Since I've been back in school I've started a small collection of ads from the big Ag companies. I don't come across them too often in my daily reading material...but when I do...oh man.
This troubles me exceedingly.
This first ad campaign comes from ADM and has the tagline..."you're body can't tell the difference." They are currently being sued over this ad campaign (US District Court) by sugar distributors, disputing that claims of High Fructose Corn Syrup being equated to real sugar is false advertising. This campaign is a jumpstart for the rebranding and relabeling of HFCS as corn sugar to deal with all the bad press it has gotten. Imagine when all the packaging changes from saying HFCS to 'corn sugar' how the consumer imagination will change.
Frankly, I can't worry too much for ADM, since corn syrup and HFCS are in a plethora of processed foods (as this picture gently reminds us), and people are unlikely to give those up anytime in the future. Although the 'real coke' and 'throwback pepsi' campaigns, which feature cane sugar probably have the execs shaking in their boots.
This next one hits a number of levels for me.
First, the idea of "fitter french fries"...that's right up there with heart-healthy cocoa-puffs. That getting rid of that 'trans-fat risk' is all that is needed to make it possible to eat french fries all the time.
Second, the normalized sounding altruism around this campaign, which is targeted at keeping people interested in fast food through explaining the use of new "non-hydrogenated oils" in the creation of that french fry we all know and love.
Third, the idea that tampering with canola seeds on a genetic level is the answer.
Fourth, the idea of growing more canola to accommodate this new 'non-hydrogenated demand' (yes, yes it's an edible oil, but think of what foods we could be growing instead)
Fifth, that once again, technology (whether it be through different processing methods, genetic manipulation, chemical use whathaveyou) is the answer to issues related to food and agriculture.
And my all time favorite, from Monsanto. This was a full page ad spread in the New York Times, which I now have taped to the wall of my office. Again, the claim that Monsanto has anything to do with sustainable agriculture makes my skin crawl. Campaigns like this speak to the desire of global ag to convince its audience that we have used up our available resources (land, water, soil) and must turn to technology to create greater yields, efficiencies and fixes to this problem.
Nevermind the fact that the industrial processes perpetuated by big ag are largely the culprit in water pollution (including salinization), soil degradation (read: topsoil loss, desertification, toxicity) and the use of large tracts of land for the production of corn and soy that goes to feed meat and cars.
Again, the altruism that this campaign speaks to, "improving farmers lives" absolutely slays me...as if putting the "latest science-based tools in farmers hands" is an amazing feat to counter the twin issues of climate change and the impoverishment of farmers worldwide.
Lest we forget, profit is the bottom line here.
Accumulation for the sake of accumulation
We planted garlic last October, overwintering it in three of our backyard beds. It was experimental. We've grown garlic every winter, with varying degrees of success, so this year, in the interest of increasing our 'storable' yield (read: self-sufficiency in garlic) we attempted to be more strategic and take better notes.
I'm officially half-way through an intensive course on Agroecology and Sustinability, which has, thus far, afforded me the opportunity to sit in on lectures by the founding agroecologists (and also from the professors--Altieri and Nigh--who first got me interested in doing work on agriculture in Chiapas); visit farms employing agroecological methods; travel a bit around the downtown Santa Cruz area and take in the weekday farmers market; and eat amazing food from the gardens here and from local veg and fruit growers....oh my expanding waistline! yum!
I had some trepidation before coming because I knew I'd be staying a dorm setting....all fears completely unfounded. The village is surrounded by fruit trees, redwood trees, small garden plots and families of bunnies, quails and deer. It's wonderful...and in the evenings I compete with the young bucks to get to the plum trees.
After unveiling a new (and useless) food pyramid five years ago, the USDA has recently released the new plate.
When Ella was born I commented to Michelle and Andy that if we could bottle and sell the smell of baby + the immense feeling of relaxation that washes over you when holding a sleeping baby1 we'd make a killing on the graduate student market.
First, the idea of "fitter french fries"...that's right up there with heart-healthy cocoa-puffs. That getting rid of that 'trans-fat risk' is all that is needed to make it possible to eat french fries all the time.
The train, while long and full of strange and mysterious folks, was a nice and affordable way to get to and fro and I was able to get a ton of work done both ways. Although they lie about 'free wifi'...it's free if you're a premium customer...in the parlour. bastards. Thank goodness for the almighty iphone and for sour beers (not from the train...the train only has $5 AB and liquor, we had these prior to the train). These menus are from here, which we hit after walking to this place, which had a nice selection, but only half the ambiance.
This past week has seen many things unfold. I see an exclamation point on the erosion of democracy as evidenced in Wisconsin; a question mark on the benefits of nuclear power as Japan is absolutely and tragically devastated; and a period on winter as our garden begins to blossom.
