Earlier this month, my wife and I took a remarkable trip to Senegal for about a week. We visited Dakar, the capital, then Gorée Island, one of the most infamous sites of the slave trade, then Saly a small beach town about an hour south of Dakar. But the most memorable parts of the trip were our three days with three Senegalese families studying their food culture. The following reflections consider where Senegalese and American food systems are now, and may be headed, with lasting consequences for public health.
Since fall 2017, Georgetown University Medical Center community health fellow, Dr. Melissa See, and I have been collaborating on research comparing the food cultures of three lower-income African American families in Washington DC with three lower-income Senegalese families in Dakar. Combining observation, interviews plus photo and video data taken over several hours with each family, we are studying how these six families participating in Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) shop for, cook, and eat their food, and the meanings they attach to these practices (i.e., their food culture). Dr. See is conducting the research with the three African American families while I conducted the research with the three families in Dakar with my wife’s able assistance.
Our hope is that this research will deepen our understanding of the diet-related challenges our FDI families face in living healthy lives in DC and Dakar. This concern grows out of Learning Life’s turn toward community health as a focus of FDI work. Health is fundamental, and it’s a serious concern in many lower-income communities worldwide. Health also connects to so many forces — like culture, business, politics, and the environment –in interesting ways that can help us better understand our world. (More on health, and particularly community health, in an upcoming post).
Food, in turn, is central to health, so studying food culture is helpful to identifying families’ health challenges and opportunities. One of the most striking differences we’re finding in the food culture of the Senegalese and American families is in the processing, packaging. Like many Americans, our FDI families in DC generally eat a lot of processed, packaged foods. In contrast, the Senegalese families’ food we observed was on the whole far less processed and packaged. Americans of all income brackets are typically used to shopping at supermarkets with lots of packaged, processed foods. In Senegal, by contrast, there are far fewer supermarkets per capita. When we went shopping with one of the Senegalese families, we went not to a supermarket but to an open-air market with many merchants selling fruits, vegetables, meats, spices and many other foods, most minimally packaged, and unrefrigerated.
These striking contrasts do not necessarily mean one country has it better when it comes to food. Americans might assume we have the best food system in the world, and ours is indeed among the best in food safety, abundance and affordability. However, our mainstream diet of cheap, processed foods high in sugar, fat and salt — the sodas, chips, burgers, pizzas, donuts, cookies, cake, ice cream, etc. we eat in abundance — generate all kinds of widespread health problems, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The Senegalese diet is less varied, high in starch — mainly rice but also other cheap grains — and less safe due to lack of refrigeration and standardized food safety practices (e.g., cleaning, disinfecting, cooking at safely high temperatures). Nonetheless, the Senegalese obesity rate is around 9% vs. 36% in the USA. The Senegalese live much shorter lives on average than Americans — 62 vs. 80 years, respectively — but living longer does not necessarily mean living better.
Many factors affect health and longevity: not just diet but activity levels, the number and quality of one’s relationships, air and water quality, housing conditions, transportation safety, crime levels, education levels, the availability and quality of health care resources like doctors, hospitals, parks and gyms, etc. However, to the extent that our diets are central to our health, major food companies that sell processed foods high in salt, fat and sugar pose a serious threat to global health that often goes unrecognized. Besides the obvious threats — fast food chains and convenience stores that market and sell cheap, tasty but unhealthy food products — the modern supermarket presents less recognized problems. To their credit, supermarkets commonly sell fresh produce, even if there may not be many varieties of fruits and vegetables, and much of it may not be local or even domestic. However, most other food aisles of any supermarket are filled disproportionately with processed foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar. Why? Such food is generally cheap to make, “shelf-stable” (lasts long without going bad), can be manipulated easily (new flavors, different quantities and types of ingredients) to cut costs and boost appeal, and tastes good to most consumers. These are the main reasons why food companies sell processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar.
The abundance of packaging that envelopes many processed food products serves three key functions. First, packaging is a vehicle for advertising to seek to distinguish the product, attract consumers and build “brand loyalty” (consumer loyalty to the company’s product or product line). Second, governments often require companies to reveal certain information on their packaging, such as the ingredients in and nutritional content of their products. Third, packaging helps preserve food products and protect them from contaminants in the environment. Despite these functions, food company packaging is often excessive, and contributes substantially to resource waste, environmental pollution, and the world’s ever mounting trash heaps.
Perhaps the most important point to keep in mind though is this: like most businesses under capitalism, the primary goal of food companies is not environmental health nor the public good, but profit. This does not mean businesses are evil, but it does mean they are self-serving. Furthermore, they are rationally single-minded and tireless in their pursuit of profit. For these reasons, businesses, alone or in concert, tend be very powerful actors who do their best to shape resources, markets, laws and consumers to their profit-seeking ends. This makes it hard to underestimate the extent to which the food cultures of Americans and other higher-incomes peoples are shaped by food companies.
Many of the healthiest foods — whole foods like apples, pineapple, carrots, broccoli, beans, nuts – require minimal processing, are not shelf-stable, cannot be easily manipulated, and do not taste as good to consumers because people are naturally drawn to foods high in salt, fat and/or sugar. Hence, supermarkets grudgingly sell whole foods, but tend to make their best profits from packaged, processed foods.
As the Senegalese and other peoples of developing nations increase their income, international food companies will be more attracted to them in search of profits, and they will bring their familiar fast food chains, convenience stores and supermarkets with them. That will mean more processed foods high in salt, fat and sugar, and accordingly, more obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Already, an ambitious Senegalese food company named Patisen is pervasive in homes, markets, and on street billboards in Dakar. Further, Patisen is working to bring its line of sauces, spreads, condiments and drinks high in salt, fat and/or sugar to other West African countries, with the help of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation. The same trend is happening worldwide wherever incomes are rising, including much larger nations like India and China, where diets are becoming more processed, and diet-related diseases are consequently rising.
Nothing is inevitable, yet profit-seeking food businesses are powerful players whose answer to the diseases they help create are a plethora of processed “health” and “diet” food products that are not necessarily healthy, and are certainly not whole foods. Fortunately, there are plenty of smart food critics writing influential articles and books (e.g., Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, Eric Schlosser, Michael Moss), a growing body of popular food documentaries (e.g., Food Inc, Forks Over Knives), and encouraging socio-economic trends, like slow food, local food, organic food, farmers’ markets and urban gardening. The secret to fighting the food industry giants may be more of this — reading, talking and acting locally and internationally for whole food diets and a healthier planet.
Central Intelligence Agency. “Africa: Senegal.” World Factbook. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
Intern Spotlight: Vanessa Rincon
This is the third in a series of spotlights on our spring 2018 student interns. Learning Life’s students this spring are assisting with research, outreach, fundraising, and international family-to-family projects focused on community photography and food culture as part of our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI). Vanessa Rincon, interviewed below, is, among other things, helping with curriculum development, CDI document translation from English to Spanish, and guiding families in Washington DC and San Salvador, El Salvador through their shared community photo project.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in the Queens Borough of New York City, and raised on the south shore of Long Island, New York from age 2.
What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?
I am a graduating senior International Business and Spanish for International Service double major at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My parents refer to me as a tick (pulga in Spanish) because of my constant need to move around and do something. Some of my greatest pastimes include cooking (Italian and Colombian especially), riding my bike around the city, and dancing to Latino music. Dancing is a happy movement of the feet and body which always manages to brighten my mood. Being Latina, I enjoy all types of Latino music, from Salsa and Cumbia to Bachata and Reggaeton, plus music my parents danced to when they were my age.
Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?
I am the youngest daughter of two Colombian parents who immigrated to the United States when they were in their early twenties. As a second-generation American, I believe my entire upbringing has shaped me into being the woman that I am today. Growing up wasn’t easy as my older sister and I were the main translators for our parents since childhood. This made us mature sooner due to the dependency my parents had on us. My parents sacrificed so much for our education and happiness that I became motivated to give back to them and our culture through educating myself in their language to the best of my ability. That motivation also spurred my travels to Latin American countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and The Dominican Republic.
What are your career plans?
I remember going to school during the day to learn English, and coming home to learn Spanish from my mother who had bought a chalkboard to teach us Spanish during our elementary school years. Since then, I have always been fond of learning languages. With this deeply rooted in me since my childhood, I aspire to work as a translator and become an expatriate setting up subsidiaries in South America for an American Multinational Corporation. I desire to travel as much as possible and be part of a movement that better unites the American continents.
Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?
As my last semester at The Catholic University of America, I was given the choice of interning and using my Spanish skills or taking another Spanish course. While I do enjoy learning Spanish in class, I thought it would be interesting and more rewarding to practice my Spanish abilities while also learning about how a non-profit impacts society. Learning Life has the same desire to unite cultures and educate people about other countries. It felt like it was part of my destiny to intern with Learning Life.
What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?
The most beautiful place I have seen on Earth would have to be La Fortuna Waterfall in Costa Rica (featured in the attached photo). While studying abroad in Costa Rica in 2016, I was able to walk all the way down to the bottom of this immense waterfall and swim in the water. The colors, sounds, and the natural immensity it provides showed me how beautiful creation is.
Oil and the World
Thanks to Learning Life volunteer Estelle Brun for researching and writing these five facts.
Oil is vital to most people in today’s developed and developing countries. Oil is used to power vehicles, heat homes, grow food, and make all kinds of popular products, including plastics. For these reasons, oil is central to our global economy, and directly influences domestic politics and international relations.
Venezuela #1
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, followed by Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Russian Libya and the USA. “Proven oil reserves” refers to the amount of petroleum that can be commercially used.
In terms of oil production and export, Saudi Arabia is #1, closely followed by Russia. The USA is in 11th place.
Oil & GDP
Oil revenues account for 2.5% of the world GDP, or Gross Domestic Product – the total monetary value of all goods and services produced. In the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), oil rents constitute 13% of their GDP, and in Kuwait, 40%.
Oil & the USA
The United States is a key actor in the international oil market. The US, the most voracious energy consumer per capita, consumes more oil than it produces, so it often intervenes militarily on the international scene in order to secure its oil and economic growth. Some examples:
In 1953, the CIA (US Central Intelligence Agency) collaborated with the British Secret Intelligence Service to stage a coup d’état ousting the elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohamed Mossaddegh. Mossaddegh had been pushing for the nationalization (Iranian government control) of its petroleum reserves, threatening US and British access to and profits from Iranian oil.
In 1990, under the leadership of President George Bush, the US intervened in Kuwait, to repel the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait again posed a threat to American access to and profit from Kuwaiti oil.
OPEC
The intergovernmental organization OPEC – the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries — was founded in 1960 by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela to exercise more control over oil production and prices. The organization, which counts 14 members today, controls around half of global oil production.
OPEC can have dramatic effects on the world’s economy. For instance, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and Arab states, OPEC countries imposed an oil embargo against (cut off oil to) countries aiding Israel, notably the USA and the United Kingdom. Accordingly, by 1974, the price of oil in the US and UK had quadrupled.
The Future of Oil
In the midst of technological innovation and climate change, the future of oil is uncertain. While the world will continue burning oil for the foreseeable future, oil-based economies are not environmentally sustainable in the long-term. Newer, cleaner forms of energy, like gas, solar and wind are accordingly gaining ground. Even countries that have long depended on oil for much of their income are now looking to make money from other industries, like tourism.
This is the second in a series of spotlights on our spring 2018 student interns. Learning Life’s students this spring are assisting with research, outreach, fundraising, and international family-to-family projects focused on community photography and food culture as part of our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI). FZ Kassidi, interviewed below, is helping with event fundraising, food culture research transcriptions into French and English, and the family food culture project.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Morocco between Rabat, the country’s capital, and Agadir, a coastal city. I am Moroccan as are both my parents.
What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?
I attend the George Washington University as a junior majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in International Economics and a minor in Business Administration.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I love to read any type of book, draw people or cartoons, and if my free time is longer than a weekend, to travel, discover new places and meet new people. Also, I’m a huge world soccer and American basketball fan, so I watch a lot of games in my free time, especially Real Madrid and the Golden State Warriors. Finally, I love to go to the movies as much as I can!
Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?
I would say interning in Geneva, Switzerland in summer 2017 for the diplomatic mission of Morocco to the United Nations and other international organizations. I spent one month with the Moroccan human rights delegation representing Moroccan interests during the 35th United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2017. The second month I spent with the economics delegation, representing Moroccan interests at the World Trade Organization. Being assigned to make speeches in front of diplomats coming from all over the world, and writing detailed reports about meetings I attended shows the great responsibility I was entrusted with, which allowed me to discover for the first time a new, professional side of myself. This internship also gave me the opportunity to travel as much as I could in Europe, so I got to visit cities like Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich, Switzerland, Brussels and Lieges, Belgium, Monaco, as well as Cannes, France, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Holland, and Zagreb and Split, Croatia. Through all these travels and work-related opportunities that summer I got to not only discover new places, experiences and people but also to discover myself.
What are your career plans?
My career goal is to ultimately work for/with the World Bank to help build more economically and socially prosperous societies that are currently struggling to achieve higher and sustainable growth.
Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?
Learning Life is an honorable non-profit organization that works to give global educational opportunities to children and families in lower-income communities in Washington DC and abroad. That is something that I wish to achieve in my home country of Morocco in the future, so interning with Learning Life greatly and undeniably helps me build up my skills and knowledge for my future endeavors.
What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?
This is a really hard question. I’m what you can call a “travelaholic.” I love to visit new beautiful places as often as I can. To narrow it down, I thought of Maui, Hawaii, which was one of the most amazing places I got to visit. The beaches, the people, the culture, the mountain hiking, waterfalls and all its beautiful nature made me fall in love with the place. But Split, Croatia was such a beautiful place too. The city has many unforgettable islands around it, and mesmerizing caves.
Since fall 2017, Georgetown University Medical Center community health fellow, Dr. Melissa See, and I have been collaborating on research comparing the food cultures of three lower-income African American families in Washington DC with three lower-income Senegalese families in Dakar. Combining observation, interviews plus photo and video data taken over several hours with each family, we are studying how these six families participating in Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) shop for, cook, and eat their food, and the meanings they attach to these practices (i.e., their food culture). Dr. See is conducting the research with the three African American families while I conducted the research with the three families in Dakar with my wife’s able assistance.
One of the most striking differences we’re finding in the food culture of the Senegalese and American families is in the processing, packaging. Like many Americans, our FDI families in DC generally eat a lot of processed, packaged foods. In contrast, the Senegalese families’ food we observed was on the whole far less processed and packaged. Americans of all income brackets are typically used to shopping at supermarkets with lots of packaged, processed foods. In Senegal, by contrast, there are far fewer supermarkets per capita. When we went shopping with one of the Senegalese families, we went not to a supermarket but to an open-air market with many merchants selling fruits, vegetables, meats, spices and many other foods, most minimally packaged, and unrefrigerated.
Many factors affect health and longevity: not just diet but activity levels, the number and quality of one’s relationships, air and water quality, housing conditions, transportation safety, crime levels, education levels, the availability and quality of health care resources like doctors, hospitals, parks and gyms, etc. However, to the extent that our diets are central to our health, major food companies that sell processed foods high in salt, fat and sugar pose a serious threat to global health that often goes unrecognized. Besides the obvious threats — fast food chains and convenience stores that market and sell cheap, tasty but unhealthy food products — the modern supermarket presents less recognized problems. To their credit, supermarkets commonly sell fresh produce, even if there may not be many varieties of fruits and vegetables, and much of it may not be local or even domestic. However, most other food aisles of any supermarket are filled disproportionately with processed foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar. Why? Such food is generally cheap to make, “shelf-stable” (lasts long without going bad), can be manipulated easily (new flavors, different quantities and types of ingredients) to cut costs and boost appeal, and tastes good to most consumers. These are the main reasons why food companies sell processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar.
vehicle for advertising to seek to distinguish the product, attract consumers and build “brand loyalty” (consumer loyalty to the company’s product or product line). Second, governments often require companies to reveal certain information on their packaging, such as the ingredients in and nutritional content of their products. Third, packaging helps preserve food products and protect them from contaminants in the environment. Despite these functions, food company packaging is often excessive, and contributes substantially to resource waste, environmental pollution, and the world’s ever mounting trash heaps.
As the Senegalese and other peoples of developing nations increase their income, international food companies will be more attracted to them in search of profits, and they will bring their familiar fast food chains, convenience stores and supermarkets with them. That will mean more processed foods high in salt, fat and sugar, and accordingly, more obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Already, an ambitious Senegalese food company named Patisen is pervasive in homes, markets, and on street billboards in Dakar. Further, Patisen is working to bring its line of sauces, spreads, condiments and drinks high in salt, fat and/or sugar to other West African countries, with the help of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation. The same trend is happening worldwide wherever incomes are rising, including much larger nations like India and China, where diets are becoming more processed, and diet-related diseases are consequently rising.
