Food Studies Commons^™

Let's Stop Worrying And Learn To Love Transparency: Food And Technology In The Information Age, Scarlettah Schaefer

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Food and technology have had a long and tempestuous relationship. Current methods of food production and processing in the industrialized world depend heavily on technological developments. However, all technologies are not created equal. Some can produce food that is safer, more sustainable, more nutritious, or longer lasting. Some can have the opposite effect: increasing opportunities for adulteration, increasing the difficulty in detecting food fraud, and contributing to both foreseeable and unforeseeable health or ecological costs. Increasingly sophisticated technologies often become less apparent to the average consumer. For example, consider irradiated meat or genetically modified foods as opposed to freezer storage …

Acanthamoeba Spp. As Reservoirs For Transmission Of Norovirus, Tun-Yun Hsueh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the most common cause of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States and the most common food commodities implicated in HuNoV outbreaks are leafy greens; however, the vehicle of transmission and point of contamination are often unknown. Here, we hypothesize that common free-living amoebae (FLA) ubiquitous in the environment may act as reservoirs of HuNoV and facilitate the transmission of these pathogens to fresh produce. The objective of this research was to first evaluate the interaction/association between HuNoV surrogates and Acanthamoeba by incubating them together and analyzing virus titer associated with amoeba through an 8 day …

Raw Milk, Raw Power: States Of (Mis)Trust, Diana Mincyte

Publications and Research

In recent years, raw milk has emerged as one of the most contentious food commodities, considered a serious health risk by public health officials and a source of healing and nourishment by raw milk proponents. The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which consumers construct and experience trust in food that is often procured in informal markets. Because the image of an overreaching, exploitative government features prominently in popular narratives surrounding raw milk consumption, this article is explicitly concerned with the role of the state in public food debates. Drawing on two complementary empirical cases of …

Protecting An Asian Treasure In America, Jeffrey Andrien

Asian Management Insights

The impact of Japanese cars on the American auto industry is well known. Not so well known are the regulatory and intellectual property issues faced by beef producers in the introduction of Japan’s esteemed Wagyu beef herd to U.S. pastures and tables.

Austerity In 21st. Century Dublin: Has Recession Altered Our Relationship With Food Purchasing And Preparation?, Diarmaid Murphy

Dissertations

The current global recession has affected almost all countries whose economies adhere to free-market principles and are involved in international money markets. Ireland, along with the majority of its European trading partners both inside and outside the eurozone has seen a sharp fall in the standard of living of its citizens in the years since the financial crisis emerged (2007 to present). In common with the almost universal international paradigm, Irish citizens have had drastic austerity measures imposed upon them. In Ireland’s case, the underwriting of private banking debt and its subsequent conversion to sovereign debt served to contract the …

Food System And Food Security Study For The City Of Cape Town, Jane Battersby, Gareth Haysom, Godfrey Tawodzera, Milla Mclachlan, Jonathan Crush

African Food Security Urban Network

Food insecurity is a critical, but poorly understood, challenge for the health and development of Capetonians.

Food insecurity is often imagined as hunger, but it is far broader than that. Households are considered food secure when they have “physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (WHO/FAO 1996). Health is not merely the absence of disease, but also encompasses good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Individuals in a food insecure household and/or community are at greater risk due to diets of poor nutritional value, which lowers …

"Can’T Touch This": Empowering Children With Severe Food Allergy In The Residential Camp Setting 2014, Alexsandra Dubin

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to create an empowerment program for children with severe food allergy (SFA) in a residential camp setting. Despite recent advancements in research, there is no cure for SFA, thus there is a need for programs to help children manage their allergies and cope with the ramifications of their condition. Quality of life is a major concern for children with SFA, as the constant fear of exposure to an allergen can lead to high levels of anxiety. This is particularly noteworthy because, barring exposure to an allergen, these children are otherwise healthy and symptom free. …

An Exploration Of The Role Of Food Tourism In Sustaining Cultural Authenticity In Ireland, Lisa O'Riordan, Dr. Aisling Ward

Irish Business Journal

Authenticity is often a motivating factor for tourists. In many situations what occurs, however, is staged authenticity. Food is one of the few entities left that indicates true cultural authenticity. Food can bridge the gap between tourists and their understanding of and involvement in a place. Native cultures that are struggling to preserve their heritage and ways of life from globalising forces can use food as a defensive mechanism. This paper is part of a wider postgraduate study on food tourism and culture so will focus on the research completed to date, mainly the literature reviewed as well as initial …

An Investigation Into The Marketing, Advertising And Labelling Of Processed Food In Ireland And Its Influences On Consumer Choice And Subsequent Health Issues, Jane Healy

Theses

Ireland has experienced much economic and social change in recent years, and as a result of this, many new food choices and commodities are on offer to the consumer. The simple diet of fresh, unprocessed foods that existed in Ireland in the past has for many consumers been replaced by processed, convenience food products. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects which the marketing, advertising and labelling of processed food in Ireland has on consumers, and how these strategies influence their choice of food. The advertising claims and the labelling of these processed foods is of interest …

Is There Room For Plantations In Fair Trade?, Daniel Jaffee

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

When the certifier Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) announced in 2011 that it would split from the international fair trade system and create its own certification scheme, the fair trade movement erupted in controversy. Arguing that it was wrong to exclude hired laborers from the benefits of fair trade, FTUSA’s new standards for the first time permit the unlimited certification of all crops from agribusiness plantations, including coffee. However, largely missing from the rhetoric on both sides of this move was a deeper discussion of the significance of agribusiness plantations. The article focuses on the question, is there room within fair …

College Students’ Perceptions Regarding Sensory Aspects Of Conventionally Produced And Unconventionally Produced Foods: Implications For Marketing To The Millennial Generation, Christina Crowder, Catherine W. Shoulders, K. Jill Rucker

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Consumers vote every day on which products line the shelves of grocery stores, co-ops, and niche markets. Public unrest with regard to the environmental, animal welfare, food purity, and human health impacts of agricultural production practices have led to the rise of unconventionally produced (UP) food products. While the sales of UP foods is increasing, studies regarding the qualities of such products that impact consumer purchases have yielded inconsistent results. This study examined students’ perceptions of sensory aspects of conventionally produced (CP) and UP foods to better understand how sensory aspects impact decisions to purchase. Students reported consistent perceptions regarding …

From Vacant Lots To Full Pantries: Urban Agriculture Programs And The American City, Jessica Owley, Tonya Lewis

Journal Articles

This Article builds on efforts to promote urban agriculture and remove legal and practical obstacles to its development. Specifically, we explore concerns regarding land tenure. Urban agriculture development can be retarded by uncertainties in landownership and agriculturalists’ land rights. We explore property tools that could be helpful to urban agriculturalists (both farmers and gardeners). One thing we learned quickly in our research is that the challenges (and therefore the most helpful tools) vary greatly by place. For this reason, we present examples of urban agriculture efforts across the United States to demonstrate the varying challenges that jurisdictions face and to …

Food Miles: Environmental Protection Or Veiled Protectionism?, Meredith Kolsky Lewis, Andrew D. Mitchell

Journal Articles

This article examines the international trade, environmental, and development implications of campaigns to convince consumers to make food purchases based on food miles. Buying food from nearby sources has become a popular objective. One of the unmistakable messages of the “locavore” movement is that importing food – particularly food that comes from far away – causes environmental harm. The theory is that transporting food long distances results in the release of high levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere and is thus a dangerous contributor to climate change. Proponents of this view therefore argue that “food miles” – the …