Submitted Fulfillment of the Requirements for
SC300
Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation

California Family Foods only uses the finest grade of Non-GMO (California rice Industry against Liberty Link GMO contamination) medium and short grain paddy rice from local growers in the Sacramento Valley, California. They offer seed financing and competitive green freight rates in order to attract premium raw product. This company produces and specializes in Medium and short grain milled and brown rice. The company package and label their products. They work together with PG&E to implement energy plans through their operations. They are active participants in the PG&E’s ClimateSmartTM program, balancing their entire facility’s greenhouse emissions through energy and environmental conservation, restoration and protection projects to address climate change and reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, they work with local agricultural by-product agencies to make sure that all the rice produce at the mill enter the supply chain to be used also as livestock feed to fuel co-generation utility plants. (California Family Foods) The rice is transferred to the processing plant after being harvest where foreign objects (tree stomps, dirt, and stones) are removed; the husk (outer shell of the grain) is removed and the produce is called brown rice and it is ready for the milling process. This process removes the bran layer of rice turning it from brown to white. It goes to a polishing station where it is smoothened and given a shine look. Following is the grading which broken rice is separated out and also separated in different lengths. Discolored, yellow or immature rice is removed during the sorting station and then goes to packaging. It can be package in paper bag, but the most popular packaging method is polyethylene (PE) bag. This product can be found in the most supermarkets in my area and in pharmacies such as CVS and superstores like Wal-Mart and Target. (Imranricemills)

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In our home we buy fresh, locally grown oranges and make our own orange juice fresh squeezed every morning. So for this essay I will use Simply Orange. This produce is processed in Apopka, Florida and uses oranges from Brazil and the U.S. It does not contain any preservatives, added water or sugar. In addition, it is pasteurized to ensure that will remain fresh. (Simply Orange) In the area where I live you can find the orange trees full of oranges ready to be harvest. Local farmers markets sell these oranges at great prices. Although we cannot find the orange juice itself, the oranges are always fresh, juicy and cheaper. This method allows you as consumer, to know that what you are drinking is truly fresh and preservatives free. Now, if you absolutely want to buy orange juice, all the supermarkets, drugstores, even gas stations sell this product. Simply made can be found in more than 20 different places in my area, making it a very popular item. The bottles containing Simply Orange products are made with polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) which does not contain BPA The process of the orange juice begins after oranges are harvest by a crew of “pickers” and it is sent to the plant for juice processing. The transport of the oranges is made by trucks and unloaded by a gravity feed onto a conveyor belt that brings them to a storage bin. After the fruit is inspected, graded and certified is transported to be washed with detergent as it passes over roller brushes to remove debris and dirt and this way reduce the number of microbes. It is rinsed and dried. The juice extraction process is extremely important, because the orange have thick peels that contain bitter resins it must be carefully separated to avoid tainting the sweeter juice. Following this process is cutting the oranges in half. This is accomplished by passing the fruit by a stationary knife and send to rotary reamers. The extracted juice is filtered through a stainless steel screen and it is ready to either be chilled or concentrated and if it is a NFC type, it may be pasteurized. (Nelson, P.E. & Tressler, D.K.) To ensure the juice is sterilized, the pasteurized juice should be filled while still hot. Orange juice packaged in this matter has a shelf life of six to eight months. The bottles containing Simply Orange products are made with polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) which does not contain BPA

[pic] The major production areas for leaf lettuce are Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to name some. The brand is Iceberg Lettuce and it can be found in Ventura County and most of the supermarkets and farmers markets in the area. I can see how the lettuce seeds are planted, grown and harvest. I do not really keep count of the days it takes from planting seeds to harvest but it seems just a few days. In reality it takes from 65 to 80 days for midsummer plantings. (Smith, R.) Most leaf lettuce is planted using pelleted seed and precision planter. Soils in the central and south coast regions can have elevated levels of nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus making it very difficult for growers to comply with water quality standards established by local regional water quality control boards. At the same time, weed management is controlled by the used of several herbicides as well as pest controlled – in California, aphids, leafminers, caterpillars and whiteflies are common. (Smith, R.) Therefore, the lettuce have to be washed several times before is sent to the stores. Lettuce is filed-packed into cartons. Because it is highly perishable it must be cooled as soon as possible after harvesting and it should be stored just above freezing at 98% relative humidity. (Smith, R.) California produces lettuce all year around and it is shipped by refrigerated trucks all around the US and Canada. Environmentally speaking, lettuce contains over 11 pesticides which are sprayed each year. Nitrate pollution originates from nitrogen fertilizers and is a very disrupted to the natural environment and can be harmful to humans, especially young children. (Sustain Web)

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As for the fish, wild fish is harvested by different methods, such as nets, hooks, pots and more. Depending on the method, the fish goes into a process of asphyxiation until it dies. In the case of the salmon, if is caught by gill netting die after stress exhaustion, by this condition, the rigor mortis is faster and affects the quality of the fish. (Food, J., 2011) T he King Salmon is a full sized, similar to the sea water salmon and the Kokes, a kind of salmon found in California are considered to be the best of fresh water grown salmon. (JD, 2011) The regular salmon production occurs in the ocean. After maturing at sea, the salmon is capture and brought to the hatchery where they are harvested. This process allows the salmon to have sufficient eggs to continue the growth and avoid extinction. Because the growth of the salmon is regulated and it is a constant process, environmentally speaking there is no risks. (NRM) The salmon we consume in our home is by North Pacific and bought at the local supermarket, [pic] First the fresh fish is unloaded from the salmon tenders at the plant and are sorted according to species. The head of each fish is removed and they are cleaned by hand. At this point, the eggs are also removed for further processing. At the end of the cleaning process, the fish are sorted by size and grade. (North Pacific Seafood) [pic]

North Pacific Seafood processing workers fillet and trim each fish by hand. Depending on the customers’ specifications, pinbones may be removed and the fillet may be skinned by machine. (North Pacific Seafood) [pic] Dressed, head-off salmon and salmon fillets destined for the freezer are placed on racks, and then rolled into the freezer. After they are frozen, the product is run through a glazing tank to apply the correct percentage of glaze to protect it during frozen storage. A final grading sort’s product by size and grade. (North Pacific Seafood) [pic] After final grading, finished products are hand packed in boxes, then weighed and bar coded before shipment to the customer. (North Pacific Seafood) Hatchery-produce fish often differ from wild fish in their behavior, appearance and physiology. This has many ecological risks such as competition for food and territory specially if they are from the species and share the same habitat. Locally grown produce has the advantage of having very high quality because it is harvest when is fully ripe. In addition, it requires minimum shipping, which means that can be found in stores soon after being harvest and with the right temperatures will probably have close to no loss of nutrition value. By selling locally, farmers can receive prices higher than wholesale, which will ensure their harvesting in the future. (California Agriculture) There can be a huge economic impact in how supermarkets chains sell the produce that is grow locally or the imported kind. When the produce is bought at a farmer’s market is cheaper, they have better quality, no sales taxes are paid and it is a friendly environments, meanwhile, the supermarket produce, might be the same, from the same farmer, but it will be more expensive and probably not as fresh. (Richards, E.) When you buy locally, the money you spend stays locally, in the pockets of the people around you. This means you are helping your local economy which will benefit schools, housing development and the city itself. (Richards, E.) The agriculture and fisheries depend highly of climate conditions. If we understand these climate changes that are happening now, we can understand how difficult might be to supply our food. Some crops benefit from higher temperatures and increases of carbon dioxide while these same changes can cause the ranges of many fish and shellfish to shift. Warmer temperatures may make crops grow faster but at the same time could also reduce yield. (EPA) Heat waves are also affecting livestock. An article by the USGCRP in 2009 says that in 2009 each state reported that more than 5,000 animals died. The excessive heat not only can kill the animals but overtime, can prevent the fertility of the cows and reduce milk production. (EPA) Climate changes also affect fisheries. Many species need cool areas to survive, therefore they might move to find colder areas of streams and lakes or move northward along the ocean. These changes put the species at risk because they can find other species competing over food and resources. (EPA)
REFERENCES

California Agriculture, Costumer attitudes toward locally grown produce. Retrieved from http://ucanr.org/repository/cao/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v046n04p13&fulltext=yes

EPA Unites States Environmental Protection Agency. Agriculture and food supply impacts &adaptation. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/agriculture.html

Food, J. (2011, January), First processing steps and the quality of wild and farmed fish. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038323/

Imranricemills, Steps involving in rice processing. Retrieved from www.imranricemills.com/rice-processing

JD, (2011, June 9th), Getting to know California’s Landlocked salmon. Retrieved from www.fishwithjd.com/2011/06/09/getting-to-know-californias-landlocked-salmon/

Nelson. P.E. and Tressler, D.K., ed. Fruit and Vegetable juice processing Technology. Westport, Connecticut: AVI Publishing Co., 1980. Retrieved from www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Orange-Juice.html

NRM, 23 cultures of salmon. Retrieved from https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=34443

Simply Orange. Our Story. Retrieved from www.simplyorangejuice.com/mobile/about.jsp

Smith. R. Iceberg Lettuce production in California. Retrieved from http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7215.pdf

Sustain Web, Salad days: The impact of lettuce production and consumption on people and the environment (1999). Retrieved from www.sustainweb.org/foodfacts/salad_days/