Food System Synthesis Essay

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Synthesis: The readings this week focus on the faults of our current food system and aim to suggest how people can improve this system through different methods of social action. Each article suggests a slightly different method for change, though a couple common themes are the need for political action and a divergence away from the cheap food system in transforming food systems. Isenhour (2011) calls for polycentric approaches and strongly advocates for policy change instead of consumer choice. Schlosser (2012) also suggests policy changes as a solution to fight the large agribusiness firms, though his policies are more focused on changing the meatpacking industry than the whole food system. Clapp (2012) argues that we have to be aware of …show more content…

Instead, she emphasizes that direct political action and collective organization are key for this movement to be a success. Isenhour outlines that consumer choice is not effective for a long list of reasons: there are too many choices, making it harder for choices to make a real change; there has been a significant increase in “greenwashing” (the misleading use of labels like “organic,” “natural,” etc.); there is an emergence of consumer choice as a “privileged social position”; there is neglect of aware for food justice; and there is simply a reproduction of the same inequitable, capitalist system consumers are trying to remove themselves from. She does not want to undermine the efforts that are taking place, yet she makes us aware that “mindful eating cannot dismantle historically embedded social structures” (2011, 21). Policy reform and polycentric solutions that involve participation from all parts of the food system are absolutely essential for all citizens to get healthy, sustainable food; consumer demand is simply not enough alone. The problems of our food system, as we have read from many authors, such as Mintz (2012), Guthman (2011), Patel and Moore (2017), lie in an intensely capitalist system motivated by cheap food and the need for profit. Over time, consumers have become increasingly aware of the flaws of this system–– severe inequality, environmental degradation, cheap labor, and unhealthy food (to name a few)–– and now advocate for more control over our food supply, but it is not that easy to change. Isenhour’s argument is powerful and I think many people need to read so that the word can get out and change can happen. She advantageously outlines the shortcomings of consumer choice but also gives a viable solution to participate in the alternative food movement in a more productive

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