Driscoll's Strawberries and the Illusion of Choice
by Cristina Flores
As a 20-something freshly immersing myself into the world of diets, exercise, and my struggle with food, three basic phrases keep on reverberating in my head.
"Count your calorie intake!"
"Make sure to limit your consumption of fats and oils!"
And my favorite:
"Eat fresh produce!"
After several minutes of reading, this usually ends with a serious contemplation of simply giving up and taking a more laissez-faire approach to "maintaining" my weight. However, every now and then I find the strength to get up, go to the supermarket, and finally try that new shake recipe I've had bookmarked for the past month.
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| So. Many. Choices. |
So here we are at the good ol' American grocery store. Imagine the average consumer strolling through the brightly colored fruits and vegetables, thankful for this little section of paradise not corrupted by overinflated claims of being fat free, gluten free, and infused with every single vitamin you could possibly imagine. And as they keep on wandering through the sea of color, every now and then the occasional barn sticker pops out, to remind all consumers that this came from a farm, grown and picked by good farmers with the people's best interests at heart.
For example, take the time to examine this image here. You see a farmer working hard to make sure the berries he's selected are the finest berries available. All of this for whoever's purchasing this product, who's already making the conscious effort of having a fresh batch of fruits at their table. Our unassuming consumer might romanticize this icon, believing that much of the produce they had come to buy was as God intended--unmodified, organic, with as little additives as possible. “And perhaps they do commit out of the goodness of their hearts,” they might think, as they pick up their favorite fruit, coincidentally strawberries. “This looks like a nice farmer who seems to find joy in selecting good crops for people like me to eat, so why not support him? It’s all natural too, so everyone wins!”
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| About as wholesome as my conscience. |
But is it actually natural?
For our class discussion, we had read a New Yorker article discussing the revolution of the strawberry. No longer were farms and farmers mentioned, but now geneticists and aesthetics rose up to take the stage. Labeled the "Joy Makers", the scientists employed by Driscoll's presented the author with genetically modified berry after genetically modified berry, celebrating their own creations while dismissing competitors' efforts. The search for the biggest, tastiest berry was on, and the Joy Makers made it their mission to obtain it before anyone else. But our awareness of genetically modified foods isn't new. It's relatively common knowledge that most of the corn we eat is genetically modified, as well as soy and other kinds of vegetables, according to the Huffington Post. But if we're reminded that the more "natural" foods we're consuming aren't as natural as we think they are, why do we keep on purchasing them? And why do we keep purchasing this kind of food under the impression that we're keeping up the health of our families?
One word: convenience.
In Food: The Key Concepts by Warren Belasco, Belasco summarizes the complex food system into a basic triangle. On one corner, there's responsibility. The second contains identity. The third evaluates convenience. And all come together to analyze what we pick and why we pick it. Where it gets interesting is when even Belasco recognizes that responsibility doesn't have as big of an influence as a moralist would like, and the influx of thoughts that come into selecting food are mainly a battle of identity and convenience.
In my previous strawberry selecting example, the identity aspect would kick in if the consumer was thinking the following:
"I see people everywhere putting strawberries into their oatmeal in the morning, so maybe I should give it a try."
"Man, I remember my mom blending this up with some bananas back when I was a kid--I'm kind of in a nostalgic mood today, so why not."
And the convenience aspect would come into play if they were also thinking the following:
"Holy smokes, these are on sale! It's a good thing I came in here today!"
"These are small enough that I can actually snack on these on my way home!"
Now mix in what you know about this scenario with the added influence of responsibility, the last corner of the triangle.
"What is my purchase for a large food corporation doing for small, locally-owned farms?"
But the consumer hasn't thought about that at all, and instead is at the checkout lane, ready to pay. And as they exit the store, they bite down on that juicy red Driscoll's strawberry...only to find themselves spitting it out, an instance of where genetic modification compromised aesthetic over taste. Regretfully, they wince back at their purchase, reminding themselves that they had obtained it at a good price, and was still a healthier choice than the Oreos they could have had.
This whole scenario could support a "buy local" argument. The same product could be found for a slightly higher price, but at least it would come with the guarantee that it would taste much better than those fruits coated with resin to preserve their "fresh" appearance at Fred Meyer. But if, say, you were a single father of two, working odd shifts, barely making ends meet and in need of food that was cheap, healthy, and available from 10 am to 11 pm every single day of the week? The local farmer's market might not have that option.
In other words, we're led to believe that even if we can't afford to buy "natural" local groceries, at least we still have the power to choose from the produce section of the supermarket over the snack food central aisles.
But if it's all genetically modified anyway, what's the point?
What we need to understand is that we have fallen under a structural incentive to buy cheap groceries for bulk amounts. In the American society, more is always good, and more for cheap is even better. But think about it this way--how many times has food around your house gone bad, or pushed to the back of your fridge? Those Honeycrisp apples you "meant" to use for the apple pie you "meant" to make? Definitely not ripe anymore.
So here is my suggestion for those of you out there who feel a little strapped for cash and time (like myself).
1. One of the ways in avoiding the genetically modified mess that is the American supermarket lies in growing your own food. See if your community is hosting a plot or garden to give you some space to cultivate if a backyard is not an option. If you're limited to a purely indoors situation, this website can help you get started on growing your vegetables in the comfort of your own home.
2. Be aware of what you consume. Whether it be on your commute on the bus, or your daily reading on the toilet, take some time to look up the practices of the main companies you purchase from. If you find their methods questionable, look for alternative companies that can still sell you a similar product.
3. Make a note of how much gets consumed around your house. On a diet and forcing yourself to eat those artichokes? Finding yourself unable to finish off the bag of pistachios you had purchased a week ago? Limit buying the things that are more prone to shelf rot in your home. If you do, you'll end up with a little more cash in your pocket than before, and a little more confidence in opening up that cabinet door.
While some consumers might not be able to defy large food companies in buying local as others can, there is still a small glimmer of choice that we have in the food that we consume. We cannot let ourselves fall under the words of others who basically tell us that resistance is futile and large food corporations will still carry on regardless. As individuals, we might not be able to change an entire structure that's existed before we were born. However, through a collective effort across generations, we might be able to dwindle the obsession over American consumerism and keep it out of the way we think about our food.
So before you reach out to purchase that Driscoll's strawberry again, think about this--is a bad taste in your mouth really worth $3? Probably best to save those dollars for a rainy day instead.
One word: convenience.
In Food: The Key Concepts by Warren Belasco, Belasco summarizes the complex food system into a basic triangle. On one corner, there's responsibility. The second contains identity. The third evaluates convenience. And all come together to analyze what we pick and why we pick it. Where it gets interesting is when even Belasco recognizes that responsibility doesn't have as big of an influence as a moralist would like, and the influx of thoughts that come into selecting food are mainly a battle of identity and convenience.
In my previous strawberry selecting example, the identity aspect would kick in if the consumer was thinking the following:
"I see people everywhere putting strawberries into their oatmeal in the morning, so maybe I should give it a try."
"Man, I remember my mom blending this up with some bananas back when I was a kid--I'm kind of in a nostalgic mood today, so why not."
And the convenience aspect would come into play if they were also thinking the following:
"Holy smokes, these are on sale! It's a good thing I came in here today!"
"These are small enough that I can actually snack on these on my way home!"
Now mix in what you know about this scenario with the added influence of responsibility, the last corner of the triangle.
"What is my purchase for a large food corporation doing for small, locally-owned farms?"
But the consumer hasn't thought about that at all, and instead is at the checkout lane, ready to pay. And as they exit the store, they bite down on that juicy red Driscoll's strawberry...only to find themselves spitting it out, an instance of where genetic modification compromised aesthetic over taste. Regretfully, they wince back at their purchase, reminding themselves that they had obtained it at a good price, and was still a healthier choice than the Oreos they could have had.
This whole scenario could support a "buy local" argument. The same product could be found for a slightly higher price, but at least it would come with the guarantee that it would taste much better than those fruits coated with resin to preserve their "fresh" appearance at Fred Meyer. But if, say, you were a single father of two, working odd shifts, barely making ends meet and in need of food that was cheap, healthy, and available from 10 am to 11 pm every single day of the week? The local farmer's market might not have that option.
In other words, we're led to believe that even if we can't afford to buy "natural" local groceries, at least we still have the power to choose from the produce section of the supermarket over the snack food central aisles.
But if it's all genetically modified anyway, what's the point?
 |
| Me too, Freddie. |
What we need to understand is that we have fallen under a structural incentive to buy cheap groceries for bulk amounts. In the American society, more is always good, and more for cheap is even better. But think about it this way--how many times has food around your house gone bad, or pushed to the back of your fridge? Those Honeycrisp apples you "meant" to use for the apple pie you "meant" to make? Definitely not ripe anymore.
 |
| I didn't even know fruit could be that color! |
So here is my suggestion for those of you out there who feel a little strapped for cash and time (like myself).
1. One of the ways in avoiding the genetically modified mess that is the American supermarket lies in growing your own food. See if your community is hosting a plot or garden to give you some space to cultivate if a backyard is not an option. If you're limited to a purely indoors situation, this website can help you get started on growing your vegetables in the comfort of your own home.
2. Be aware of what you consume. Whether it be on your commute on the bus, or your daily reading on the toilet, take some time to look up the practices of the main companies you purchase from. If you find their methods questionable, look for alternative companies that can still sell you a similar product.
3. Make a note of how much gets consumed around your house. On a diet and forcing yourself to eat those artichokes? Finding yourself unable to finish off the bag of pistachios you had purchased a week ago? Limit buying the things that are more prone to shelf rot in your home. If you do, you'll end up with a little more cash in your pocket than before, and a little more confidence in opening up that cabinet door.
While some consumers might not be able to defy large food companies in buying local as others can, there is still a small glimmer of choice that we have in the food that we consume. We cannot let ourselves fall under the words of others who basically tell us that resistance is futile and large food corporations will still carry on regardless. As individuals, we might not be able to change an entire structure that's existed before we were born. However, through a collective effort across generations, we might be able to dwindle the obsession over American consumerism and keep it out of the way we think about our food.
So before you reach out to purchase that Driscoll's strawberry again, think about this--is a bad taste in your mouth really worth $3? Probably best to save those dollars for a rainy day instead.
(1425 words)
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