Research so far…
So far I’ve decided on researching organic food for my essay. I noticed there were a few articles concerning organic food in the packet we had had been given to prepare for Ed Lachowski’s visit, so I’m using a few articles from that packet in my paper. I have also found three articles through EBSCOhost focusing on organic food.
The US EPA website “Organic Farming” along with Iowa State University’s webpage titled “What is Organic Agriculture?” (both from the Ed Lachowski packet) offer a brief definition and introduction to organic food, which I plan on utilizing in my introduction and background information paragraphs in my essay.
“Getting Real about the High Price of Cheap Food” by Bryan Walsh was an article in the Ed Lachowski packet which concerns the benefits of eating organic food versus consuming conventional products, which I plan on utilizing in my paper to demonstrate the positive aspects of eating organic goods.
“The Cost of Low-Price Organics: How Corporate Organics have Weakened Organic Food Production Standards” by Christine Green is an interesting law review analyzing how large corporations are having a negative influence on the regulations set on organic food. I want to use this information in my paper to provide a counter-argument against my thesis that organic food has many benefits and should be consumed.
“A Shopper’s Guide to Organics” by Laurel Vukovic and “The Organic Conundrum” by Neil Zevnik both deal with handy advice on how to best shop for organic items. Each article gives tips on how to read labels and what to look for when shopping for organic items. I want to use this information in my paper to explain how it is possible to be an educated consumer and make smart choices when buying organic.
“Lost in the Supermarket: The Corporate-Organic Foodscape and the Struggle for Food Democracy” by Josee Johnston, Andrew Biro and Norah MacKendrick focuses more on the language and symbolism corporations use to target a “greener” audience by using key words and ideas associated with organic and local eating, such as “family-owned company” and “natural.” I haven’t finished reading this article, but it seems like it has potential for my paper, I’m just not sure how I’ll use it yet.