Course & Section: SC300 – 16

Unit: 6

Date: April 5, 2012

My Two Meals

I chose to research what I had for breakfast and lunch as my two meals to show the impact on our world from an ecological and economic perspective. Today my breakfast consists of two slices of whole grain toast, an omelet made with egg white, a cup of low-fat yoghurt with fruit topping, and a (60z) glass of Tropical Fruit Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. For lunch I had Turkey quesadilla on whole-wheat tortillas and bottle water.
Countries of origin:
Whole grain Bread: Neena, WI
Egg White: Jackson, MS
Dannon Yoghurt: Minster, OH
Tropical Fruit Smoothie: Destin, FL
Turkey Quesadilla: East Springs, TX
I purchased all of the products from Food Lion grocery store:
The chain of events that took the product to get from the farm/laboratory to my table: Whole wheat bread- Once harvested, the wheat is milled and turned into flour. The basic process involves mixing of ingredients until the flour is converted into a stiff paste or dough, followed by baking the dough into a loaf. This is followed by the measurement of ingredients, mixing and kneading them properly, fermentation, baking and then cooling it.
Egg White - The hatchery houses a flock of thousands of chickens. When the hens are ready to lay, they seek shelter in the coop. The eggs are collected from the coops, washed thoroughly and are positioned onto a conveyor belt. This conveyor is the beginning of a systemized process that cracks the eggs, and puts the contents into a special tray that catches only the yolks. Then the egg whites are sent to a pasteurization process which sanitizes and help to eliminate any contaminants and make them free of salmonella.
Dannon Yogurt – come from farm fresh milk from local dairies, which is separated into skim milk, condensed skim milk and cream. The milk mixture is then homogenized and pasteurized. Tropical Fruit Smoothie – is a delicious blend of yogurt, soymilk, mango and a touch of pineapple. In the summer on my way to work I stop in at the Tropical Fruit Smoothie Café and get my favorite Coconut & Pineapple smoothie made to order with fresh ingredients. Turkey Quesadilla – This is one of my favorite foods to eat during dinner and lunch time. I can purchase all the ingredients from our local food store (Giants) in my area. I love to cook this meal for my family. I sometime use Pesto Wraps which is very tasty, served with light sour cream, avocado sauce, sundried tomatoes, and smokiness of the turkey is a perfect combination. Research shows that the average bite of American food has traveled more than 1500 miles before it reaches your lips changing hands an average of six times along the way. This is due to a highly globalized market. The food producers around the world are able to provide a limitless amount of food year round to the consumers.
What are some of the benefits of a global market and why? List at least 2 benefits, weighing any short-term and long-term impacts. Competitions - Companies can conduct business with consumers that have a broader range of products to choose from as well as services. In the short-term, the products or services that local market is offering the consumers can now take advantage of the operational to use other companies around the world. The long terms, companies are keeping up with the competition by becoming more creative. Market size - Lager companies with highly specialized products or services can greatly increase their customer base. More outside companies are able to receive products or service other countries. In the short run and long run, this is helping companies financially, and it's helping consumers in getting their needs met What are some of the impacts of this global market and why? Considering both short-term and long-term impacts, provide at least 2 negative impacts. The impact global market is making companies lose focus of the needs of their local consumers. This is making companies are focusing on the needs of outside markets, in order to save money. In the short term, companies may be tempted to provide goods and services that do not directly benefit local consumers. This may result in consumers putting their money into outside companies in order to get their needs met

Consider the phrase Think Globally, Act Locally. What does it mean to you? “Think Globally, Act Locally refers to the argument that global environmental problems can turn into action only by considering ecological, economic, and cultural differences of our local surroundings. This phrase was originated by Rene Dubos as an advisor to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. In 1979, Dubos suggested that ecological consciousness should begin at home. He believed that there needed to be a creation of a World Order in which "natural and social units maintain or recapture their identity, yet interplay with each other through a rich system of communications". In the 1980's, Dubos held to his thoughts on acting locally, and felt that issues involving the environment must be dealt with in their "unique physical, climatic, and cultural contexts."(Eblen, R. A. and Eblen W. (1994) The Encyclopedia of the Environment Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.)" Has your research on the global market changed the way you will choose goods in the future? Why or why not? Yes, more than likely I will buy goods from my locals markets before going to outside companies. In doing so, this will help out our export markets. Therefore, this will help keep the money locally as well as help business to provide more goods and services locally. After all, this could very well help local employment opportunities in the area.

References
"(Eblen, R. A. and Eblen W. (1994) The Encyclopedia of the Environment Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.)"