Real Food for Students

Conventional Food System

The Conventional Food System is by far the most widely chosen food system that is chosen by the consumer unless commonly labeled or marked as Certified Organic, Organic or sustainable.
With a combination of consumer concern and reactions and of movement from Grass Root Organizations (a food system advocacy group that aims to create a sustainable food system) there is the growing preference and added pressure for the BIG Agricultural companies to produce conventional crops, vegetables, grain, fruit... to work in harmony with nature and our planet.

Pesticides
Currently conventional crops are being sprayed from high above by often referred to as an Agricultural-chemical Spreader which is a special airplane that is equipped to spread toxic chemicals known as pesticides over a vast amount of land specifically targeting an area land that is the host for crops, crops that the consumer purchases at the store, a stand or even a farm.
Then there is an addition of herbicides that’s a pesticide too a chemical fertilizers that are housed in to & around the ground where the crops lay, the food we eat.
Once the pesticides on the crops have been sprayed on to; these joint-chemicals now have the potential to destroy surrounding weeds, habitation, all natural predators such as bugs, slugs, butterflies bumble bees and so fourth. Then to add further complication to our conventional food system we also have a concern of Bio engineering entering in to the food system which also enters directly in to our food chain and of the livestock that is raised for human consumption.
A pesticide cannot be rubbed off or be washed or rinsed off entirely, some of the chemical residue will always remain on the food product e.g vegetables, fruits, grain basically what ever is growing on the farm or dedicated land.. Some foods will always be more vulnerable to absorb a higher level of pesticides due to their skin or the genetic makeup of that particular food. Surprisingly It has been said that conventional potatoes and strawberries retain the highest amount of chemicals.

The utilization of chemicals to the conventional food system via Agricultural-chemical spreader and chemicals placed in and around the soil can and do often lead to:
• Ground contamination where the soil is effected
• Water contamination through run off - that’s when it rains the chemicals will run in to near by drains and communities,
• Air pollution when its windy and especially when the fields have been or being sprayed the wind can naturally blow air that will cause the chemicals to drift in to near by communities causing overall air pollution, cross contamination to other near by farms and in some cases cause sickness to people who breath the contaminated air.
• Chemical residue can be detected in feed that is ingested by livestock and food for human consumption.

To many consumers the utilization of using harsh and strong chemical based pesticides that save the crops from disease and predators may not sound so bad, after all it's saving our food from disease and bugs... However one aught to reflect of the damage caused by chemical pesticides and herbicides when one does ingest a chemically sprayed food product BUT to also farm workers, surrounding communities, the environmental impact on wild life too.

One would imagine we now live in a intelligent world and that companies would not resort to manipulating plants to destruct natural wild life and to tolerate strong chemicals to feed us. Why indeed… intentionally destroy the only natural habitat that Mother Nature built over thousand of years.

Genetic Engineering
Created in a laboratory-Classification: Genetic Engineering- Genetically Modified Organism - known as GMO.

Scientists can now transfer gene material between species that otherwise would be incapable of mating: for example, a goat and a spider. This is called transgenesis. Little is known about the long-term effects of such manipulations on both humans and the environment. And while some see GMOs as the way to the future, others believe that scientists have gone too far, tinkering with the essence of life.

The desired “new genes” are deposited by invading the “plant cell.” If the plant cell does not accept the “new gene,” a viral promoter can be used to encourage activating and promoting the growth of the “new genes” within the plant cell.
In essence, the plant cell did not understand where or how an alien gene came from—so it reacts and tries to reject.

The soybean is by far the worlds most cultivated transgenic plant, followed by corn, cotton, and canola. The United States, Argentina, Canada, and China, in that order, are the biggest producers.

Different countries have adopted different approaches to the touchy topic of labeling GMOs. In Europe, the labeling of GMOs is obligatory, and caution prevails.Products in Europe are labeled, and it is left to the consumer to make their choice. In Canada and the United States, the labeling of GMOs is optional.

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Conventional Food System