DOCSLIB.ORG

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Carrot Stick Surface to Determine Cause of White Translucent Appearance

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Scanning Electron Microscopy of Carrot Stick Surface to Determine Cause of White Translucent Appearance Scanning Electron Microscopy of Carrot Stick Surface to Determine Cause of White Translucent Appearance YASUO TATSUMI, ALLEY E. WATADA, and WILLIAM P. WERGIN ABSTRACT thickness) and stored at SC, 95% RH for subsequent daily analysis. The amount of whitish translucent tissue on the surface of each stick Carrot sticks that were prepared with a sharp culinary knife exhibited was scored using the following index: 1 = None: 2 = Slight; 3 = a whitish translucent appearance on the surface. This condition was Moderate; 4 = Severe and; 5 = Extreme. A severity index for each not readily apparent with carrot sticks sliced with a razor sharp blade. lot was calculated by multiplying the index score by the percentage Scanning electron microscopic examination of the translucent tissue of sticks in each category. revealed that the knife tended to shear, separate and compress the For SEM observation, 1 x 1 x 0.5 cm sections of tissue were cells and tissues of the root. Dehydration of the large mass of exposed sampledfrom either the freshly preparedsticks, (referred to as “fresh”), cells probably was responsible for the appearanceof the whitish trans- or the 3-day stored sticks, (designated “aged”). Tissues were pre- lucent tissue. Development of this condition is undesirable because pared as described for cucumbers (Tatsumi et al., 1987), with mod- consumers associate this with aged or nonfresh carrot sticks. ifications. The tissue pieceswere fixed in 3% glutaraldehydein distilled water for 24 hr at room temperature (18-20°C) and dehydrated in a standard ethanol solution series (20, 40, 60, 80, 90, and 100%). The INTRODUCTION samples were critical-point dried from liquid carbon dioxide. The cut DEMAND for partially processedfruits andvegetables by in- surface was sputter-coated with gold/palladium 60/40 and examined stitutiondining rooms,restaurants and fast food franchiseout- with a Hitachi S530 scanning electron microscope operated at 15 kV. For EDX, samples were fixed, dehydrated, critical-point dried, lets hasincreased substantially. This hasresulted in part from mounted, carbon coated and examined at 20 kV in the SEM equipped consumersgrowing’ appetitesfor fresh fruits andvegetables, with a Kevex 8000 EDX system. Samples were tilted 30” toward the asevidenced by the popularityand growth in numbersof salad X-ray detector. Analysis provided a qualitative and semi-quantitative bars.To meetthese demands without increasingcost of prod- elemental composition of an 8-10 rnk layer of surface tissue. ucts, the food industry has mechanizedmany labor intensive operationssuch as peeling,slicing, coring etc. However,the successof suchmechanizations in food preparationis depen- dent on maintainingfresh appearance and high quality. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Recently,the quality of partially processedcarrot sticks has CARROT STICK that were cut with the culinaryknife or the beenquestioned both by processorsand venders. Carrot sticks, razorblade did not exhibitany visible translucentwhitish tissue which are sold in grocery storesand are availableon most or discoloration on the day of slicing. Surfaces of sticks pre- saladbars, may be unsatisfactoryor unacceptablebecause they paredwith the blade, however,were visibly smootherthan sometimesexhibit a whitish translucentappearance on the sur- thosecut with the knife. The whitish tissue, similar to that face. Consumerstend to associatethis conditionwith agedor notedon grocerystore products, developed on the surfacedur- nonfreshcarrot sticks. This hasbeen observed in nonvacuum ing storageof the sticks that were cut with the knife. This packagedcarrots that were storedat 10” or 15°C for 2 to 4 discolorationwas associatedwith a noticeableamount of loose days,but not in carrotsthat were stored5 daysat 4°C (Buick or sloughingtissue. By day 1, (=24hr after slicing) 65% of and Damoglou,1987). The causeof the discolorationand the the sticks exhibiteddiscoloration, resulting in a total severity possibleways to alleviatethe condition have not beenreported. indexof 455 (Table1). Thosesticks also contained slight cracks Our objectivewas to determinewhether there might be a alongthe cambiumlayer betweenthe cortex and the vascular physicalcause for the effect. We examinedthe cut surfaceof cylinder. By day 2, 90% of sticks scoreda severityindex of carrotsticks visually, and the cells and tissueswith scanning 490, nearthe maximum severity index. No increasein severity electronmicroscopy (SEM). The elementalcontent of the cut index was notedon day 3; however,the separationbetween surfacewas also examinedusing an energydispersive X-ray thecortex and the vascular cylinder had widened and the sticks microanalysis(EDX) in an attemptto explainthe appearance of the whitish tissue. Table 1 -Relation between severity of white translucent tissue on surface of carrot sticks and method of slicing or storage MATERIALS & METHODS Davs at 5°C 2 WHOLE CARROTS (cultivar unknown) packaged in ventilated poly- Slicing Severity 1 3 ethylene bags were purchased at a local produce market and stored in tool score’ %V S.I. % S.I. % S.I. a waxed fiberboard container at 0°C until use. To prepare the sticks, 1 0 0 0 0 0 carrots were washed, cut to 6 cm lengths, and quartered with a sharp 2 0 0 0 0 : 0 culinary knife or a razor blade. Each quarter was placed in a separate Knife 3 10 30 0 0 0 0 lot with each lot containing 20 sticks. One lot of each prepared with 40 a knife or blade was analyzed immediately. The remaining lots of 20 45 fE 325100 10 45040 A: 450 ml 455 g 490 100 490 sticks each were placed in unsealed polyethylene bags (0.025 mm Total 1 55 ix 50 50 35 35 45 50 100 50 100 Author Watadais with the HorticulturalCrops Quality Labora- Razor blade 3 0 0 8 0 15 45 tory and Author Wargin is with the Electron Microscopy Labo- 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 ratory, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705. Author Tatsumi’s present Total 100 145 100 150 100 175 address: Laboratory of Postharvest Horticulture, Faculty of Ag- ricultur& Miyazaki Univ., l-l, Gakuen Kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki, z l-None, 2-Slight, 3-Moderate, 4&w% 5-Extreme. Y Percentage of 20 carrot stick sample. 889-21, Japan. Address inquiries to Dr. Watada. X Severiw Index (S.I.) = Score of severity x %. Volume56, No. 5, 1991-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-1357 SEM OF CARROT STICKS. Fig 1 -Scanning electron micrographs of the surface of carrot sticks immediately after slicing (fresh) or after aging for 3 days at 5°C (aged). The fresh (Fig. 1-a) and aged (Fig. l-b) sticks prepared with a razor blade had evenly cut surfaces with well defined parenchyma cells that did not show distortion from pressure of the blade. Fresh (Fig. l-c) and aged (Fig. l-d) sticks prepared with a culinary knife showed considerable shearing of the tissue and compression of cells. Sticks fresh-cut with a knife showed some separation of tissue between cambium and vas- cular cylinder (Fig. l-e) as well as layers of collapsed cells (Fig. 1-q. Collapse was also evident in the vascular cylinder of aged sticks (Fig. 1-g). All micrographs 40 x . became curved along the longitudinal axes, a condition similar About 55% of the sticks that had been cut with the razor to that noted with carrot sticks from the grocery store. blade exhibited some loose tissue on day 1. This resulted in a 1358-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-Volume 56, No. 5, 1991 severity index of 145, only one-third that scoredfor knife- had been cleanly cut by the blade were susceptibleto dehy- preparedsticks. The amountof loosetissue increased slightly dration. Drying of a single layer of cells apparentlywas not eachday resultingin 15% of the stickshaving a severityindex sufficient to causethe carrot stick surfaceto have the whitish of 175by day 3. However,the sticks did not exhibit any tissue translucentappearance. separationalong the cambiallayer or longitudinalcurving. Ten elementswere identified on the cut surfaceof carrot SEM examinationof the surfaceof the fresh tissueprepared tissuesby the energydispersive X-ray microanalysis,and as with a razor blade revealedthat the cortical region appeared reportedby others,(Hopkins, 1959;Haytowitz andMatthews, evenly cut, was not compressedand consistedof well orga- 1984), K and Ca accountedfor 70% of the total content(data nized parenchymacells which did not show mechanicaldam- not shown). The contentof none of theseelements differed age (Fig. la). The appearanceof the cortical region and the betweencarrots sliced with a knife or razor blade (data not organizationof the cells remainedunchanged during subse- shown).This implied that theseelements had no influenceon quent aging (Fig. 1). However, the vascularcylinder, espe- the tissuesurface changes. cially thexylem andpith, appearedto sustainsome mechanical We concludedthat the abrasiveaction of the culinary knife damagefrom the blade,which was not apparentto the naked causedconsiderable tearing and shearingof tissues.The re- eye (Micrographnot shown). sultingcells, which werecompressed and sloughed, were highly Freshtissue prepared with the knife appearedvisually sim- susceptibleto dehydrationwhich in turn causedthe white dis- ilar to that preparedwith the blade, but SEM examination colorationthat was characteristicof the agedcells cut with the revealedin the knife-cut samplesa serratedsurface character- knife. No consistentrelationship was apparentbetween changes ized by tearing,shearing, and compression of cells and tissues in elementalcomposition on the surfaceof the slices and the (Fig. l-c and d). Furthermore,cracks were presentalong the preparationmethod or aging process.Results tend
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Economics of Competition in the U.S. Livestock Industry Clement E. Ward
    Economics of Competition in the U.S. Livestock Industry Clement E. Ward, Professor Emeritus Department of Agricultural Economics Oklahoma State University January 2010 Paper Background and Objectives Questions of market structure changes, their causes, and impacts for pricing and competition have been focus areas for the author over his entire 35-year career (1974-2009). Pricing and competition are highly emotional issues to many and focusing on factual, objective economic analyses is critical. This paper is the author’s contribution to that effort. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) put meatpacking competition issues in historical perspective, (2) highlight market structure changes in meatpacking, (3) note some key lawsuits and court rulings that contribute to the historical perspective and regulatory environment, and (4) summarize the body of research related to concentration and competition issues. These were the same objectives I stated in a presentation made at a conference in December 2009, The Economics of Structural Change and Competition in the Food System, sponsored by the Farm Foundation and other professional agricultural economics organizations. The basis for my conference presentation and this paper is an article I published, “A Review of Causes for and Consequences of Economic Concentration in the U.S. Meatpacking Industry,” in an online journal, Current Agriculture, Food & Resource Issues in 2002, http://caes.usask.ca/cafri/search/archive/2002-ward3-1.pdf. This paper is an updated, modified version of the review article though the author cannot claim it is an exhaustive, comprehensive review of the relevant literature. Issue Background Nearly 20 years ago, the author ran across a statement which provides a perspective for the issues of concentration, consolidation, pricing, and competition in meatpacking.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Energy Efficiency of Food Production Systems
    energies Article Economic Energy Efficiency of Food Production Systems Bartłomiej Bajan * , Aldona Mrówczy ´nska-Kami´nska and Walenty Poczta Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Pozna´n,Poland; [email protected] (A.M.-K.); [email protected] (W.P.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +48-61-846-6379 Received: 19 September 2020; Accepted: 6 November 2020; Published: 8 November 2020 Abstract: The current global population growth forecast carries with it a global increase in demand for food. In order to meet this demand, it is necessary to increase production, which requires an increase in energy consumption. However, forecasted energy production growth is insufficient and traditional sources of energy are limited; hence, it is necessary to strive for greater energy efficiency in food production systems. The study aimed to compare the economic energy efficiency of food production systems in selected countries and identify the sources of diversification in this field. As a measure of energy efficiency, the indicators of the energy intensity of food production were used in this study. To calculate these indicators, a method based on input-output life-cycle assessment assumptions was used, which enables researchers to obtain fully comparable results between countries. The study showed that despite an increase in energy consumption in the food production systems of the analyzed countries by an average of 27%, from 19.3 EJ to 24.5 EJ, from 2000 to 2014, their energy intensity decreased, on average, by more than 18%, from 8.5 MJ/USD to 6.9 MJ/USD.
    [Show full text]
  • May 23, 2019 Dear Food Industry, Food Waste Is a Major Concern In
    May 23, 2019 Dear Food Industry, Food waste is a major concern in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service estimates that 30 percent of food is lost or wasted at the retail and consumer level.1 This means Americans are throwing out approximately 133 billion pounds of food worth $161 billion each year.2 Manufacturers of packaged foods voluntarily use a wide variety of introductory phrases on product date labels, such as “Best If Used By,” “Use By,” and “Sell By,” to describe quality dates to indicate when a food may be at its best quality. In a 2007 survey of U.S. consumers conducted on knowledge and use of open dates (i.e. calendar dates) used on product date labels for common packaged foods, less than half were able to distinguish between the meanings of three different introductory phrases that often appear before the calendar date on the product label: “Sell By”, “Use By”, and “Best If Used By”.3 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) has found that food waste by consumers may often result from fears about food safety caused by misunderstanding what the introductory phrases on product date labels mean, along with uncertainty about storage of perishable foods.4 It has been estimated that confusion over date labeling accounts for approximately 20 percent of consumer food waste.5 Industry, government, and non-profit organizations have been working to reduce consumer confusion regarding product date labels. Consumer research has found that the “Best If Used By” introductory phrase communicates to consumers the date by with the product will be of optimal quality.1 FDA has engaged in consumer education to raise awareness of food waste, reduce confusion regarding voluntary quality-based date labeling, and provide advice on food storage best practices to reduce waste.
    [Show full text]
  • Food & Beverage Processing Industry Operating Costs
    COMPARATIVE FOOD & BEVERAGE PROCESSING INDUSTRY OPERATING COSTS The Boyd Company, Inc. Location Consultants Princeton, NJ A COMPARATIVE OPERATING FOOD & BEVERAGE PROCESSING COST ANALYSIS INDUSTRY SITE SELECTION TABLE OF CONTENTS COMPARATIVE OPERATING COST ANALYSIS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND NOTES ...................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 COMPARATIVE REGIONAL LOCATIONS ........................................................................... 1 LABOR COSTS ..................................................................................................................... 2 COMPARATIVE ELECTRIC POWER AND NATURAL GAS COSTS .................................. 2 COMPARATIVE LAND ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS ............................. 3 COMPARATIVE AD VALOREM AND SALES TAX COSTS ................................................. 3 TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING COST RANKINGS .............................................................. 3 ABOUT BOYD ....................................................................................................................... 4 COMPARATIVE OPERATING COST ANALYSIS : ........................................................................ 5 EXHIBIT I: A COMPARATIVE ANNUAL OPERATING COST SIMULATION SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 6-7 EXHIBIT
    [Show full text]
  • ALIPHATIC DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS from OIL SHALE ORGANIC MATTER – HISTORIC REVIEW REIN VESKI(A)
    Oil Shale, 2019, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 76–95 ISSN 0208-189X doi: https://doi.org/10.3176/oil.2019.1.06 © 2019 Estonian Academy Publishers ALIPHATIC DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM OIL SHALE ORGANIC MATTER ‒ HISTORIC REVIEW REIN VESKI(a)*, SIIM VESKI(b) (a) Peat Info Ltd, Sõpruse pst 233–48, 13420 Tallinn, Estonia (b) Department of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia Abstract. This paper gives a historic overview of the innovation activities in the former Soviet Union, including the Estonian SSR, in the direct chemical processing of organic matter concentrates of Estonian oil shale kukersite (kukersite) as well as other sapropelites. The overview sheds light on the laboratory experiments started in the 1950s and subsequent extensive, triple- shift work on a pilot scale on nitric acid, to produce individual dicarboxylic acids from succinic to sebacic acids, their dimethyl esters or mixtures in the 1980s. Keywords: dicarboxylic acids, nitric acid oxidation, plant growth stimulator, Estonian oil shale kukersite, Krasava oil shale, Budagovo sapropelite. 1. Introduction According to the National Development Plan for the Use of Oil Shale 2016– 2030 [1], the oil shale industry in Estonia will consume 28 or 9.1 million tons of oil shale in the years to come in a “rational manner”, which in today’s context means the production of power, oil and gas. This article discusses the reasonability to produce aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and plant growth stimulators from oil shale organic matter concentrates. The technology to produce said acids and plant growth stimulators was developed by Estonian researchers in the early 1950s, bearing in mind the economic interests and situation of the Soviet Union.
    [Show full text]
  • 20200930 – Prop 12 9Th Circuit Amicus Business Groups
    Case: 20-55631, 09/30/2020, ID: 11841979, DktEntry: 21, Page 1 of 40 No. 20-55631 IN THE United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit NATIONAL PORK PRODUCERS COUNCIL & AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, Plaintiff-Appellants, v. KAREN ROSS, et al., Defendant-Appellees, and THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES, et al., Intervenor-Defendant-Appellees. On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of California No. 3:19-cv-02324-W-AHG, District Judge Thomas J. Whelan BRIEF FOR THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, FMI – THE FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, THE NATIONAL CATTLEMEN’S BEEF ASSOCIATION, AND THE NATIONAL MINING ASSOCIATION AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANT Patrick Hedren Catherine E. Stetson Erica Klenicki Danielle Desaulniers Stempel MANUFACTURERS’ CENTER HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP FOR LEGAL ACTION 555 Thirteenth Street NW 733 10th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 637-5600 Phone: (202) 637-3000 Fax: (202) 637-5910 Counsel for National Association [email protected] of Manufacturers Counsel for Amici Curiae September 30, 2020 Additional Counsel Listed on Inside Cover Case: 20-55631, 09/30/2020, ID: 11841979, DktEntry: 21, Page 2 of 40 Additional counsel: Steven P. Lehotsky Jonathan D. Urick U.S. CHAMBER LITIGATION CENTER 1615 H Street NW Washington, DC 20062 Phone: (202) 463-5948 Counsel for Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America Stephanie K. Harris FMI – THE FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
    [Show full text]
  • Food and Pharma Basics Basics Basics Food & Pharma Food & Pharma
    WISSEN - KNOWLEDGE Food and Pharma Basics BASICS BASICS Food & Pharma Food & Pharma Food and Pharma Hygienic Design Cleanability © RECHNER Germany 04/2020 EN - Printed in EU, all rights reserved. 2 RECHNER Industrie-Elektronik GmbH • Gaußstraße 6-10 • D-68623 Lampertheim • Tel. +49 6206 5007-0 • Fax +49 6206 5007-36 • e-mail: [email protected] • www.rechner-sensors.com All specifications are subject to change without notice. (04/2020) BASICS BASICS Food & Pharma Food & Pharma TABLE OF CONTEND Table of Contend Page Motivation 4 - 5 Sources of Information 6 European Standards and Directives 7 - 8 Declaration of Conformity Norms and DirectivesNorms Basics and Examples 9 - 14 Tri-Clamp / Tri-Clover 15 - 22 Tri-Clamp Food Contact Materials Basics and Directives 23 - 25 Materials Plastics 26 Metalls 27 RECHNER Industrie-Elektronik GmbH • Gaußstraße 6-10 • D-68623 Lampertheim • Tel. +49 6206 5007-0 • Fax +49 6206 5007-36 • e-mail: [email protected] • www.rechner-sensors.com 3 All specifications are subject to change without notice.(04/2020) BASICS BASICS Food & Pharma Food & Pharma MOTIVATION SAFE PRODUCts In process technology and plant engineering, the definition of „hygienic design“ refers to the design of machines and plants with consideration of the cleanability of the system. CONSUMER PROTECTION This is always relevant where products are manufactured that can be dangerous for the consumer due to germs or contamination and also where the product can turn out to be unusable, which represents a loss for the manufacturer. OPTIMIZatiON OF THE CLEANING PROCESSES Hygienic design is for example relevant in the following business areas: • Food industry (humans and animals) REDUCTION OF THE • Beverage industry CLEANING AND • Pharmaceutical industry • chemical industry MAINENANCE TIMES • cosmetic industry • Biotechnology Hygienic design must be considered at all parts of the plant that come into direct contact with the product to be produced.
    [Show full text]
  • The New U.S. Meat Industry
    Barkema/Drabenstott.qxd 6/21/01 1:37 PM Page 33 The New U.S. Meat Industry By Alan Barkema, Mark Drabenstott, and Nancy Novack new meat industry is rapidly emerging in the United States, as food retailers, meat processors, and farms and ranches coalesce Ainto fewer and larger businesses. The industry’s rapid consolida- tion in recent years has triggered alarms that the industry’s new giants in retailing and processing could drive up food prices for consumers and drive down livestock prices for producers. How should public policy respond to the industry’s consolidation? And how can all participants in the industry—producers, processors, retailers, and consumers—benefit from its new structure? This article studies the striking changes in the meat industry in three steps. First it describes how the industry is changing. Then it examines the forces driving the industry’s consolidation. Finally, it con- siders how consumers and industry participants are affected. While cur- rent evidence is scant that market power has hurt either consumers or producers, the industry’s rapid consolidation nevertheless warrants vigi- lance. At the same time, public policy might also play a role in ensuring that all participants in the market benefit from its new structure. All three authors are members of the bank’s Center for the Study of Rural America. Alan Barkema is vice president and economist, Mark Drabenstott is vice president and director, and Nancy Novack is a research associate. Kate Sheaff, a research associate in the Center, helped prepare the article. The article is on the bank’s web site at www.kc.frb.org.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Microstructure - Aguilera, José M
    FOOD ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Food Microstructure - Aguilera, José M. FOOD MICROSTRUCTURE Aguilera, José M. Department of Chemical and Bioprocessing Engineering, Universidad Católica de Chile ,Chile Keywords: Microstructure, microscopy, freezing, extrusion, ice cream, margarine, image processing, food materials science. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Structure-Property Relationships in Foods 3. Examining Food Microstructure 3.1. Light Microscopy 3.2. Fluorescence Microscopy 3.3. Confocal Microscopy 3.4. Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy 3.5. Scanning Probe and Atomic Force Microscopy 3.6. X-ray Analysis 3.7. Immunolabeling Techniques 4. Food Preservation and Microstructure 4.1. Food Freezing 4.2. Ice Cream 4.3. Extrusion of Foods 4.4. Spreadable Fat Products 5. Perspectives Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Food microstructure recognizes that foods are highly structured and heterogeneous materials composed of architectural elements ranging from the submicron level to those seen with the naked eye. More important, the types of such structural units and their interactionsUNESCO are decisive in the perception – of EOLSSmany sensorial properties, the way that foods perform as engineering materials, and how they break down during storage and mastication. TheSAMPLE structure-property relationships CHAPTERS of foods describe the way in which physicochemical, functional, and technological properties of foods relate to their structure. This article revises different microscopy techniques used to characterize food microstructure from the conventional light microscope to advanced techniques such as electron, confocal laser scanning, and atomic force microscopy. Examples are presented on the role of microstructure in ice cream, frozen and extruded foods, and new fabricated products such as low-calorie spreads. Food microstructure is likely to play a ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) FOOD ENGINEERING – Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Industrial Agriculture, Livestock Farming and Climate Change
    Industrial Agriculture, Livestock Farming and Climate Change Global Social, Cultural, Ecological, and Ethical Impacts of an Unsustainable Industry Prepared by Brighter Green and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) with inputs from Biofuelwatch Photo: Brighter Green 1. Modern Livestock Production: Factory Farming and Climate Change For many, the image of a farmer tending his or her crops and cattle, with a backdrop of rolling fields and a weathered but sturdy barn in the distance, is still what comes to mind when considering a question that is not asked nearly as often as it should be: Where does our food come from? However, this picture can no longer be relied upon to depict the modern, industrial food system, which has already dominated food production in the Global North, and is expanding in the Global South as well. Due to the corporate take-over of food production, the small farmer running a family farm is rapidly giving way to the large-scale, factory farm model. This is particularly prevalent in the livestock industry, where thousands, sometimes millions, of animals are raised in inhumane, unsanitary conditions. These operations, along with the resources needed to grow the grain and oil meals (principally soybeans and 1 corn) to feed these animals place intense pressure on the environment. This is affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems and human communities. The burdens created by the spread of industrialized animal agriculture are wide and varied—crossing ecological, social, and ethical spheres. These are compounded by a lack of public awareness and policy makers’ resistance to seek sustainable solutions, particularly given the influence of the global corporations that are steadily exerting greater control over the world’s food systems and what ends up on people’s plates.
    [Show full text]
  • The Coffee Bean: a Value Chain and Sustainability Initiatives Analysis Melissa Murphy, University of Connecticut, Stamford CT USA Timothy J
    The Coffee Bean: A Value Chain and Sustainability Initiatives Analysis Melissa Murphy, University of Connecticut, Stamford CT USA Timothy J. Dowding, University of Connecticut, Stamford CT USA ABSTRACT This paper examines Starbucks’ corporate strategy of sustainable efforts in Ethiopia, particularly in the sustainable sourcing Arabica coffee. The paper discusses the value chain of coffee, issues surrounding the coffee supply chain and the need for sustainable coffee production. In addition it also discusses Starbucks’ position and influence on the coffee trade, and the measures that Starbucks is taking to ensure sustainability efforts throughout the coffee supply chain. COFFEE VALUE CHAIN & P3G ANALYSIS Coffee is produced in more than fifty developing countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia and it is an important source of income for 20-25 million families worldwide [1]. The initial production of coffee beans including farming, collecting, and processing is labor intensive and as a result is performed in more labor abundant developing countries. The roasting and branding of coffee is more capital intensive and therefore is situated in northern industrialized countries. The top five coffee consumers are United States of America, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and France [1]. The structure of the value chain is very similar regardless of producing or consuming country. The coffee value chain is made up of the four main phases: Cultivation, Processing, Roasting, and Consumption. Each phase in the process has environmental, social, economic
    [Show full text]
  • Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in the US
    US INDUSTRY (NAICS) REPORT 44511 Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in the US In the bag: Rising discretionary income is expected to support revenue growth Cecilia Fernandez | November 2020 IBISWorld.com +1-800-330-3772 [email protected] Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in the US 44511 November 2020 Contents About This Industry...........................................5 Competitive Landscape...................................26 Industry Definition..........................................................5 Market Share Concentration....................................... 26 Major Players................................................................. 5 Key Success Factors................................................... 26 Main Activities................................................................5 Cost Structure Benchmarks........................................27 Supply Chain...................................................................6 Basis of Competition...................................................31 Similar Industries........................................................... 6 Barriers to Entry........................................................... 32 Related International Industries....................................6 Industry Globalization..................................................33 Industry at a Glance.......................................... 7 Major Companies............................................34 Executive Summary....................................................... 9 Major Players..............................................................
    [Show full text]