A Study on The Effect of Food Crisis

Introduction

The Global Food Crisis impacts the material, social, and physical environment of our health. The material environment is affected by the products used to obtain food, while the social environment suffers due to the selfishness of countries not providing citizens with the appropriate amount of food. The physical environment is impacted by resources being depleted through actions like deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. This investigation into the global food crisis highlights the dilemma occurring worldwide.

A Study on The Effect of the Food Crisis

In "The Global Food Crisis," the reading discusses how food prices have been increasing over the past few years. FAO and Ghosh (2020) explain how changes in policy and market dynamics can lead to such increases. In "The Right to Food Campaign in India," the reading talks about petitions in India aimed at addressing malnutrition, hunger, and other food-related issues, with Aggarwal and Mander (2017) discussing how the campaign was eventually successful. "Nutrition and Food Sovereignty" highlights how countries like India suffer from illnesses and diseases due to a lack of food, with UNICEF (2018) providing more insights into their poor diets. In class, we watched the YouTube video BBC Documentary: Future of Food Part 1: India; it illustrated how India, with millions of mouths to feed, constantly struggles to have enough food.

Discussion on GMO Foods

The response question was: About 60% of processed foods sold in Canada contain genetically modified (GMO) ingredients and are not labeled as such. I believe this is true because my family is very pro-non-GMO foods, and we only buy products labeled as non-GMO; most products do not indicate they contain GMO ingredients. This theme corresponds to our class discussions on traditional diets and whether we would consider eliminating certain animals from our diets. Hence, the investigation into the Global Food Crisis and how to help improve it.

Methodology

The chosen theme is food, and the method for explaining it is narrative analysis. This narrative analysis will be presented from the interviewee's perspective, told as a brief life story. The data obtained is from an interview. The data collection procedure involved interviewing a person connected to the health system and with access to food in Toronto. The first step was scheduling an interview with someone relevant to the Global Food Crisis topic. The second step involved preparing appropriate questions for the interviewee. Once these steps were completed, the third step was conducting the interview. The fourth step was collecting the interview responses. The fifth and final step was transforming those responses into data, which is how the data procedure was conducted.

Case Study: Interview Analysis

The interviewee is a cancer survivor and a mother of two. The interview focused on how GMO foods have impacted her life. She began learning about GMO foods a few years ago and has always tried to buy organic and "clean" foods for her kids. She believed that eating healthily and buying only non-GMO foods would prevent diseases or illnesses for her and her family. Unfortunately, this was not the case. In February 2016, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Despite spending a lot on healthy food, labeled as non-GMO, organic, or gluten-free, she still fell ill. There are, of course, many causes of cancer, such as genetics and other factors. Regardless of how healthily you eat, there are always risks of getting sick. Fortunately, she underwent surgery, had her uterus removed, and is currently cancer-free. She continues to eat healthily and purchase expensive labeled foods. This case illustrates the need to reevaluate our food systems, as people still fall sick despite efforts to maintain healthy diets.

Findings and Analysis

The first paragraph discusses how food prices have dramatically increased, relating to the data findings from the interview where the interviewee spends a lot on food, particularly on organic and non-GMO products. The discussion about India struggling to feed its population with poor diets connects to how processed and genetically modified foods contribute to poor diets and eating habits in Canada. Despite efforts, both the mother and people in India find it challenging to access the best food and avoid illnesses. The findings suggest that no matter how hard one works to obtain the best food, it is never truly "healthy" enough.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The Global Food Crisis is a significant dilemma and will continue to grow unless we take action to stop or slow down world hunger and related food issues. The OECD website echoes similar concerns from the readings, stating that rising food prices exacerbate the problem. They argue that governments and the WTO are responsible and are the dominant narratives for these issues. We must collaborate to end world hunger and address rising food prices. From the findings, it is evident that food significantly impacts Global Health. We can build on this by raising awareness of the situation, which can help involve more people and use our numbers as a strength to advocate for food rights worldwide. The future should be a place where fewer people die from malnutrition, and GMO foods are clearly labeled. We must strive to improve our food systems for future generations and our way of living.

References

Aggarwal, A., & Mander, H. (2017). The Right to Food Campaign in India. New Delhi: Food Rights Foundation.

FAO, & Ghosh, J. (2020). The Global Food Crisis. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

UNICEF. (2018). Nutrition and Food Sovereignty. New York: United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.