HW220 Unit 2 Seminar
The Panorama and Politics of
Food Choice
Patty Willeman, MS, RCEP
Unit 2 Focus
►Emerging trends in nutrition
►Assessment of individual food
patterns
►Influences on food choices
►Food insecurity
►Nutrition scams and
misinformation
How politics influence food
choices?




Food Lobbyists
Revolving Door Governmental Officials
PAC funding of elections
National Committees funding
Nestle, 2007 pg 95-106
Focus of the Seminar
► We
will explore the unit topics via three
questions that examine factors that have an
influence on our intake including:
 income, hunger, and food insecurity
 our knowledge of how to interpret health
claims and other information on food labels
 the politics of the food manufacturing
industry
Assignment Reminders
► All
initial Discussion posts are due by
Saturdays at 11:59 PM EST
► All
other assignments are due by Tuesdays
of each unit by 11:59 PM EST
Assignment Reminders
►1
initial response to the discussion question(s)
► 2 posts to peers’ works
 Substantive is not “good job” or “way to go.” A
substantive response is one that you comment on a
specific part of their posting and then provide feedback.
Asking questions of your peers is a great way to further
the conversation.
► Each
of these 3 pieces are graded accordingly upon
their completion
► Type it in Word and then paste it into the Discussion
 Be sure to spell-check and then click to post it
Warm-Up Activity
►List
a time over the past week
in which you were influenced
either socially, psychologically,
or through familial means
regarding your nutrition intake.
Unit 2 Project
► For
one day record all of the food and
beverages that you eat and drink as well as
your mood and hunger level when you
ate/drank. Enter your food and beverages
into the MyPyramid food tracker. Choose
"analyze your diet" and take a screen shot
of the results.
Unit 2 Project, Cont.
► For
one day record all of the food and
beverages that you eat and drink as well as
your mood and hunger level when you
ate/drank. Enter your food and beverages
into the MyPyramid food tracker. Choose
"analyze your diet" and take a screen shot
of the results.
► Keep
a physical activity log for one day.
Enter your activity into the MyPyramid
physical activity tracker and run the
analysis. Take a screen shot of the results.
► Write
a one page paper answering the following
questions: How does your diet compare to the
2010 Dietary Guidelines? What were the major
influences on your food choices and your physical
activity? For example, were you influenced by
family, the media, health reasons, etc.? What
improvements could be made in the 2015 Dietary
Guidelines to help consumers overcome barriers to
choosing healthy foods and engaging in regular
physical activity? Include your screen shots with
your report. Follow APA format and be certain to
include a separate reference page.
Hunger Facts:
►1
in every 5 people worldwide
experiences persistent hunger.
► One
person dies of starvation
every 2 seconds.
► In
the U.S.: 36 million people; 1
out of every 5 children, lives in
poverty
Food insecurity: The limited or
uncertain availability of
nutritionally adequate and safe
foods
Food poverty: Hunger occurring
when there is enough food in an
area but cannot be obtained due to
a lack of money, deprivation, war or
other problems
Hunger In The
United States
Seminar Question #1
► What
government
funded food
assistance
programs are
available to help
limited-resource
families obtain
sufficient amounts
of foods?
Food Assistance
►1
out of every 6 Americans
receives food assistance of some
kind.
► Total
► Still,
cost: $40 billion/ year
the hunger problem is not
solved.
Goals of USDA Food Assistance
Programs
► To
design a food
safety net for lowincome Americans.
 Provide access to food
 Provide a healthy diet
 Provide nutrition
education
Schlenker, 2007 pg 249
Federal Food Assistance
Programs
1.
WIC (Women Infants and Children)
2.
The School Lunch Program; Breakfast
and Childcare
3.
Food Assistance for Older Adults;
Meals on Wheels
4.
The Food Stamp Program
National Food Recovery
Programs
► Second
Harvest: coordinates food
pantries and emergency kitchens.
► Local
food banks
► Community
efforts:
 Depend on volunteers
 Serve the homeless, people in need, etc.
Food Waste
► 96
billion pounds
of food waste in
the U.S/year
► 27%
of the food
produced is
wasted
Seminar Question #2
► Discuss
the types of
legislation provided
under the “open
dating” federal
legislation and the
FDA cases related to
Kellogg’s Allbran,
1984
Health Claims - FDA Stance
► The
Food Drug Administration (FDA) role is
to monitor health claims made by
supplements and foods.
► Health
claims are reserved for drugs who
prove these effects through clinical research
trials.
FDA vs. Kellogg’s All Bran
►
Kellogg pushed their power for making a claim on
their product by teaming up with National Cancer
Institute (NCI) - a sister agency to FDA.
Kellogg put on their All Bran Cereal box - “The NCI
believes eating the right foods may reduce your risk of
cancer. Here are their recommendations: Eat more fiber
foods. A growing body of evidence says high fiber are
important to good health. That’s why a healthy diet
include high fiber foods like bran cereals.”
Nestle, 2007 pg 240
FDA vs. Kellogg’s All Bran
► By
Kellogg using this health claim, it threatened
the FDA’s ability to regulate label statements.
► DHHS
claim.
overruled FDA’s attempt to block this health
► Kellogg
asserted that its actions were a public
service and needed to inform people.
► What
position did the FDA adopt in response?
Nestle, 2007 pg 241-242
Categories of label claims
► Health
claims
► Nutrient claims
► Structure
function claims
Seminar Question #2 Summary
► Health
claims sell
products
► Making health
claims legal: 6
possible claims
Seminar Question #3
► How
has
consolidation in
the meat packing
industry
impacted food
choices?
McDonald’s Impact on Food Industry
►
►
The demand for product
uniformity and vast
purchasing power has
dramatically changed the
way cattle/chickens are
raised, slaughtered, and
processed.
What are some other
impacts that McDonald’s
has had on the local and
global economy?
Schlosser, 2005 pg8-9
The Meat Industry “Giants”
The “Big Four”:
► IBP
► ConAgra
► Excel
► National Beef
Artificially Low Meat Prices
► These
firms have
depressed prices but
how?
► What percentage of
the total cattle industry
is owned by the big 4?
Schlosser, 2005 pg 138
Swallowing of Cattle Ranches
► Justice
Department and Grain Inspection,
Packers and Stockyards Administration
(GIPSA) stood and watched the
consolidation of local cattle markets be
taken over by the top 4 major meatpacking
firms.
► These
top 4 firms slaughter about 84% of
nation’s cattle.
Schlosser, 2005 pg 137
Seminar Question #3 Summary
► What
are some
problems that have
resulted in quality
and safety?
► Effects on public
health, nutrition,
and safety
Summary
►Our
food
choices are
influenced by a
complex
interaction of
internal and
external factors