Food Animal Production

          Industrial Food Animal Production (IFAP) is basically a method of farming that is supposed to help "improve" the production of farming. However, it is actually a very unethical method because this system involves raising thousands of the same time of animal, in a very packed environment. The animals are not treated too well and are also over fed and given growth hormones. In the film we watched, there was a woman who was very against this system. Instead of completely excluding meat or dairy in her diet, she decided to start her own farm. She claimed that people will never stop eating animals, so what needs to change is the production process of animals. IFAP is obviously not the method of farming we all want to have, but asking people to step away from such a technologically advanced and highly profitable system is very unrealistic. Hopefully, people will slowly start changing their ways and will revert to the safer and simpler way of farming. This will not only help our own environment and health, but possibly other countries as well because our behaviors will have an influence on theirs. What we can do as consumers is make sure we know exactly where our food is coming from. Making sure to buy food from small farms rather than buying food that came from a big factory.

Food Animal Production

Food Animal Production

Food Systems and Politics

Industrial food animal production (IFAP) is no longer sustainable or good for the environment, agriculture or human safety. The movie suggests that in order to attain a sustainable food animal production process, society must come up with one that is both ecological and preserves and does not limit biodiversity. A dream process would be that all farms move to pasture base production instead of factory base. Although many would call switching non-realistic, this common misconception is famous because industrial food animal production has been perceived as more productive and an easier way to raise animals in a shorter amount of time. The movie provided an inspirational example about one man who did make the shift over to the good side when he switched from factory base to pasture base production. He remarked that not only did pasture base farming hardly require more work than his pervious system, factory base, but that he also felt satisfied that he was doing something good for the environment, agriculture business and human safety (all the things that industrial production cannot supply). People are caught in this rhythm of the factory in the new industrial system and they don’t know how to get out because it is hard, but this switch helped prove the stereotype wrong, which will hopefully persuade others to follow in his footsteps. Essentially, the movie implies that we should go back in time to the 1700s where the industrial period in America had not taken place and farming and food animal production was carried out without all the modern technological agricultural items available. One of the risks of this factory-based system is that it is being spread to other countries around the world and being adopted as the primary process. This is why it is so important to stop it now. It is important not to contribute to the harmful animal production practices, which can be ensured by not supporting them as consumers. We should not buy from any farms that are not pasture base and use our power to support a process in which is safe for human health, agriculture and the environment.

Jenna M

Beet Cake and Lip Balm: A Delicious Combination

This past week, Food Systems and Politics class was action-packed and we had a special guest, Isa Brito, an herbalist, who helped lead and instruct the two classes. We took a break from the way we usually have class, after we handed in our assignments on gardening techniques, companion planting and square foot gardening.
On Tuesday, Isa taught us how to make our very own lip balm. Making the lip balm was a quick and easy procedure allowing us to recreate the balms independently at home; it was a recipe made in a few simple steps using simple ingredients. First, we measured about five ounces of squares of beeswax (later to be melted) on the electric scale. Our main ingredient, avocado oil, was added to the measuring cup (about ten ounces) and then we put our beeswax in with the oil to be melted into one mixture. Keep in mind, it is important never to boil the ingredients and to only heat them so that they do not burn. We then selected one of the four special essential oils, rose geranium, spruce, peppermint, and lemongrass, to add to our own personalized scents to the lip balm (by putting a few drops, around four to six, in each tube). After the ingredients became one consistency (mostly yellow, with a small hint of green), Isa poured it into the lip balm tubes (which we designed our own labels for). They hardened within minutes and she did another round of pouring to top off the hole on the top. This creation was an all-natural and relatively easy procedure to follow which only took about an hour or so with ingredients easily accessible to purchase. At the end of the day, we all walked out with souvenirs, our own lip balms, we could share with our friends and family (my mom loved hers!).

On Thursday, we were back in the kitchen, putting on our disposable aprons and hairnets, with Isa showing us how to cook the delicious and unusual beet cake. It was great to get back in the kitchen again and it was interesting because hardly anyone ever made this creation before. We all pitched in and did different jobs to make the long cooking process much shorter than it would be if we only had two hands (instead of twenty). It is also interesting to know that very similar ingredients and procedure can be applied to produce a similar cake such as a banana cake (which she recommended). We made two heart shape cakes with poppy seeds to form a crust, which were sprinkled on the pan. Since we had so much “batter” left over, we decided to make cupcakes, which we added cocoa powder to! We topped the cake off with a rich, sugary cream cheese icing (which I thought was the best part). 

These are some pictures of our beautiful beet cake creation. It makes me want to eat it all over again! 

FORKS OVER KNIVES RESPONSE

   This past week we finished the documentary Forks Over Knives and later in the week worked in the garden for the first time since Fall! The garden is now closed indefinitely due to rats uprooted by Houston St. construction and attracted to mountains of delicious litter dropped by ecologically conscious and careful students. We were lucky to work in the garden at all. But forget that: the garden looks lovely, with most vegetation insulated over the winter now in bloom and providing lovely color to springtime landscapes. We weeded the garden so that all our desirable plants get the nutrients they need and deserve. I forgot how nice and unusual the experience of gardening is – nice because you are cultivating and helping life thrive; unusual because, like petting a dog, gardening is an active and conscious interaction with a living thing that is not a person, and most of my day is spent actively and consciously interacting with other people. The break is nice, making me appreciate plant life, and human life when I return. That’s all I have to say about the garden today – now onto Forks Over Knives. 

   The message of Forks Over Knives is clear: a diet based in meat, dairy, and processed foods is more likely – almost guaranteed – to cause health problems than a “whole-foods, plant based diet.” The movie should be called Whole-Foods Plant Based Diet, but the current title is better and subtler. In the final half of the movie I was struck a) by the influence of evil corporations and philistine politicians and advisors on government diet policy and propaganda, and b) by the vegan fire squad in Texas. I’ll address the fire squad first: AWESOME!!! Enough said. I’ve seen fireman hauling meter long pork loins from supermarkets: impressive lengths of meat, but NOTHING as impressive as vegan firefighters. Now for the government policy and propaganda, specifically that recognizable object the Food Pyramid. I’ve taken health at bard. We reviewed the Food Pyramid. I used to believe it is inherently a good thing, until seeing Forks Over Knives. The flexibility of the Food Pyramid is its failure – what you can eat and still be considered healthy according to it is appalling!!!! I think one reason it is bad is the same reason the US government’s websites are so ugly – there are too few young people working on government projects. I assume that young people, no matter political or religious or other sort of ‘biased’ backgrounds, are more willing to accept younger ideas such as those proposed in Forks Over Knives. My solution to the Food Pyramid and website aesthetics? HIRE MORE YOUNG PEOPLE!!! This is highly debatable. I hope it is debated. Adios!

- Alex Fenichell

Evaluation of Community Interviews

Nearly everyone we spoke to in our interviews seemed quite interested in choosing healthier options; at least, no one seemed apathetic or hostile to the possibility. This might just be because they sensed the answers we wanted, but I don’t think that’s the entire reason. No matter how ill informed or disempowered people are (and many of the people we spoke to were surprisingly well informed), the desire to get better food is an obvious one. One woman, who was walking with her two young children, talked about walking all the way to the Essex Street market from eastern Alphabet City to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Clearly, the demand exists.
So where is the supply? BHSEC students endlessly bemoan the lack of healthy or even appealing food options, as did many of the community members we interviewed. Shop owners were at best dubious at the prospects of carrying healthier options, and had somewhat fuzzy definitions of what “healthy” meant. The notion of carrying local food was far beyond anything they had ever considered; the clerk at Adinah’s Farm (a bodega-eque grocery store widely considered the healthiest option for its hot food, fresh produce, and wide selection) wasn’t even sure whether the produce came from Hunt’s Point or not.
Students were, by and large, unimpressed with the cafeteria food available. The widely-held stereotypes about cafeteria food in general may have been a part of this, but even so, we should take their opinions seriously. Students were unhappy with both the quality and healthfulness of the food. When asked about the salad bar, they complained that the lettuce &c was tasteless and not fresh.
In fact, one student even explicitly complained that she “doesn’t know where [the lettuce] comes from.” Again, the possibility of using fresh, local food in the cafeteria seemed not really on her radar, but she did demonstrate interest in the freshness and quality of the produce being used in the cafeteria.
When we asked her and other students about the possibility of implementing the Garden to Café program, they seemed a bit daunted by the possibility. They saw it as an impressive ideal, but their reactions didn’t suggest belief that it would be a real option any time soon. They were also dubious about the possibility of working in the garden. That reluctance is sure to be one of our biggest obstacles; motivating the BHSEC community to get involved in shaping the garden. The student body is generally very reluctant to commit time to any extracurricular activities, for the simple reason that time is a scarce resource for us.
Ideally, the garden should supply a significant portion of the produce used in the cafeteria. But it should do more than that. The simple change of a connection to the food we eat should certainly inspire BHSEC students to look more closely at where their food comes from, and a strong Garden to Café system would do that automatically. Getting students involved in the garden is a further step in that intellectual journey, as well as a way to connect our very fractured community. The garden has the potential to be very powerful as a community-shaping and conversation-starting tool within the BHSEC community. At present, there are maybe ten students who are informed about it. Within a few years, there should be six hundred.
And outside of BHSEC? That’s a much larger goal. Using the Garden to Café program as a model for other public schools seems like the most realistic way to expand beyond the boundaries of our school. Getting involved with neighborhood garden associations is another viable long-term option. Improving the quality of food generally available in the neighborhood by ourselves might be too ambitious, except as increasing the awareness and public interest in community gardening.

Forgot Something!

The consequences of urban food insecurity affect really every aspect of ones life. You are what you eat, if a certain area does not have access to nutritional food, they will suffer physically and mentally. Eating unhealthily can cause to major health risks like obesity, heart disease, diabetes. Eating habits also affect thought productivity and attentiveness. It's a vicious cycle, if one does not eat well they will be tired and distracted and will not be paying attention at work or school, preventing them (to an extent) from reaching their full potential. The problem is, many people do not really have the chance to truly choose what they eat. They eat what is available to them. When an entire community is denied proper nutrition they are denied the right to reach their full potential.

Bodega Down Bronx Response

In New York City the availability of necessary resources are concentrated in certain areas. There may be nice markets, grocery stores and a plethora of train lines in one neighborhood, but travel a mile north, east, south, or west and the area is in need of stores necessary to fulfill the nutritional needs of its inhabitants. As BHSEC students, we can all relate to this problem. In a 50-minute lunch period, there are few places to find a healthy and affordable meal. After interviewing members of our school's community, it is evident that it takes a large amount of effort to attain fresh foods and vegetables. This isn’t to say its impossible, everyone we spoke to agreed that the way that they eat is in their hands, but it is certainly more difficult for LES residents to eat the way they may want to than say Upper West Side residents. New York City is extremely concentrated, and real estate is expensive. Every company and industry involved in food distribution is seeking to make the highest profit possible. Neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, where residents may have slightly lower incomes, lack larger and more diverse (in terms of food) supermarkets. If your intent is to make the most money possible, then in richer neighborhoods you can jack up the prices and ultimately make more money. This is why many residents in low-income neighborhoods (parts of LES, South Bronx, etc…) rely on small privately owned shops (like bodegas). Although this supports the local economy, these stores often only sell junk food.

         Ideally, I think it would be great if there were many more farmers markets in the city. In the summers there is one in Seward Park (still quite far from the Baruch housing developments), but it would be great if the community had an affordable one that was yearlong. It could meet somewhere like Hamilton Fish Park, and when it is too cold out side it would meet somewhere inside. Affordability is really important. Too often do I find myself hungry and all the healthier prepared food around is far too expensive. Places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods are good too, but their organic and local foods are often pretty expensive. Also, in establishing big supermarkets in the neighborhood, it would be really bad for local businesses; this would not be good for the community. A farmer’s market is a different environment than a store, and is certainly less competitive. It would also be great if bodegas could get the proper refrigeration systems to sell fruits and vegetables. This would maintain the culture and local economy while providing fresh food.

- Mia