StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

How Politics Influences the Kind of Food Grown or Consumed in Australia and in the Entire Globe - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
"How Politics Influences the Kind of Food Grown or Consumed in Australia and in the Entire Globe" paper states that although culture is invariably a difficult concept to describe, its importance is not diminished as it is identified as playing a major role in influencing politics of food. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.6% of users find it useful
How Politics Influences the Kind of Food Grown or Consumed in Australia and in the Entire Globe
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "How Politics Influences the Kind of Food Grown or Consumed in Australia and in the Entire Globe"

Food and Politics   Food and Politics Introduction The most pervasive and central economic system in the world is the food system. The system consists of different components still interdependent. A third of the food produced in both developed and developing nations go to waste (Nestle, 2003). Food system is perceived to be an enormous success in the global economy. This can be observed by the fact that despite such waste of food, it is easy for billions of human beings around the globe to be supplied with enough food to consume on daily needs. The success of this system in the industrialized nations is such the system has evolved to become a marvel of diversity, abundance, and low-cost efficiency. However, despite its successes, the food system is seen to still leave a lot to be desired as it is estimated that about eight hundred million people most of whom are situated in poor countries actually lack the necessary access to the food that they happen to require. The deficiencies that are witnessed in the global food system have caused malnutrition and undernourishment to now be classified as being the leading causes of both death and illness on the planet (Nestle, 2003) In the United States, an estimated about 325,000 people are hospitalized, and as many as 5,000 die because of ingesting viral and bacterial pathogens. The inadequacies noted to be inherent in the food system and concerns over the food that are consumed in the country have resulted in the society and the political system calling for the reversal of the consumption of unhealthy food options that are very much become a part of the our culture. The following paper discusses how politics influences the kind of food grown or consumed in not only in Australia but also in the entire globe. Food and Politics Individuals have a legal right to grow and eat almost any food that they may want, and people are now discovering that food has a lot to do with politics. According to Burros (2006), in today’s world where people are increasingly feeling more distant from the global forces that they perceive to be controlling their lives, most people are now taking action and doing the little they can by essentially voting with their trolleys and selecting healthier food options. Governments around the world are now increasingly becoming more active in calling for the adoption of healthier food options into the modern day culture. One of the biggest food challenges facing Australia today is the problem of obesity, and the country ranks highly among countries that have been affected by the condition (Moreno et al., 2011). The country has over the years adopted a number of unhealthy eating habits that when assimilated into its culture, have resulted in a situation whereby it is now estimated that more than 25% of the children and 60% of the adults in the country are classified as either being obese or overweight (The Department of Health, 2013). This has necessitated that the government makes a number of political interventions in an effort to try correcting this problem. In what is a concerted effort to assist the health outcomes of obese and overweight Australians, the Department of health has funded efforts aimed at reviewing and updating the guidelines it has provided to help in governing obesity and overweight for children, adults and adolescents in the country. It is expected that the revised guidelines will provide updated, detailed and evidence-based guidance to all the clinicians in the country on how they can best be able to access and manage patients reported as being obese or overweight (The Department of Health, 2013). Another current raging political debate over food in Australia is about if it is healthy or unhealthy to fully integrate organic foods or genetically modified foods (The Department of Health, 2013). Given the centrality of food to our lifestyles and existence, it is rather unsurprising that there is a raging debate over how our food is grown with one side in support of organic farming and the other in support of genetically modified (GM) crops. In an effort to ensure that the GM foods that are produced in the country are safe for human consumption, the Australian and New Zealand governments have formed the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) to act as a regulatory body. FSANZ is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all the GM foods that are produced to be consumed in these two countries are not only safe, but also as nutritious as their conventionally grown counterparts are (Hodge et al., 2007). Although there are a number of scientific studies that have been conducted to determine the effect of GM foods on human health, there are currently no long-term studies that have been conducted to show the effect of organics on human health. Further, the GMO politics have been here for a while. There have been those countries in support of GMO and those who oppose it (Barrett et al, 2013). Much has been said on how these types of foods can ensure the world is food secure. This argument has been met with the contrasting view of how GMO affects human health in various ways. In allowing GMO foods to be produced and sold in the country, the Australian government was forced to consider the changing climatic conditions and ever-growing human population in the world, food security will continue to become more of issue. Although Australia will be able to continue providing food for its citizens despite the world’s changing climate and growing population, it is expected that some foods will eventually become too expensive and in some overseas countries, poor people might suffer and especially so those that are living within cities. People living in developing countries will face price shocks similar to those experienced in 2008 that caused incidences of rioting around the world (Moreno, A. L., Pigeot, I., & Ahrens, W.2011) GM crops promise to forestall the development of such a situation by improving the quantity of food that is produced. The Australian beef industry recently found itself in a crisis after China banned the importation of chilled Australian beef citing that it was concerned about food safety. Australia’s trade minister acknowledged that China had indeed queried the standards of Australian beef and pointed out that he was currently working to ensure that the issue is resolved. He argued that Australia has over the years managed to build up a reputation that is the best in the standards. In 2013, the shipment of Chilled beef to China is estimated to have surged by about 873 percent from the previous year, and it provided a large market for Australian chilled beef (The Department of Health, 2013). The Australian red meat industry is strongly committed to the quality and safety of meat products produced in the country and each state has set in place its own animal welfare Act and accompanying regulations. Conclusion Although the culture is invariably a difficult concept to describe, its importance is not diminished as it is identified as playing a major role in the influencing and shaping the politics of food. The issues surrounding food and politics are quickly emerging as a dominant issue in today’s culture. Most of the actors that are present in the politics of food and food safety can neither be classified as being heroes nor villains; instead, they are simply actors in what is a rather complicated social system with diverse motivations and interests. According to Nestle, most governments around the world are working to implement better policies and measures to regulate the quality of the foods that are consumed by them. This will ensure that the world population is protected from harmful food materials.   References Barrett, C. B & Oxford University (2013). Food security and socio-political stability. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Burros, M. (2006). You Are What You Eat: 2006 and the Politics of Food. Retrieved on Jan 17, 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/27/dining/27food.html?_r=0 Hodge, G. A., Bowman, D., & Ludlow, K. (2007). New global frontiers in regulation: The age of nanotechnology. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Moreno, A. L., Pigeot, I., & Ahrens, W. (2011). Epidemiology of obesity in children and adolescents: Prevalence . New York: Springer. Nestle, M. (2003). Safe Food: Bacteria, biotechnology, and bioterrorism (Vol. 5). University of California Press. The Department of Health. (2013). Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children in Australia. Tiffen, R., & Gittins, R. (2004). How Australia Compares. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Food and plitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Food and plitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1681675-food-and-plitics
(Food and Plitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Food and Plitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1681675-food-and-plitics.
“Food and Plitics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1681675-food-and-plitics.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How Politics Influences the Kind of Food Grown or Consumed in Australia and in the Entire Globe

Supply Chain Management of Cadburys Milk Chocolate

This kind of movement is facilitated through logistics.... This can be compared to the television news service that collects reports from all over the globe and delivers them to their viewers.... This assignment "Supply Chain Management of Cadburys Milk Chocolate" focuses on logistics and Supply Chain Management that have played an integral role in giving consumers a choice in food and drinks.... Logistics and Supply Chain Management have played an input role in allowing us an almost unlimited amount of choice in the food and drinks we consume....
12 Pages (3000 words) Assignment

Advertising to Children in the UK

However, only a few are making strides toward protecting their children from the negative influences of advertisements.... This is how kids end up being the best consumers.... The essay "Advertising to Children in the UK" critically analyzes the process of advertising to children in the UK....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Why is old world wine dropping down in uk

Hence, it is only through the union of innumerable small Old World wine producers reviewing their entire branding strategy that the possibility of their sustainability in the UK wine market prevails.... % with australia's share being 17.... The Old World countries like France which used to enjoy monopoly for decades in exporting its tradition-rich wines to the UK markets are now being dominated by the New World economies like australia with incredible marketing techniques....
18 Pages (4500 words) Essay

Nutrition, Culture, and Innovation Food Habits

Basically, my eating habit is dictated by the availability of time, cost, and ease of storage of food.... This paper "Nutrition, Culture, and Innovation food Habits" seeks to investigate by analyzing the underlying reasons that control eating habits and patterns.... Eating habits refers to how and why individuals or groups of people eat, the food type they eat, and with whom they take food with.... If I was totally not cooking and with little shopping, I would be consuming meals from fast food outlets around....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Consumer Behavior - External Factors in Consumer Decision Making Process

Consumers initially try to obtain commodities to be consumed, then go on to select only the brands that guarantee better utility (Blythe, 2006).... It plays major role in conserving perishable goods such as food, medicine, and many other goods that are temperature dependant....
17 Pages (4250 words) Coursework

Boundary Bend - Recommendations for the 4Ps of the Marketing Mix in Sweden

Olives and olive oil are termed as a staple component of European diets, the trend is slowly gaining momentum in other countries such as australia and some parts of Asia and with time the trend will be basically accepted by almost everyone in the globe.... The company is located in Lara, VIC, australia.... Boundary Bend is the leading marketer of premium Australian extra virgin olive oil and owns australia's #1 home-grown olive oil brand, Cobram Estate....
13 Pages (3250 words) Case Study

The State of Fitness Industry in Australia

The paper "The State of Fitness Industry in australia" is a perfect example of a sports and recreation case study.... The paper "The State of Fitness Industry in australia" is a perfect example of a sports and recreation case study.... The paper "The State of Fitness Industry in australia" is a perfect example of a sports and recreation case study.... or sporting activities to flourish in australia certain facets need to be put in place and ensured fully operational....
9 Pages (2250 words) Case Study

A Connection between Modern Technology and Food Production

he food industry in australia has records of quality service as there has been steady and sufficient production of food in the past, coupled up with the number of employment opportunities presented by the sector (Farrer 2005; Australia 2002).... The climatic conditions in australia have also worked towards increased food production in australia.... Depletion of the ozone layer, destruction of important water catchment areas, high rates of land degradation, overreliance on imported food products, change in consumer habits, and reduction of land productivity and loss of such land have heightened the anticipation for food crises in australia....
34 Pages (8500 words) Dissertation
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us