Patterns Of Consumption: Your Final Project Challenges You T

Patterns Of Consumptionyour Final Project Challenges You To Position Y

Patterns of Consumption Your final project challenges you to position yourselves as agents and actors in the global world. It personalizes your understanding of globalization because it illuminates its local impact by using the intimate experience of your own consumption habits. In writing your paper, you need to analyze how, rather than independent individuals making choices, we are all subjects of larger global forces that originate elsewhere, precede us, and which shape and determine those choices.

During the four weeks preceding the due date for this paper, you will keep a journal of your consumption patterns. Keep track of the food and drink you buy and record their place of origin. Research the brand of packaged foods (for instance find out whether the company is owned by Unilever, Nestle, General Mills, etc.) Also, write down the first three ingredients (i.e., those which make up most of the item). If you are not sure (i.e., when you eat at a restaurant), ask the owner who their suppliers are (Kroger, Wal-Mart, etc.) and go there to get a sense of where the food comes from. If you can’t figure it out, write it down too (that in itself is relevant). Use a notebook or a word document which you update weekly, and which you will turn in together with your final paper.

At the end of the four weeks, reread your notes and reflect on the following:

• Was it easy to track where your food came from?
• Do you know all that is in your food?
• What is the item that shows up most often? (corn, wheat, sugar, etc.)
• Who owns the company that makes the items of food you consume the most?
• How does the journey of your food from farm to plate illustrate some things we learned in class? (economic globalization, free trade agreements, subsidies, strategic role of food nationally and globally, etc.)

Write a 3-page analysis using the findings of your research. You need to include ideas and concepts from class readings on globalization and food.

Format as follows: 3 pages, Times New Roman 12, double spaced.

Paper For Above instruction

Understanding globalization requires us to recognize how interconnected our daily choices are with broader economic, political, and social forces. The act of consumption, especially in terms of food, serves as a tangible manifestation of these forces, illuminating the principles of economic globalization, the operations of transnational corporations (TNCs), and the influence of free trade agreements. In this analysis, I reflect upon my personal consumption habits over four weeks, exploring the origins of my food, the ownership of brands I consume, and how these patterns exemplify larger global structures.

Tracking the origin of my food was both straightforward and challenging. Packaged foods like cereal, snacks, and beverages often had clear labels indicating their country of production. However, deciphering the supply chain occasionally proved difficult, particularly with restaurant food or local produce. For instance, my purchases frequently included products owned by multinational corporations such as Nestlé and Unilever, revealing how these entities dominate the global food market. The first three ingredients often consisted of sugar, wheat, or corn, emphasizing the prominence of commodity crops in global consumption patterns and highlighting their role in the hourglass shape of the global food system, where food is processed in developed nations and ultimately consumed worldwide.

The dominant presence of corn and wheat, both staples of the global diet, reflects the extensive use of these commodities in processed foods, driven by market demands and subsidies, especially in the United States and other developed countries. These crops are heavily subsidized by governments to promote their domestic agricultural industries, which in turn affects global prices and trade flows. The ownership of brands such as Kellogg’s (wheat-based products) or General Mills exemplifies the influence of transnational corporations shaping food availability and consumption across borders.

From farm to plate, the journey of food demonstrates the complex interplay of economic globalization and free trade policies. Many ingredients originate in one continent, processed elsewhere, and distributed globally. For example, sugar sourced from Brazil and processed in the United States underscores how free trade agreements facilitate the movement of raw materials and finished goods across nations. However, this reliance on global supply chains raises questions about food sovereignty—the capacity of local communities to control their own food systems. The dominance of TNCs commodifies food and reduces traditional local food practices, aligning with Pollan’s critique of industrial food systems as entities that prioritize profit over sustainability and community well-being.

Glocalization—the adaptation of global products to local contexts—was evident in the way I encountered branded foods that, although manufactured globally, are marketed to resonate with local tastes and cultural identities. This process illustrates the strategic role of TNCs in shaping consumer preferences worldwide, blurring the lines between global uniformity and local diversity. Furthermore, my food consumption patterns exemplify the fragmegration of the global food system—a combination of fragmentation and integration—highlighting both the interconnectedness of supply chains and the disparities in access to food, which are often influenced by geopolitical factors and economic inequalities.

In conclusion, my consumption habits serve as microcosms of a larger global process driven by corporate interests, trade policies, and economic structures. They demonstrate how individual choices are enmeshed within complex networks of global forces, illustrating theoretical concepts such as market globalism and justice globalism. While globalization offers increased access and variety, it also raises critical issues about equity, sustainability, and the sovereignty of local food systems. Recognizing these dynamics underscores the importance of critically engaging with our consumption patterns and advocating for more equitable and sustainable food systems.

References

• Patel, R. (2007). Cooking Secularism. University of California Press.
• Steger, M. B. (2013). Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Pollan, M. (2006). The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Penguin Books.
• Food Inc. (2008). Directed by Robert Kenner. Documentary.
• Bhagwati, J. (2004). In Defense of Globalization. Oxford University Press.
• Shiva, V. (2008). Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace. South End Press.
• Freeman, C. (2008). Globalization of Agriculture and Food Systems. Routledge.
• Alonso, W. (2007). The Food Business: Globalization and Agricultural Trade. Food Policy Journal.
• Pellow, D. N. (2007). Resisting Globalization. Paradigm Publishers.
• Clapp, J., & Fuchs, D. (2009). Green Globalization: The New Face of Sustainability. MIT Press.