholarships webpage. One strategy is to supply technological materials for students; “the spiraling cost of textbooks has led thousands of American school district to use corporate-sponsored teaching materials”, states Eric Schlosser in the chapter “My Trusted Friends” (55). They have programs to help students financially; for instance, Coca-Cola first Generation Scholarship, which grant $ 5000 to Indian American Students who are in their first or second semester of college; Pizza Hut Reading contest, which give kids a free pizza if they reach a reading goal. Likewise, McDonalds also offered free food in schools. The Campaign for a commercial-free childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers, mentions that “Children in kindergarten through fifth-grade had been receiving their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior, or attendance”, this occurred in Seminole County Florida, but it ended when the parents started complaining about it. Moreover most fast food chains have posters in hallways and in School buses. “Corporate Accountability international: challenging abuse protecting people” states in its website (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) that “ 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food and if a school doesn’t sell it, there will be a location nearby.”
Topic: Fast food industry taking kids as the “money maker” machine
(working) Thesis Statement: targeting kids as the junk food’s major consumer, as well as advertising these products in school lead them to have an unhealthy diet which causes many diseases.
Introduction: will be written last
Main Ideas:
1st paragraph: the fast industry targeted kids as their main costumers.
2nd paragraph: the fast food industry is advertising in public schools.
3rd paragraph: advertising in public schools lead children to have an unhealthy diet.
4th paragraph: kid’s diet is the main cause of obesity, type II diabetes and calcium related diseases.
Conclusion: will be written last
Body Paragraph 1:
Fast food restaurants use different marketing strategies to manipulate kids, whom are their main consumer. These restaurants create fantasy elements, promotional toys, playgrounds in their locations, and web site clubs to gather information about their favorite customers; before the marketers change kid’s behavior they have to know their wants. Fast food restaurants have access to kids 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through TV commercials, and internet. “a typical American child spend twenty-one hours watching TV ” and watches more than thirty thousand TV commercials per year. “A kid who loves our TV commercials, and brings her grandparents to a McDonald’s gives us two more customers”, explained Ray Kroc, owner of McDonalds. The strategy of these companies is to have the kids dream about a utopian place where everything is possible, where they want to belong to and to get their loyalty and trust. Eric Schlosser states in the chapter entitled “Your Trusted Friends” (42) that, children are more able to recognize a brand logo before they could even know their names. Kids are important customers for marketers because “they have more influence in their parent’s decision to buy the products that they want and also they are the adult’s consumer of the future”. Since 1980, when the explosion in children’s advertising occurred, kids are being targeted not only by fast food restaurants, but by phone companies, oil companies, foods and cleaning products, clothing stores, as well as soft drinks. These chains want to get access to kids, not only by TV or website clubs, but ultimately in schools.
Body Paragraph 2:
Public schools used to be a place that kept children from the advertising of junk food. But now, they have become the main spot for these companies to conduct economic interests. The fast food restaurants have different strategies to promote their products in schools and the most important thing, keep the brand image up, making the customers believe that they care about their education; “We value the importance of education and have a long-standing commitment to its support,” is a quote from McDonald’s scholarships webpage. One strategy is to supply technological materials for students; “the spiraling cost of textbooks has led thousands of American school district to use corporate-sponsored teaching materials”, states Eric Schlosser in the chapter “My Trusted Friends” (55). They have programs to help students financially; for instance, Coca-Cola first Generation Scholarship, which grant $ 5000 to Indian American Students who are in their first or second semester of college; Pizza Hut Reading contest, which give kids a free pizza if they reach a reading goal. Likewise, McDonalds also offered free food in schools. The Campaign for a commercial-free childhood: reclaiming childhood from corporate marketers, mentions that “Children in kindergarten through fifth-grade had been receiving their report cards in envelopes adorned with Ronald McDonald promising a free Happy Meal to students with good grades, behavior, or attendance”, this occurred in Seminole County Florida, but it ended when the parents started complaining about it. Moreover most fast food chains have posters in hallways and in School buses. “Corporate Accountability international: challenging abuse protecting people” states in its website (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) that “ 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food and if a school doesn’t sell it, there will be a location nearby.”
Sunday, April 18, 2010
MLA annotated Bibliography of The Food System and Diseases
Big Food v. Big Insurance, By Michael Pollan, New York Times, September 10, 2009
Section A: Column 0: Editorial Desk: OP-ED contributor; page 43
According to this article, the diseases that cause the government more money in the United States are Obesity, Type II diabetes and cardiovascular problems. It also explains that the American Diet is the main cause of these diseases. The government is subsidizing the cost of the health care system and the consumption of HFCS. The system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheaper and therefore, people eat it more than healthy food.
Surveys: Consumers want food guidance, by Michelle Greenhalgh, March 4, 2010
www.foodsafetynews.com
This article states that a recent survey by foodminds shows that Americans are paying more attention to food labels than before. The author also shows the percentage of people who agree with the government’s decision to stop junk food advertising to children. However, some other people are against taxes on soft drinks and foods high in calories. On the other hand, a seventy-seven percent indicated that if their favorite foods have a warning label they would stop eating it.
Section A: Column 0: Editorial Desk: OP-ED contributor; page 43
According to this article, the diseases that cause the government more money in the United States are Obesity, Type II diabetes and cardiovascular problems. It also explains that the American Diet is the main cause of these diseases. The government is subsidizing the cost of the health care system and the consumption of HFCS. The system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheaper and therefore, people eat it more than healthy food.
Surveys: Consumers want food guidance, by Michelle Greenhalgh, March 4, 2010
www.foodsafetynews.com
This article states that a recent survey by foodminds shows that Americans are paying more attention to food labels than before. The author also shows the percentage of people who agree with the government’s decision to stop junk food advertising to children. However, some other people are against taxes on soft drinks and foods high in calories. On the other hand, a seventy-seven percent indicated that if their favorite foods have a warning label they would stop eating it.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Corn: a sweet cause of obesity and therefore, diabetes.
During the 19th century American farmers were producing too much corn which was the first ingredient in alcohol. Over the time, farmers found new uses for this crop. The most common use was the creation of HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), which is a sweetener made by changing the sugar in corn to fructose. The final result is a combination of glucose and fructose. Because it is cheaper than sugar, easy to transport and keeps food in good condition for a longer period of time, HFCS has become a popular ingredient in Sodas, ketchup, jams, jellies, juices, snacks, bread, cereal, fast food, and almost all processed food that we consume. As a result of this, HFCS seems to be impossible to avoid. Moreover, the use of this sweetener instead of sugar has created criticism among researchers about the effects of this ingredient. Some allege that HFCS is healthier than sucrose; while others claim that the low cost of HFCS encourages overconsumption of sugar, making it the bigger cause of Obesity and Diabetes in America.
Obesity has being considered as an epidemic, because is the biggest health problem we face. According to Michael Pollan, the author of “The Consumer: A Republic of Fat”, “Obesity cost the health care system and estimated $90 billion a year. Three of five Americans are overweight; one of every five is obese.” obesity occurs when people eat more calories than the calories that they burn; having a diet high in fat and sugar contribute to this disease, as well as the lack of exercise, and the lack of money to buy whole foods, which are healthier. As a result of this, people will buy cheaper food which contains HFCS and will eat more fat and sugar. In 1980, when HFCS was developed in American’s diet, the obesity rate was 15% and now it has increased tremendously to a 33%. While Diabetes, a disease first known in adults, has been renamed Type II diabetes since it now occurs in children.
Type II diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin which helps the carbohydrates in foods to be used as energy. The body don’t recognize the sources of these carbohydrates, however, even though HFCS could not be the main cause of diabetes, the overconsumption have a significant role in this disease as well as in obesity. According to a 2004 study reported in the American journal of Clinical Nutrition, the rise of Type II diabetes since 1980 is paralleled to the increased use of Corn Syrup. HFSC does not reduce the hunger; therefore there is no feeling of satiety. Likewise, Michael Pollan states in chapter six “the Consumer: A Republic of fat” of the book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” that, “since 1985, the consumption of HFCS has gone from forty-five pounds to sixty six pounds. During the same period our consumption of refined sugar actually went up by five pounds”. This makes us infers that we are getting HFCS on top of the sugars we were already consuming. People diagnosed with Diabetes are eating less sugar than before, but they could be ingesting more corn sweeteners.
In conclusion, the overproduction of corn since 19th century has made this crop the number one ingredient in American’s diet, since is the most important and cheaper source of calories in the supermarkets. Leading people to over consume it and therefore be one of the biggest causes of obesity and diabetes. To avoid this, it’s important to read the food labels of the food we eat. It has been proven that when people are better informed about a subject, they have more power to make better decisions.
Michael Pollan. “The Consumer: A Republic of Fat”. The Omnivore’s Dilemma; The Secrets Behind What You Eat. New York: Dial, 2009. 100-108.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. www.ajcn.org
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Are taxes on soda a strategy to fight against obesity or against your pocket?
We all know that Soda and other sugary drinks are not good for our health, but most people continue to drink them. According to the article “A tax to combat America’s Sugary Diet” by Jane E. Brody, “these soft drinks contribute 7 percent of the calories Americans consume, making them the leading source of added sugar and the single largest source calories in our diet”. However, it has been proven that cigarettes cause lung cancer, and even though the taxes on cigarettes are high, that does not prevent people from smoking. Taxing sodas and other sugary drinks will not stop people from buying them; most Americans know that these drinks could be very addictive, and if you are one of those people who accompanies your breakfast, lunch and dinner with a soda and you see yourself in a position in which you can’t stop drinking it, it won’t matter if you have to pay a few more cents. Or even better you could go to a “tax free” state such as New Jersey to get soda. The government should not decide what kind of lifestyle American citizens should have.
Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America, states that “Soft Drinks, sweetened waters and energy drinks combined account for only 5.5 percent of the American diet, according to the National Cancer Institute, which means 94.5 percent of calories some from other foods and beverages. The two states that tax soft drinks have obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation”. Government should make more emphasis on creating new strategies to implement health and nutrition education, as well as proper dieting and exercise. Portion control and food pyramid are issues that must be addressed especially at early ages.
Therefore, a soda tax is not likely to make much progress in reducing obesity rates in America.
According to the article “Sodas Are Nothing More Than Money Grab”, we’re meant to believe that a sin tax is being implemented for the good of the children and for the betterment of the citizenry’s health”. These taxes are just money grab for the Government trying to find ways to recover from the tough economy that is still affecting the country. No single food beverage is responsible for obesity, yet sodas are being targeted as the problem.
Each person in this country has the freedom to make choices about their lives and therefore about what kind of diet they want to have. Setting taxes on sodas and other sweetened beverages will not make a healthier America, simply because the decision to lead a healthier life is not the Government’s but ours as individuals.
“A Tax to Combat America’s Sugary Diet” by Jane E. Brody
April 6, 2010
“Is a ‘Soda tax’ a good policy to reduce obesity in the U.S.?” by Sandy Douglas, Michael F. Jacobson; For the AJC
April 6, 2010
“Sodas Are Nothing More Than A Money Grab”
March 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I'm so happy!!!!! I bought myself a new Ipod!, but my Mom will hang me when she sees my grades.. (oh, well, happiness is never complete)
How many of you have fallen asleep in English class?; you couldn't sleep the night before because you got tired from work late at night, and when you were imagining yourself in your beautiful and delicate bed.....PUFFFFFF!!!! A tiny light flashes in your brain and makes you remember that the response paper of your English class is due tomorrow before noon. Similarly, I'm sure that many of you has also be able to save money to buy the newest and advance Iphone, and the best of all is that the money came out directly from your pocket. This is a great satisfaction that teenagers have when they have a work after school. Working as a teenager could be a great opportunity to develop the skills and obtain a sense of responsibility. However it could become a problem if they over work during school time, leading them to neglect their homework and fell their grades. This is a very controversial issue. According to the article “High School workers: What Price? Mixed views: some say job experience is good, while other students are hurt academically” by Susan Orenstein, opinions related to this situation are mixed; some insist that “even flipping burgers can be a learning experience, encouraging teen-agers to better manage their time, interact with adults and develop responsibility,. On the other hand, some others think that excessive work has been shown to detract students from school performance”. In 1988 a study by UC-Irvine found that students lose interest in the job because after a while they find it boring and routinely. However, another study found that working in high school promotes good work habits. “When teenagers work significant hours outside of school, they become jugglers who may benefit, but also may miss out either academically or otherwise”, says the author. In fact many students enjoy a part-time job (with a flexible scheduled) after school which help them to plan their day better and make it work on time; they also learn how to work in team, how to deal with different people and make new friends. On the other hand, according to Susan Orenstein, a lot of teenagers, doesn’t have enough time to do their homework due to overwork; this not only leads them to fell grades, but prevents the involvement in school activities or volunteering in the community, and therefore the majority of them drop out of school. There are many reasons that induce teens to work after school; first, they want to help out their parents with some money, second, some of them live by themselves and are obligated to work in order to survive, some others want to have a sense of independence by paying for their phone bill, buying their own clothes, so forth and so on… These different reasons may have different consequences as well, but often they lead students to leave school. As a result of this some institution has implemented new strategies to keep students from leaving school and also give them the opportunity to build their skills. A good strategy is the creation of the so called “school-to-work” programs, “which place students in jobs tied to academics, with the aim of better preparing them for a career, and students whom are involved in work experience programs gain credits for their time spent in job” that way student could maintain focus on their subjects and at the same time making some money. Furthermore, Susan Orenstein gives us an example of a teenager, who lives in California and works 30 hours a week to help out her mother with the household expenses, but working so many times is distracting her from school. Under the California law, she should not been working so many hours; “12 and 13 year old are prohibited from working on school days; 14-15 year old are limited to 18 hours a week, not past 7:00 p.m.; 16 and 17 year old are limited to four hours on school days, not past 10:00 p.m., with the exception of Fridays. Students under 18 must obtain work permits from their schools, which may set stricter hours”. As a result of this, some students are now looking for some way of earning money that don’t conflict with their studies, but the majority of them keep dropping out of school to keep a job, which means that the strategies used to avoid this problem will take more time to see better results. Certainly, while some don't pay enough attention to this problem and believe is completely resolved because of the laws that protect the rights of young workers, the situation will not improve, since in many cases the teenagers choose to violate these laws as well as the managers who employ them. In my personal opinion I think the problem should be treated from the inside; parents should talk more frequently with their children about the job they have and if they notice any academic deficiencies, try to regulate the working hours. Similarly, students should talk to their teachers so that they indicate whether there has been a sudden change in their grades. In addition, the government should find a way to reduce the college tuition since this problem tends to be common in college students also.
Orenstein, Susan. “HIGH SCHOOL WORKERS: WHAT PRICE? MIXED VIEWS: SOME SAY JOB EXPERIENCE IS GOOD, WHILE OTHERS STUDENTS ARE HURT ACADEMICALLY. November 8, 1995
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Leaving the future in the hands of Fast Food restaurants.
In our last class we were talking about the employees at McDonald’s which in its majority are teenagers. Instead of relying upon a well-trained workforce, McDonald‘s seeks out part-time workers, with no experience and whom are willing to accept low pay. Probably many of you are familiar with this, since you are in the same situation; working after school and without any experience making some extra money, even though payment is not good, the “flexible scheduled” they offered is convenient for you. But what happens when a chain as important as McDonald’s start to demand more hours from its employees? Many of these workers have to stay extra hours, which means they would have to stay until late at night and probably until 3:00 in the morning. When this occurs, then students start dropping out of school in order to keep their jobs, some of them do it because they feel the neediness to help their families. Leaving in poverty make them neglect their homework to stay late at their jobs during the night. On the contrary some other takes jobs after school in order to buy a car, or to make a trip, buy clothes, and to be independent from Mom and Dad. According to Schlosser, "The fast-food industry has created millions of new jobs at a time when other businesses have been firing workers. It now employs some of the poorest, most disadvantaged members of American society". Many of these employees are student under 16. The reality is that students working full time after school are more willing to be disrespectful in class and use more violence with their classmates and teachers, Without mention the consequences that this act have in the future. schlosser says in his chapter "Behind the Counter" that, "as more kids work full time after school, fewer participate in after-school programs sports and activities" which could keep them away from crime and any kind of substances abuse.
Also, Schlosser stays in the same chapter ("Behind the counter”) that “numerous studies have found that kids who work up to twenty hours a week or during the school year generally benefit from the experience, gaining an increased sense of personal responsibility and self-esteem. But kids who work more than that are far more likely to cut classes and drop out of high school. Teenage boys who work longer hours are much likely to develop substance abuse problems and commit petty crimes. The negative effects of working are easy to explain: when the kids go to work, they are neither at home nor at school. If the job is boring, overly regimented, or meaningless, it can create a lifelong aversion to work”. This helps to understand how McDonald’s and more fast food restaurants can help students to build a sense of responsibility by providing a job, but also how it have influenced adolescents to drop out of school in order to keep a position in their fantastic world.When a manager from McDonald’s or any fast food chain demands their employee to work more than 20 hours a week is contributing to this problem. many of these teenagers has dreamed of a job in a place like McDonald's during their childhood (which is supposed to be a clean and wonderful place for all-Americans) and later they start to hate the job, and even worse many are injured due to stress, and pressure from their managers. Therefore some of them start to get desperate to get another job in a clothing store, or anything else except fast food restaurants. In addition, when the job seems to be so stressful, many kids start forming a sort of repugnance to work, but they still want to make money, this leads them to engage in consumption and sale of illicit substances, dealing drugs as well as members of organized crime. However according to the author, some of the kids liked to work at McDonald’s, even though they complained the job is boring, they like to hang out with friends and getting away from school and their parents.
I have a few friends that work at a McDonald’s and some other used to work at Burger King. they all enjoy making money. That gives them a sense of independence. It’s good to be able to buy your own clothes, your ipod, have responsibilities such as paying your cell phone bill, and just feel free to do whatever you want with your money without Mom and Dad telling you what to do. My best friend dropped out of school when she was a senior in high school. By that time she was working at a McDonald’s. She started with a flexible scheduled; 4 days a week, and about 16 hours. I remember that during the first week she was feeling comfortable. She was making new friends whom work at the kitchen, and even though she worked at the counter she always found the time to chat with them. It seemed that she was really having a great time working there, (for a moment I hoped I could get a job like that). Everything was good during the first days, but a few weeks later she started complaining about the extra time she had to stay cleaning out the tables, organizing the frozen food for the next day and above all of this have to deal with crazy and embittered customers. Some of them yelled at her for whatever reason, and all she had to do was stay calm and try to serve them in the best way that she could. Afterwards the manager wanted her to work on Saturdays and Sundays since 7:00 in the morning to 3:00 pm in the afternoon. She started missing homework and gradually school. When I called her to find out why she missed school one day, she would tell me that she was working until late and couldn’t wake up in the morning. After 2 months working full time at McDonald’s she was not longer attending school. Curiously two months after dropping out of school she quit that job because the more availability she showed, the more time the manager demanded from her. At the end she couldn’t take so much stress and decided to get another job in a supermarket, which ended up the same way. This example concludes the idea I wanted to point out in this piece of writing; almost every one of us has been directly or indirectly involved in this situation. I think having a job as a teenager would develop your skills and also create a sense of responsibility and self-esteem, however, when the balance on how to manage time between school and job and when the important things for the upcoming future are lost, then it becomes a problem.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Response #1: the image of a brand and its target customers
In our last class we were discussing the meaning of this word and also naming a few famous brands in the United States. A brand is a name, trademark, logo or symbol given to a business to identify a specific product. We mentioned a few examples of brand such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Nike, Victoria’s Secret etc…each of this brands have their own logos and slogan which make them unique and have their own essence and personality; they have different marketing strategies to approach their customers such as coupons, credit cards, gift cards, free samples, grand openings etc…Eric Schlosser, author of “My Trusted Friends” mentioned one strategy that Walt Disney developed to expand Disneyland, this was known as “synergy” which was followed for the infomercials, promoting films, advertisement, etc…today we could see many examples of synergy, some of them were listed in the last class; a classmate said AT&T and Apple, as everyone knows, apple is the creator of the most amazing electronic devices nowadays, and some of people get the new Iphone but they need a telephone company to active it; in this case you can only use this phone with AT&T and if you notice in the TV commercials, there’s always the Apple’s logo and the AT&T logo at the bottom of your screen, this is an example of how two companies merge together which combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. One of the most important things in marketing is to have a target customer. Ray Kroc (owner of MacDonald’s) knew this and started to develop a new way of promotion. He decided that “children would be the new restaurant chain’s target customer”. According to the author Kroc wanted to create a safe and clean all-American place for kids. He knew that promoting McDonald’s for kids was a smart idea; “a child who likes McDonald’s TV commercials and brings her grandparents to our restaurant gives us two more customers” he explained. The creation of character such as McDonald’s mascot Speedee a winking little chef with a hamburger for a head, and probably the most famous clown known by kids, Ronald McDonald, fantastic and utopian world such as Disneyland, and later after McDonaldlandia, are very important factors to keep a fast food brand within the reach of children. The author stays that the bulk of the advertisement directed to children today has an immediate goal; it’s giving them a reason to ask for the product over and over until they get it.
Part of my assignment is to go to a McDonald or Burger King and do some research about the environment, decoration, and the place itself.
I went to Burger king because is near home. The restaurant has two doors I entered by the backdoor which is on 69th street, the main door is on Northern Blvd. the first thing I saw was a poster in the door promoting their new bacon egg & cheese sandwich part of the breakfast menu, I sat down in the corner and was observing the people, & everything around me; the decoration was colorful but simple, there were white square tables, with some green sticker shaped like a cone, purple and blue stripes all around it, the chairs were in the same colors, there was only one wall decorated with paints (which I liked for my living room) I was surprised there were no posters or any art of burger on the wall, the rest of the walls were covered with large windows giving the place a great natural light. there was a closed space behind me with some tables, chair, and some machines (which I don’t know their function) that place used to be a playground before, but know it is most like a spot for birthdays. In the back part I couldn’t see any promotional material of any kind, and there were no fantasy element in the design of the restaurant; I walked towards the main door which is a big glass door with two mega stickers of Burger King’s logo, on the other side of the door there is a big poster that says “NOW HIRING”. When people first walk in through the main door they will be able to see the counter, there is only two register machines, and there was one person in the front, I could see a girl preparing the food for the drive thru window and three more employees in the back preparing French fries, and sandwiches. There was a big poster in the counter that says “Pinkalicious toys” for girls and boys every time you buy a kid’s meal” then on the other side there were a list of the toys that the girls would get: “pinkalicious hair play”, “pinkalicious star bright”, “War ring comb pinkalicious”, and a “pinkalicious tiara”; the toys for boys were: car curving tony Stewart, rev n’ go tony Stewart. . I was supposed to bring some promotional material with me whatever I could take for free but there was none.
The majority of the customers were families with their kids and almost all of them were getting one of those toys in their meals, some of them were playing around being a little noisy, but that didn’t bothered me since I love kids.
To conclude my research I can say that the strategies mentioned at the beginning of this paper are use in this restaurant too, they use characters to attract kids such as “the king”, toys in the kid’s meal to make the parents buy it, however I could implied that the restaurant is also trying to access any kind of people, its decoration is simple and somehow colorful but also lack of fantasy elements which mostly attract kids.
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