Monday, January 27th
- Do you read food labels? If so, why? If not, why not? What information do you think should be included on food labels in the United States?
I read food labels most of the time. When buying food I will occasionally look at the label and see what the calories and trans fat is. I will sometimes look at the ingredients to see what the product is made of. I mostly like to read the food labels to see if things are healthy and better for you then others. I'm not sure who makes up the food labels, the FDA might have some impact on it but I'm not sure. I think that not many people read food labels but also not a lot of people understand the labels and know what everything on it means and whether something is good or bad for you. I don't think there is anything else that should be added to food labels that would make people want to read them. Whats on the labels is good enough now and you don't want to add too much information because it then might overwhelm the shopper and then they might not buy your food at all.
Wednesday, January 29th
- After reading the NY Times article, What information should be included on food labels? Who should decide what is included on food labels? Did reading the article change your mind, or make you think about food labeling in a different way?
After reading I think that food labels should include exactly what is in there food. The processing method is important to what is included in food. The article talks about using ammonia in meat and how it wasn't reported. When thinking about the processing its probably just something they do and they don't think any differently of it but others, the consumers might want to know exactly what is in their meat when they buy it. The article really didn't change my mind on what should be on food labels that much. Not many people read food labels because there is already so much on them that its overwhelming and they feel like they don't need to read it. Many people also don't know how to properly read the labels and know what it is talking about. The people producing and making the food should decide what goes on the labels.
Friday, January 31st
- After reading the three articles about the pink slime debate, where do you fall on this issue? Should it be labeled differently? Which argument(s) did you find most compelling? Why? What preconceptions (baggage) did you bring with you to this debate that might be influencing your position?
I think that the pink slime doesn't need to be on food labels. It has been around for years and no one has known about it or gotten sick from it so it shouldn't matter. If it were to be put on a label you would also need to think about what you would say, how you would have to word it so people would know what was going on. The article from the New York Times gives the best description to what is happening and explains how it is being handled. Going into the reading I am a fan of meat. I like to eat meat with most of my meals and I have never thought about how it was being processed I guess. I just eat it thinking and hoping that it was processed correctly. When thinking about meat it is a touchy subject for some people because not everyone knows what is in our meat. It doesn't really bother me not knowing but sometimes I will think about it and how we got it. When raising the cattle you have to make sure that they are all raised healthy and with no chemicals but we don't put that on the packaging either.
Wednesday, February 19th
- What are the most direct causes of the exigence about which you are writing?
- What economic or business conditions may play a role in this exigence?
- What societal attitudes, fears, or values may have initiated it or indirectly supported it?
My topic is "are organic foods healthier for you?" The direct causes that will impact whether or not they are healthier is the way they are grown. If less farms grow organic then there will be less people able to buy organic. Also if the crops get destroyed or not enough water there can always be problems with the crops. The economic conditions that cause people to not get organic foods are that they are too expensive. Organic foods tend to sell for higher prices because they are grown with more care and take more money to produce so they need to be sold for higher prices. Some societies have opinions about organic foods such as, they are the same as everything else, and they don't do anything different for you so trying to convince and get the communities of people to notice that it is healthier for you is harder to do when no one wants to change their opinions about it. I also think that some people don't understand what is done differently in the growing of crops so they don't know how they are supposed to be healthier for you when everything is grown in the same way.
Friday, March 21st
*What solution to your crisis can you propose? How will your solution address specific elements or causes of the crisis?
*How is your solution particularly practical, logical, manageable, ethical, humane, or economical?
*What else has been tried or proposed? Why is your solution the solution your audience should embrace?
The problem I am discussing is why energy drinks are bad for consumers. Some solutions I could talk about to help this problem is having people chose more healthier drinks like water that can give them the same energy, but water doesnt always give you energy so many people probably wont turn to that. Im not sure what another solution could be, taking these products off the shelves entirely? but then that wouldnt help that product even though its bad for business. im not sure what the other options could be now that I really think about it. Probably just the alternates to energy drinks, coffee and water and maybe things like gatorade and some types of pop could make people feel better. By switching what you drink it can be practical cause then maybe you wont need to go to the store every day to buy energy drinks, you could have it at home. it would make your health better so thats always a good idea. It would be more economical to switch to water because it comes out or your faucet so you could save energy and time by getting it right there at home, plus youre already paying a water bill so might as well use the water. Alternatives that you could also have is getting more sleep at night, eating more fruits, drinking tea, getting more exercise. Trying to live a better lifestyle maybe. People should embrace this lifestyle because it will make you a healthier person and you will probably feel better about yourself in the end. Plus in the long run you probably wont have as many health problems.