final food and agriculture
What agencies are responsible for our food safety and what responsibilities does each agency have?
-FDA-FDA publishes Food Code -regulation of restaurants, groceries and institutional food services-FDA-most other foods including shelled eggs, sausage casings • USDA-USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) - safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products - ~7800 inspectors enforcing in ~6200 facilities - Inspect animal before slaughter, and each carcass after slaughter to ensure public health requirements are met • CDC-foodborne illnesses • EPA-pesticide related issues • State/Local health depts APHIS -plant and animal pests Homeland Security- sabotage of food safety • State/Local Health Dept- oversee restaurants International Organization for Standardization dealing with food safety. • Management system that uses HACCP principles
The US Farm Bill provides funding for many different programs. Approximately what % of the farm bill represents nutritional programs? What categories of programs are included in this large funding and what are the larger categories?
76%, mostly SNAP -supplemental nutrition assistance program. Provides nutrition assistance for low-income households through programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). other- Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and reauthorizes but reduces funding for the Community Food Projects grants. FDPIR-food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
embargo
A ban on trade
quota
A limit placed on the quantities of a product that can be imported
Discuss the reasons that countries might impose tariffs on imported goods
A tariff is a tax or duty imposed by one nation on the imported goods or services of another nation. 1. To protect newly established domestic industries from foreign competition. 2. To protect aging and inefficient domestic industries from foreign competition. 3. To protect domestic producers from "dumping" by foreign companies or governments. Dumping occurs when a foreign company charges a price in the domestic market which is below its own cost or under the cost for which it sells the item in its own domestic market. 4. To raise revenue. Many developing nations use tariffs as a way of raising revenue. For example, a tariff on oil imposed by the government of a company that has no domestic oil reserves may be a way to raise a steady flow of revenue.
tariff
A tax on imported goods
APHIS
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (part of USDA) -responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health
What is Mad Cow Disease and how is it potentially transmitted? What safeguards are in place in the US to prevent transmission
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is a neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of the disease the cow becomes unable to function normally. People cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases they may get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is fatal. This can happen if you eat nerve tissue (the brain and spinal cord) of cattle that were infected with mad cow disease. A system of strong interlocking safeguards protects human and animal health, as well as food safety, in the United States. These safeguards include the removal of specified risk materials (SRMs) - those tissues that may contain the BSE agent in an infected animal - from the human food chain. ruminant feed ban in 1997.
CDC
Center for Disease Control-Statistics for ill personnel
Referring to the world hunger map which can be viewed at http://cdn.wfp.org/hungermap/, what are some of the countries and continents that have very high levels of undernourished? In what ways can help be provided both in the short-term and long-term for countries facing high levels of malnourishment? You can download the 2018 map at https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000098743/download/?_ga=2.68221649.1759286260.1543505925-1571920554.1543505925
Chad, madagascar, liberia, rwanda,haiti, afghanistan, venezuala Equipping people with the knowledge and tools to feed themselves reduces the need for future assistance In fiscal year 2018, USAID provided over $3.7 billion in emergency and development food assistance to the poorest corners of the world. Contributions included nearly 2.5 million metric tons of U.S. in-kind food and local and regionally procured commodities, as well as cash transfers and food vouchers.addresses immediate food needs through cash, voucher or food transfers, while at the same time it promotes the building or rehabilitation of assets that will improve long-term food security and resilience.bring hundreds of thousands of hectares of degraded land back into productive use, plant thousands of hectares of forests, and build scores of wells, ponds and feeder roads, and be trained in livelihood and agricultural practices.
What are the opportunities and obstacles for urban farming in cities like Buffalo that have experienced a decline in population and have vacant lots?
Commercial urban agriculture in New York City has provided questionable environmental gains, and has not significantly improved urban food security. the rise of commercial controlled-environment agriculture (CEA)-comprised of large scale rooftop farms, vertical, and indoor farms-is a bid to re-envision cities as places where we could produce food more sustainably in the future. Proponents see CEA as way to bring agriculture closer to urban populations, thereby increasing food security, and improving agriculture's environmental footprint by reducing the emissions associated with the production and transport of food. these farms are producing impressive amounts of leafy greens such as lettuce, and herbs; some also produce fish.rooftop farms rely on natural sunlight to feed the crops, indoor farms use artificial lights. These farms potentially have a greater energy footprint even than conventional outdoors farms, the researchers say-challenging the assumption that urban farms are less impactful than conventional ones.Some farms also embraced high-tech systems, such as wind, rain, temperature, and humidity detectors and indoor heating, to enhance growing conditions in environments that aren't naturally suited to agriculture. These elevate the energy costs of the food produced, and may be giving CEA an unexpectedly high carbon footprint, the researchers say.the predominantly grown foods-such as lettuce-aren't of great nutritional value for the urban population, especially those threatened by food insecurity. Most produce from CEAs is sold at a premium, something that partly reflects the cost of the real estate used to grow the food. Consequently, that produce is typically grown for high-end food stores and restaurants, meaning it's unlikely to reach low-income urban populations who need it most oppurtuntity: like community gardens, school, and prison farms-might actually do a better job of providing food to at-risk city residents
food swamp
Communities that are flooded with unhealthy, highly processed, low-nutrient food combined with disproportionate advertising for unhealthy food compared to wealthier neighborhoods.
CSA
Community Supported Agriculture consumers buy shares of a farm's harvest in advance. ... By paying at the beginning of the season, CSA members share in the risk of production and relieve the farmer of much of the time needed for marketing.
What types of crop insurance are available under the Farm Bill and how do the types differ? Can farmers switch types within growing seasons?
FORAGE STANDARD REINSURANCE AGREEMENT (SRA). The federal crop insurance program offers subsidized policies to farmers to protect against losses in yield, crop revenue, or whole farm revenue.It expands coverage by authorizing catastrophic policies for forage and grazing crops and grasses. It also allows producers to purchase separate crop insurance policies for crops that can be both grazed and mechanically harvested on the same acres and to receive independent indemnities for each intended use. For crop insurance research and development, the farm bill redefines beginning farmer or rancher as an individual having actively operated and managed a farm or ranch for less than 10 years. This redefinition makes these individuals eligible for federal subsidy benefits of whole-farm insurance plans.It further adds hemp (as defined in statute) as an eligible crop for federal crop insurance and to the limited list of crops that cover post-harvest losses.
FDA
Food and Drug Administration. The agency that is responsible for determining if a food or drug is safe and effective enough to be sold to the public.
Due to the shrinking pool of traditional farmers, a number of farmer training programs have developed. Provide some examples and describe the target populations being trained.
Heroic Farm- new for veterans, Hudson River Valley-The ProFarmer Program is a multi-year, salaried, residential training program for those with farming experience who aspire to obtain professional farm management positions or to own and operate their own farm enterprises in the Hudson Valley. ProFarmer trainees are full-time, year-round employees of the Farm Hub and are offered the option of on-farm housing. Each year we select between three and five candidates to join the program which begins in March. • MAP • \ Green Shoots -Journey's End Refugee Agricultural Program.a program of refugee farmers through Journey's End that fosters and promotes food sovereignty, agricultural business planning, and marketing skills. • Prison Farms
Climate change is predicted to impact food availability in parts of the world. How might immigration be impacted in the future? How is malnutrition predicted to be affected? What other changes are forecasted?
In fewer than 40 years, the average person will have 3.2 percent less food available to him/her, By 2050, nearly half a million adults worldwide could die from climatechangeinduced malnutrition Escalating temperatures, destructive weather events, prolonged drought, and overpopulation In fewer than 40 years, the average person will have 3.2 percent less food available to her, and eat on average about four percent less fruits and vegetables, and 0.7 percent less red meat, according to the study. Such changes in diet will result in some 529,000 deaths—primarily in Southeast Asia and throughout the Western Pacific, in countries like China and India—the hundreds of thousands of families have been forced to flee syria, pay to smuggled across border, trek across desserts, live in tents abandoned buildings. that the world was on the verge of a hunger pandemic 2021 will be a make or break year. An upsurge in violence, combined with the effects of COVID in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sent the 15.5 million people already facing crisis levels of food insecurity skyrocketing to 22 million 135 million people faced acute food insecurity before COVID-19, that number is expected to almost double this year, to 270 million people. The World Bank expects the number of people in extreme poverty to rise for the first time since the 1990s.
What labeling requirements exist for food? Are expiration dates required and if so, for what food types?
Infant formula and baby foods must be withdrawn by expiration date; Federal law does not require expiration dates on other foods. Irradiated foods Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is a consumer labeling law that requires retailers (most grocery stores and supermarkets) to identify the country of origin on certain foods referred to as "covered commodities". The 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills and the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of muscle cuts and ground lamb, chicken, goat, wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish, perishable agricultural commodities, peanuts, pecans, ginseng, and macadamia nuts.
Food subsidies are not applied equally across different food types. What types of foods receive the highest level of subsidies? Do you think that there are any biases in terms of subsidies and if so, why might these develop?
Junk food ingredients have received far more federal subsidies than fruits and vegetables have. fruits and vegetables receive only 1 percent of farm subsidies. Current federal agricultural subsidies help finance the production of corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, sorghum, dairy and livestock, which are often converted into refined grains, high-fat and high-sodium processed foods, and high-calorie juices and soft drinks. yes biased corn whear soybean v high. 80% of farmers only get 17% payment
Melamine, which is toxic if consumed, was used by some Chinese food processors resulting in sickness and death of people and pets. Why was it used? Why was it not detected prior to food distribution?
Melamine is a small, nitrogen-containing molecule that has a number of industrial uses, including as an industrial binding agent, flame retardant, and as part of a polymer in the manufacture of cooking utensils and plates. Melamine also has been used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world. It is not registered for use as a fertilizer in the United States. FDA traced the melamine to products labeled as wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported from China and used as ingredients in pet foods. cross contaminated.
To what extent have US exports and imports with Mexico changed since NAFTA went into effect?
Much of the corn that Mexico consumes comes from the United States, making it America's top agricultural export to its southern neighbor. American corn shipments to Mexico totaled nearly $2.6 billion last year and are part of an elaborate agricultural trade relationship between the two nations that has helped to interlace their economies.Some U.S. farming sectors have suffered not only a flood of imports under NAFTA, but have also seen very little gains on the export side, even with the post-2006 spikes in international prices, despite promises to the contrary.- U.S. corn exports to Mexico in the three years after NAFTA soared 377 percent above the level in the three years before the deal. In 2012, the United States exported 38 times as much corn to Mexico as before NAFTA. But when the flood of U.S. corn in Mexico caused corn prices to plummet 66 percent for Mexican farmers, 2.5 million farmers and agricultural workers in Mexico lost their livelihoods, many of whom resorted to migration. 14 In NAFTA's first seven years, the annual number of people emigrating from Mexico to the United States more than doubled. while total U.S. vegetable imports from Canada and Mexico have more than tripled. If lost mexico as corn trader american farms would be devastated. In 2016, the United States exported nearly $18 billion of agricultural products to Mexico, the third-largest market for these American exports. Mexico is not only the leading destination of American corn, but it also imports more dairy products, poultry and wheat from the United States than any other nation, and is one of the top importers of American pork, soybeans and beef. Producer losses to dumping.
GATT
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas.
Describe the federal /state programs that provide food benefits to different categories of individuals (ages, genders etc). In what ways do they differ?
SNAP: -most include children elderly or disabled ppl SNAP benefits supplied roughly 40 million Americans in 2018, at an expenditure of $57.1 billion. Child and Adult Food care Program: 2 billion meals and snacks to: - > 3.3 million children daily in child care centers, family care homes, and after-school programs, up to 2 meals/day, most pre-school age - >over 120,000 persons in Adult Day Care; - Up to 3 meals/day for 18yr and younger in homeless shelter Natuinal school lunch/breakfast • Subsidize costs for low-income families. • Free for families at <= 130% poverty level • Reduced price- family incomes at 131-185% poverty level • Subsidies to participating schools ~ $3.22 per lunch ($2.82 for subsidized, $0.36 for paid) • $14.1 billion
Are there nutritional requirements tied to food benefits provided through federal/state programs? If so, which programs require them? Are there other ways to encourage individuals to use their benefits for more nutritious food?
SNAP: - Restrictions to limit abuse - Requiring stores to stock more fresh foods - Requiring retailers to pay for their EBT machines - Grants for programs providing fruit/veg benefits food stamps no over 40 % obese except there are lobbyist for SNAP benefits -Kraft Foods (1/6 revenue) • Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola • Grocery Manufacturers Association-$12.7 million to keep food stamps funded, fight food labeling and block efforts to limit marketing to children Child Care food program must have include specific foods in each meal including fruit/veggie, milk and bread or grains and protein during lunch National school lunch/breakfast: -
SNAP
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as "Food Stamps".
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994 as a trade alliance between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This agreement was intended to promote free trade, expand trade markets, and foster friendship and cooperation among the nations.
WTO
The World Trade Organization - an international body that enforces agreements that reduce barriers to international trade; successor to the GATT
Locally, there are a number of businesses and organizations working to provide more sustainable options for food and agriculture. Describe several of these organizations and how their efforts are a more sustainable approach. How do CSAs work and help small farmers and the community?
UB researchers awarded $1 million grant to advance urban agriculture. urban food systems provide locally produced, affordable and healthy food to low-income communities and communities of color.Improved policy awareness helps urban growers better access land, water and resources. Urban agriculture reduces transportation emissions and sewer outflows, mitigates urban heat island effect, creates jobs, greens and beautifies urban spaces, reintroduces farming to youth and adults of color, generates amenity and property values, and promotes social cohesion. Root down farm in clarence serce CSA and wholesale resturautns value and protect soil, grow crops without the use of conventional, synthetic or artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. The farm grows many varieties of vegetables, using a careful rotation of crops to help mitigate pests and disease. We also use cover crops to build soil health, as well as organically approved compost, compost from our own vegetables and local composted manure.We also strive to minimize our dependency on natural resources. We have converted one of our tractors to run on an electric motor. We also use drip irrigation because it uses a minimal amount of water, and also loses a minimal amount to evaporation. Lastly, we have converted one of our cultivating tractors from a gas tank to an electric motor. Farmers pledge. sustainable. paying at the beginning of the season, CSA members share in the risk of production and relieve the farmer of much of the time needed for marketing. This allows the farmer to concentrate on good land stewardship and growing high quality food.Benefits of CSA farming for the environment and future generations: Less CO2 emissions from the energy required to transport and refrigerate produce across long distances. No groundwater pollution from pesticides and fertilizers, which ensures better drinking water for us and future generations
USDA
United States Department of Agriculture; main agency of the federal government that oversees agriculture USDA regulations protect and promote U.S. agricultural health, administer the Animal Welfare Act, carry out wildlife damage management activities, and ensure that America's agricultural exports are protected from unjustified trade restrictions
What is a food hub? How can it assist farmers? How can it assist consumers?
a "business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of course-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand." open new markets for local producers increase consumer access and knowledge of local products brokering fairer prices for farmers and matching farmers w buyerse streamlining transportation and distribution, lowering cost provides storage and processing facilities bring food to underserved communities Food hubs benefit farmers by connecting them with additional (often larger) markets, and providing services like marketing, accounting, sales and education
WIC
a special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children, sponsored by the USDA
food desert
an area typically in a highly populated, lower income urban environment, where healthy, fresh food is difficult to find
How do federal subsidies of food correlate with the nutritional status of the foods?
bad cheaper per calorie w added fats sugars and refined grains
The shrimp industry/sea turtle controversy is an example of how trade laws restrict a country's influence over other another country's practices. The US was trying to ensure that all wild shrimp sold in the US were caught with nets that had turtle excluder devices. How did the WTO and GATT impact our ability to restrict shrimp sales?
ensure even practices between countries not obstacles, argued to protect endangered seat turtles. shrimp is a shrimp but the WTO argued that the focus is that economic benefit. were restricting other countries from makng profit.US lost the case bc it discriminated bwteen WTO members ( United States — Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products WTO case nos.58 and 61)It provided countries in the western hemisphere — mainly in the Caribbean — technical and financial assistance and longer transition periods for their fishermen to start using turtle-excluder devices. It did not give the same advantages, however, to the four Asian countries (India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand) that filed the complaint with the WTO. Section 609 of US Public Law 101-102, enacted in 1989, dealt with imports. It said, among other things, that shrimp harvested with technology that may adversely affect certain sea turtles may not be imported into the US, but countries have the right to take trade action to protect the environment (in particular, human, animal or plant life and health) and endangered species and exhaustible resources). The WTO does not have to "allow" them this right.
subsidy
government payment to encourage or protect a certain economic activity A financial aid supplied by a government, as to industry, farmers, or consumers, in order to make low-cost food available to the poor.
Discuss the history of food programs in the US from the 1920's.
great depression long lines no money dust bowl soil destroyed, surplus at the time but nobody could buy, government played role and bought surplus food and made them avaliablet o public. Then 1950s developed food stamps and eventually snap. Safety nets are established. School lunch program-during WW2 tried to draft ppl to fight so many of them were malnourished. So bc of that they realied they needed implement the school lunch with one meal a day with nutrition. WIC, adult child care, preK child care, after school programs providing snacks. Compare. restrictiveness of WIC, only certain things you can purchase and brands and % of fat w milk. SNAP is not as restrictive and u can buy soda and issues w lobbying. COCA cola argued w snap and lobbyed. along w kraft.
Describe the issues surrounding access to food in lower income urban areas. What are the consequences of limited access to nutritional food for lower income populations?
majority of ppl on food stamps are obese and overweight cheaper food is usually much worse for u, diabetes, nutrient deficiencies , low fruit veggie intake
What types of pathogens can make foods unsafe to consume? How can pathogens be introduced within the food system? Provide examples of food safety scares in recent years. In what ways are food safety issues reduced with locally produced foods?
salmonella, vibrio, e.coli, campylobacter, kisteria, yersinia clostridium, norovirous, staphylococcus bacterua can spread by contaminated cutting boards viruses can be spread by an infected person preparing the food, containers can contaminate, tracing contamination is difficult and at food processing plants meat from many animals are all in one plant, large plants ship products all over risking widespread exposure, from animal itself, farm workers, improperly treated manure less distribution and retail and transportation kevins story- 2.5 yrs old got ecoli -perfectly healthy to dead in 12 days, developed HUS toxin from bacteria entered bloodstream. attacked his intestinal system. due to a meat recall
dumping
selling products in a foreign country at lower prices than those charged in the producing country
What types of short-term and long-term assistance are available for countries experiencing food shortages or malnutrition? View several "stories" of how USAID funding has helped in developing countries-see https://stories.usaid.gov/#priorities.
short term Cash vouchers to pay local farmers (vs buying from donor countries with transport costs) • Provide high calorie ready-to-use food • Subsidies USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance Ruben-Jamacia off streets gang wanted prison then joined initiative supported by government of jamacia As a part of its Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, USAID is working with the Government of Jamaica to help turn high-risk communities into safer environments. Tania For the past decade, the U.S. Government has worked in Colombia to support the efforts of the LGBTI community to fight discrimination and stigmatization. The civil society group Caribe Afirmativo was founded in 2007 to support LGBTI rights in the Caribbean region, and began receiving U.S. support in 2013 through its Human Rights Program. The U.S. Government helped train police officers, public officials and civilians about LGBTI rights, sexual diversity, and legal and public policy tools With USAID's support, villages like Aberu's are becoming more resilient to recurring drought, helping break the cycle of emergency food aid Agriculture Investment: irrigation, fertilizers, techniques, education • World Bank restricts subsidies for farmers • Vegetarian diets • "Community Area-Based Development Approach" ("CABDA")- regional crops (drought-resistant, collect seeds), reduced purchases of seed and chemicals
If someone were to ask you to recommend a particular brand or source for a food item and they wanted the most "sustainable" choice, what factors would you need to consider in making your recommendation? Why might it be difficult to compare brands or sources for their overall sustainability ranking? Use examples to support your answer.
soil health, water conservation, minimal chemical herbicide or pesticide use, nutrient recycling, farm shares
What responsibilities do food processors have for maintaining food safety?
the meat from many different animals is often processed in a single central facility. If a single piece of meat entering that facility is contaminated, the entire batch may also become contaminated depending on factors such as the hygiene of the facility, the persistence of the pathogen and the type of meat being processed. Since ground beef, for example, is generally mixed and processed at these types of plants, contaminants that were originally found outside the beef, like E. coli from animal manure, may taint the entire supply. If the beef is undercooked, or if the raw beef contaminates other food products or food preparation surfaces, illness may result Tracing the contamination can often be difficult because the meat arrives at the central processing facility from many sources. As these plants have become larger, the area over which they distribute an immense volume of products has become broader, 10 increasing the risk of widespread exposure to contamination.
food insecurity
the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food
Discuss the factors (think "p") that are responsible for most famines. Describe how several of these factors have played a role in a major famine in part of the world. Be able to discuss several historic famines in sufficient detail to support your answer. What parts of the world are currently experiencing famines and why?
• Population • Poverty • Pollution (env. quality) • Productivity (in agriculture) • Politics -Irish potato famine 1840s Pre-famine - 8 million • Deaths 290,000-1.3 million • Solutions by British Govt - Technological fix- encouraged research, no easy solution - Trade policy-Corn Laws restricted food import into Ireland, exports continued - Poverty assistance paid thru tax on landlords increased evictions -Ukraine famine 1932/33 Policy problem- 6 to 10+ million died • Stalin's planned collectives - Farmers' resistance - Farmers taxed heavily, crops exported to Europe ($ for Stalin) - Grain quotas raised - Ethnic bias and concern over rebellion and Ukrainian independence -Nortj Korea 90s arduous march Cold War legacy- no imports of energy and fertilizer, loss of Soviet support • Collective Policy-farmers given quota, system fell apart • Imports helped, aid stopped due to nuclear weapons and lack of inspection, resumed during crisis • Floods in '90's destroyed crops and grain reserves • 800,000-2.4 million died • Reported cannibalism Yemen is experiencing bcCivil conflict = widespread destruction • Chronic water shortages • Prior to conflict, nearly 90% of Yemen's food imported • 14 million or 50% of population on edge of starvation DR gongo afghanistan venezuela
