All responses due Saturday December 12th by midnight.
Catch of the Freezer
GO local. Eat organic. Buy fresh. Those food mantras continue to make waves among environmentally conscious consumers. But — as is often the case in these climate-conscious times — if the motivation is to truly make our diets more earth-friendly, then perhaps we need a new mantra: Buy frozen.
Several years ago, the three of us — two ecological economists and one food system researcher — teamed up in an effort to understand how to develop sustainable food systems to feed a planet of nine billion by 2050. As the focus of our study, we chose salmon, an important source of protein around the world and a food that is available nearly anywhere at any time, regardless of season or local supply.
We examined the salmon’s life cycle: how the fish are caught in the wild, what they’re fed when farmed, how they’re processed and transported and how they’re consumed.
And what did we find in our research? When it comes to salmon, the questions of organic versus conventional and wild versus farmed matter less than whether the fish is frozen or fresh. In many cases, fresh salmon has about twice the environmental impact as frozen salmon.
The reason: Most salmon consumers live far from where the fish was caught or farmed, and the majority of salmon fillets they buy are fresh and shipped by air, which is the world’s most carbon-intensive form of travel. Flying fillets from Alaska, British Columbia, Norway, Scotland or Chile so that 24 hours later they can be served “fresh” in New York adds an enormous climate burden, one that swamps the potential benefits of organic farming or sustainable fishing. (Disclosure: A nonprofit subsidiary of Ecotrust, the North Pacific Fisheries Trust, lends money to sustainable fisheries.)
Fresh fish is wonderful and healthful, and if it’s driven a reasonable distance to market, then its relative environmental impact is low. Fortunately for conscientious diners, when fish is flash-frozen at sea, its taste and quality is practically indistinguishable from fresh. More important, it can be moved thousands of miles by container ship, rail or even truck at much lower environmental impact than when air freighted. If seafood-loving Japanese consumers, who get most of their fish via air shipments, were to switch to 75 percent frozen salmon, it would have a greater ecological benefit than all of Europe and North America eating only locally farmed or caught salmon.
Is the future full of fish sticks? No. But when it comes to eating seafood from halfway around the world, we need to get over our fetish for fresh. With the challenges facing the world’s oceans mounting, buying frozen is a powerful choice that concerned eaters everywhere can make.
In this incredible article by Astrid Scholz, ULF Sonesson, and Peter Tyedmers, they make several implications. These three collaborate to expose the sole resaon for America's obesity epidemic.
ReplyDeleteThey pose the question, "Is the future full of fish sticks?" and then answers "No. But when it comes to eating seafood from half around the world. We need to get over our fetish for fresh." This proves that Americans want things that are fast and accessible, therefore implying that they are impatient, and unwilling to wait. This draws back to David Zinczenko's point of Americans eating foods that are accessible and cheap.
Americans are willing to switch to frozen because it is easy to make, process,it's affordable, and easy to transport. America is becoming obese due to it's demands for cheap and accessible foods.
-Lorina Kegler
From the op-ed article "Catch of the Freezer", it can be implied that the authors, Scholz, Sonnesson, and Tyedmers believe that Americans are becoming obese due to their continous demands for fast,inexpensive and easily accessible foods, specifically fresh salmon. If these demands continue to be fufilled, there will be a larger environmental impact on our world's oceans. The authors offer the proposition of switching to frozen fish. This will be a benefit to both consumers and the Earth's ecological systems.The taste difference betwwen fresh and frozen fish is practically "indistinguishable" which will satisfy consumers. Simultaneously,individuals will still be gaining the important source of protein from the fish and directly contributing to the Earth's ecological system by lessening the environmental impact of consuming fresh fish by consuming frozen fish.
ReplyDeleteIn this particular article by Astrid Scholz, ULF Sonesson, and Peter Tyedmers, they show that not only is fresh food not as healthy as frozen food, but also that by most Americans choosing to eat "fresh food" is the exact reason why they're obese.
ReplyDeleteThey make a valid point as to the overall effect of shipping seafood thru the air by stating, "Most salmon consumers live far from where the fish was caught or farmed, and the majority of salmon fillets they buy are fresh and shipped by air, which is the world’s most carbon-intensive form of travel." This proves that when we are consumed with the idea of getting food to the table faster, faster does not mean it will be nutritional or healthy. The article said that salmon has great nutritional value which supports the idea that it would be beneficial in fighting obesity.
By purchasing frozen seafood it will allow Americans to get a better tasting fish dinner and more healthier.
- Jay Carter
In "Catch of the Freezer", By Astrid Scholz, Ulf Sonesson and Peter Tyedmers, these three men came together to figure out what is causing the obesity epidemic in America. Their finding was that Americans were becoming obese due to their obsession and wants for easy and fast made foods more so fresh salmon. "When it comes to eating seafood from halfway around the world, we need to get over our fetish for fresh." They're implications are that fresh is not healthy because of how it is being delivered, by air which is the worlds most carbon-intensive way of travel. If people start eating frozen it will be a greater ecological benefit because frozen is not traveled by air which has a much lower environmental impact. So they feel if Americans start eating frozen it will reduce obesity because frozen foods are healthier than fresh foods.
ReplyDelete-Tara Harris.
In "Catch of the Freezer", Astrid Scholz, Ulf Sonesson and Peter Tyedmers put forth the notion that because people see the label fresh the assume it is healtheir for them when that isn't completely true. Using salmon as an example, the authors researches how most salmon is captured or farmed far away from where it is consumed. To get salmon to its' consumer so it is still fresh it must be shipped on a plane, "....which is the world’s most carbon-intensive form of travel." This carbon-intensive travel is hurting the environment and the solution is simple. Move away from our obsession of fresh food and flash freeze it. "When fish is flash-frozen at sea, its taste and quality is practically indistinguishable from fresh[fish]." This will benefit consumers and the Earth's ecological systems by providing protien through fish to people and reducing carbon emissions into our atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteIn the article "Catch of the Freezer", by authors, Scholz, Sonnesson, and Tyedmers, they put forth the notion that Americans obesity is a result of our constant demand for fast, “fresh”, cheap food. In this article they key in on our salmon consumption. The authors suggest that we switch to frozen fish because serving it fresh is harmful for the environment and unnecessary. “Most salmon consumers live far from where the fish was caught or farmed, and the majority of salmon fillets they buy are fresh and shipped by air, which is the world’s most carbon-intensive form of travel. ‘’ They suggest we buy it frozen because the taste is “practically indistinguishable” from fresh, and it has a much lower environmental impact. It is also beneficial because we will still receive all of the important protein that the fish has to offer.
ReplyDelete-Joseph Fiddmont
In the Catch of the Freezer, by Scholz, Sonesson, and Tyedmers, these authors put forth the notion that fresh is not always best. "Earth-friendly" Americans demand for "fresh" food could be the exact reason why they are obese. Some Americans tells themselves that getting food to their table faster, by air-travel, is healthier, when in reality this is "the world’s most carbon-intensive form of travel." Faster does not mean nutritional. Perhaps once Americans erase this idea that frozen food does not have the same, or greater, amount of freshness as non-frozen foods, the obesity levels will begin to decrease.
ReplyDeleteIn the article "Catch of the Freezer" authors Scholz, Sonesson, and Tydemers puts forth the notion that "fresh" food to american people may not be the healthy way of living. Fresh food maybe one of the resons why obesity is high due to the fast and accessible demand american consumers tend to take with fresh products like salmon. The three authors believe that frozen food maybe the healthy way to go.
ReplyDeleteEven though Scholz, Sonesson, and Tydemers disagree with americans fresh products, they do agree that fresh fish is healthy, but believe that fish that is shipped in convenience and not half way across the world would be the healthier way as stated,"Fresh fish is wonderful and healthful, and if it’s driven a reasonable distance to market, then its relative environmental impact is low."
Scholz, Sonesson and Tydemers believe that if we were to replace the fresh food with frozen food maybe the obesity rate in America may go down.
In the article, "Catch of the Freezer", the authors, Astrid Scholz, Ulf Sonesson and Peter Tyedmers, put forth the notion that although food may be fresh that doesn't necesarily mean that it is healthy for you. The article mainly focuses in on salmon as an example of what many people think that because it is "fresh" then that means it is healthy which is obviously not the case. They have come to find that this is what is one of the main causes of obesity in America. What many people fail to realize is that even though a certain food is "fresh" they don't know all the things that is has to go through in order to end up at that paticular place. It was said that, "fresh salmon has about twice the environmental impact as frozen salmon", which goes to show that frozen food is a better and healthier alternative than "fresh" food. If more peole choose to eat this way rather than eating fresh then the rate of obesity should eventually decrease.
ReplyDelete-Re'Nada Smith