Words to know:
global cool chain
value-adding
post-Fordism
durable produce
fetishism of commodities
Questions to think on -- Goldfrank:
1) What does ‘fresh’ mean to you? How do you define ‘fresh’?
2) Goldfrank asked one of his research participants “ever boycott grapes?” This questions points towards a politics of food consumption. Why did Goldfrank ask this question about Chilean grapes? Have you ever boycotted a food product for political reasons?
3) How has the position of Chilean grapes in a global food system changed in recent years?
4) How far did your fresh food travel? What country did your food come from? Farther than Chile?
5) Why are Goldfrank reasons for discussing the second half of the commodity chain and not growing, packing, and transportation?
Questions to think on -- Friedland:
1) What percentage of “fresh” fruits and vegetables to you buy compared to durable fruits and vegetables? Define each type.
2) Improvements in refrigeration technology have helped to change where food comes from as well as how we eat at home. What would you eat and how would your consumption habits change if you chose not to have a refrigerator in your home, dorm, or apartment today?
3) Are fruits and vegetables solely grown inside a greenhouse still ‘fresh’? Why are the greenhouses discussed in this article Dutch?
4) Compare and contrast Fordism with Post-Fordism. How do these terms relate to food production, distribution, and consumption?
Questions to think on -- Freidberg:
1) What relationship do you have with your food supplier? Who are they? Do you trust them? Why or why not?
2) What is an agricultural product you can only buy seasonally in a supermarket?
3) Freidberg states “refrigeration altered the physics of freshness; no longer did it depend on time or distance.” What aspect of freshness matters more to you -- time or space? Why? In other words, would you rather your food come from a location near you and sit in a warehouse in your city for several weeks or it is OK if it comes from far away, just as long as you get to eat it soon after its harvest?
4) Is an egg still fresh if it comes from hen whose behaviors have been altered by humans and technology?
Questions to write on:
1) Both Friedland and Goldfrank discuss how the recent globalization of the agri-food commodity chain changes diets, consumption habits, and agricultural practices in the Core countries of the globe. Drawing from both this week’s and last week’s readings, how might new global systems of food production and distribution change local diets and food production in Periphery or Semi-periphery countries? Using what you know about international agri-food commodity chains explain the present relationship between Core, Semi-periphery, and Periphery countries and make a well supported argument for how this system affects Semi-periphery and Periphery populations outside the Core. Will this be the same 10 or 15 years from now? Why or why not?
2) Pick an agricultural product and explain how retailers have added value to this commodity. What did they do? Did the value-adding process make you more likely to buy the product? Why or why not? Research what the difference in price would be for you as a consumer between the value-added product and the original ‘raw’ product -- what is the difference in the profit margin? What additional steps could retailers take to add additional value to this product?