Category: Food Studies Spring 2026

Beckerman, J. (2022). Downy Mildew [photograph]. Purdue University. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-68-w.pdf

The European Union has set a goal to reach 25 percent total agriculture as organic by 2030 (European Environment Agency, 2025) and the winemakers are the force behind the shift to organic agriculture. Grapes are a sensitive crop; they are greatly impacted by sudden shifts in temperature and weather patterns. These climate conditions appear in the final wine produced, which lends to the significance of each wine vintage as it represents a specific moment in time and climate. Organic viticulture not only is better for the soil and vine health of the crop, but the chemicals in traditional viticulture can be tasted in the final wine. Grand Cru designation Alsatian wine producer André Ostertag recounted that while consumers might not seek out biodynamic, a subsection of organic, viticulture for environmental consciousness, there is a significant improvement in taste (Negro et al., 2022).

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. (n.d.). Domaine Ostertag [Photograph]. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. https://kermitlynch.com/grower/domaine-ostertag

As Negro, Hannan, and Olzak (2022) argue organic wines occupy a segment of the wine market that depends on recognition and credibility. Organic viticulture depends on the ability of producers to meet the demands of policy regulators, critics, and consumers as it is typically smaller, less industrialized operations. The copper ban will have a larger impact on the small shareholder operations because not only are they more susceptible to the larger market factors, smaller profit margins and minimal bailouts if there is critical failure, but they will be unprotected against natural struggles like downy mildew or other fungus. Potentially, without access to effective fungicide, the organic winemakers could abandon organic practices in totality. This shift could signal higher prices given that winemakers will need to ensure a certain level of security in the instance that there is an unpredictable growing season.  

Although insulated from the contradictions around organic viticulture, whether policy initiatives or if organic wine does have a superior taste profile, consumers buy out of environmental responsibility and sensory qualities. The average wine consumer is not motivated by technical knowledge of viticultural inputs; instead they shop for a story or through subjective taste. If organic winemakers can create a narrative of concern for their livelihoods, then consumer support will rally in favor of lifting the fungicide bans.

Donner, P. (2025). French organic winegrowers confront copper ban. Wine Spectator. https://www.winespectator.com/articles/french-organic-winegrowers-confront-copper-ban

European Environment Agency. (2025). Area under organic farming | France | Europe’s environment 2025. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-environment-2025/countries/france/area-under-organic-farming

Jez, E., Pellegrini, E., & Contin, M. (2023). Copper bioavailability and leaching in conventional and organic viticulture under environmental stress. Applied Sciences, 13(4), 2595. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042595

Ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire. (2014). Nearly 25 million acres in France committed to organic agriculture. https://agriculture.gouv.fr/nearly-25-million-acres-france-committed-organic-agriculture-2014

Negro, G., Hannan, M. T., & Olzak, S. (2022). Wine markets: Genres and identities. Columbia University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/negr20370

The Devil’s Den is Dickinson’s on-campus storefront for packaged and unprepared foods. Students have the option to use their meal plan at this location – with the exception of swipes. “The Den”, as students affectionately refer to it, offers a niche selection of items not found at other dining locations, including packaged snacks, frozen foods, and ingredient items.

The Den is advertised to students as an opportunity to use their meal plans to grocery shop; however, it could be more aptly described as a convenience store. The selection of items offered places emphasis on ultra-processed snacks. For example, almost an entire wall is dedicated to soft drinks, whereas students are presented with a small cooler of fresh fruits and veggies.

Kenishirotie. (2022). Shutterstock. Retrieved 2026, from https://www.tastingtable.com/img/gallery/when-it-comes-to-food-what-does-ultra-processed-really-mean/intro-1671049948.webp.

“So what, the Den isn’t the only option on campus?”

True, it is notable that there are other on-campus food options and that farmers’ market vouchers are available for purchase at the Den. Importantly, though, it is the main option to get ingredients and non-prepared foods, having the longest hours, the biggest selection, and being most centrally located. These features all lend it to serving the student body as a true grocery store, and it is being held back by its selection.

What does a solution look like?

(N.d.). Good Foods Co-op. Retrieved 2026, from https://goodfoods.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/iStock-540523796-e1499882765393-1024×684.jpg.

I suggest that the Den switch out some of its current products for more fresh foods. One potential avenue to accomplish this would be to form relationships with local farms. This would have the added benefits of a shortened supply chain – making it more sustainable – and strengthening Dickinson’s community relationships. The Den already sells products like meat and eggs from the College Farm, so broadening to other producers is certainly not far-fetched.

Why does this matter?

Unprocessed foods are an important part of a full diet. Ultra-processed foods tend to have high sodium and fat content, making them more difficult to incorporate into a balanced and nutritionally complete diet (Salomé et al., 2021).

Additionally, agency over the food people consume is important to mental health. It has been shown that cooking can have a positive impact on mental health and quality of life (Rees et al., 2022).

How can students get involved?

I encourage my fellow students to make their own opinions known and participate in Dining Services’ surveys. I also note that Student Senate is an avenue to start initiatives, including those in regard to our food options on campus.

References

Rees, J., Fu, S. C., Lo, J., Sambell, R., Lewis, J. R., Christophersen, C. T., Byrne, M. F., Newton, R. U., Boyle, S., & Devine, A. (2022). How a 7-week food literacy cooking program affects cooking confidence and Mental Health: Findings of a quasi-experimental controlled intervention trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.802940

Salomé, M., Arrazat, L., Wang, J., Dufour, A., Dubuisson, C., Volatier, J.-L., Huneau, J.-F., & Mariotti, F. (2021). Contrary to ultra-processed foods, the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods is associated with favorable patterns of protein intake, diet quality and lower cardiometabolic risk in French adults (INCA3). European Journal of Nutrition, 60(7), 4055–4067. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02576-2

Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) have, in recent years, become a highly contested issue among Americans. The reliance on processed foods in the American diet, specifically the forced reliance of people living in ‘food deserts,’ has called into question many elements of processed foods, including nutritional content. Processed foods cover more than the average American might think, and do make up a lot of the foundational nutrition in American diets. 

The American Society for Nutrition defines processed food as “the alteration of foods from the state in which they are harvested or raised to better preserve them and feed consumers.” This is perhaps a broader and less invasive definition than many Americans expect. There are many foods considered ‘healthy’ that fall under the category of processed foods. There are certainly more negative connotations toward processed foods, which can more broadly describe food items like sliced fruits or vegetables. Processed foods, on their own, actually contain more nutritional value than they are credited for in the minds of the American public. In their simplest forms, food processing dates back to prehistory, and only in the past 100 years has it grown to an industrial level. Processed foods are actually instrumental to both food and nutrition security in American diets. Many of these negative thoughts are perhaps more applicable to ultra-processed foods. 

https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/nutrition/what-are-ultra-processed-foods/

Ultra-processed foods take the definition of processed foods to the next level, being defined in an article by the American Heart Association as foods or products created in part or whole from extracts of foods with little to no intact food. These products are often cheaper than processed or fresh foods and also higher in calories. Since processed and ultra-processed foods tend to have a higher shelf life than fresh foods, they are often more accessible in places that supplement grocery stores, such as convenience stores, in so-called food deserts. 

A food desert is a term used to describe locations where consumers face barriers (often distance) in order to purchase affordable and nutritious foods. Commonly, these food deserts affect communities on the lower end of the socioeconomic chain or extremely rural areas of the world. These consumers, in turn, are more reliant on processed and UPFs in their diets. Due to this trend, the term ‘food swamp’ has been invented to apply to areas with higher access to less healthy foods compared with access to healthy foods. An article published by the United States Department of Agriculture credits the term to

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/food-deserts-not-blame-growing-nutrition-gap-between-rich-and-poor-study-finds

 Professor Donald Rose at Tulane University. This article examines an interesting food paradox wherein the population existing in the lowest income bracket actually spends more money on food than those in the next highest bracket.  This is due to many consumers with lower incomes lacking time or resources to shop at grocery stores with lower prices, and were instead victims of price inflation due to limited access. The prices of items like milk, cereal, and bread were inflated 5, 25, and 10%, respectively, in convenience stores. It is price inflation and the risk of expired food that these items are often foregone for energy-dense ultra-processed options in more unconventional locations, such as convenience stores. 

There are several organizations and communities around the United States aiming to shrink these food deserts and food swamps, implementing programs like urban gardens in cities that are tied to local education programs. One example of this is Green Roofs NYC.

In Carlisle, PA, there are several resources that classify the area as a food oasis. This term is the inverse of a food desert and refers to communities with abundant access to supermarkets, community gardens (like the Dickinson College Community Garden), and farmers’ markets (like Farmers on the Square).

References

1. Weaver, C. Dwyer, J. Fulgoni, V. King, J. Leveille, G. MacDonald, R. Ordovas, J. & Schnakenberg, D.(2014) Processed Foods: Contributions to Nutrition. American Society for Nutrition; 99, 1525-42.
2. Ver Ploeg, M., Breneman, V., Farrigan, T., Hamrick, K., Hopkins, D., Lin, B., Nord, M., Smith, T.A., Williams, R., Kinnison, K., Olander, C., Singh, A. & Tuckermanty, E. (2009). Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food-Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. AP-036.
3. American Heart Association News (2020). Processed vs. Ultra-processed Food, and Why it Matters to Your Health. American Heart Association.
4. Jin, H., & Lu, Y. (2021). Evaluating Consumer Nutrition Environment in Food Deserts and Food Swamps. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2675.

The global food crisis stems from food insecurity. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OSAH) defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” Some of the factors that lead to this insecurity on a global scale are: climate change, conflict, economic stress, and displacement (World Food Programme).

https://www.fightfoodcrises.net/report/global-report-food-crises-2025/

Climate change disrupts agriculture by exposing plants to new temperature extremes that prevent them from thriving. Conflict causes people to lose access to income. They could use it to buy food, and it would also disrupt the distribution of food that would normally enter the country. With economic stress, this could come from a country emerging from war, where little income is coming in, leading to higher food prices. Displacement occurs when someone is forcibly removed from their home, leaving them with limited access to food and shelter in the new area (World Food Programme).

The Global Network Against Food Crisis (GNAFC) released its annual Global Report on Food Crisis for 2025 in September. In this report, they highlighted countries experiencing food insecurity and the main factors driving it. They begin the report by investigating famines that have begun or persist in the Gaza Strip, Sudan, and South Sudan. These famines have sent from conflicts in these two countries. In Gaza, the conflict has damaged “98% of cropland” (GRFC 2), and there is a ban in place preventing access to the sea for fishing. The people generating this report recognize a lack of access to collect data on human welfare, so they use evidence from a previous report to strongly suggest that famine is continuing there. In South Sudan, there is a risk of famine starting since the conflict has forced the displacement of people. Additionally, this country was designated a “no-go zone,” meaning humanitarian aid cannot reach it.

https://www.fightfoodcrises.net/report/global-report-food-crises-2025/

After the conflict section, the report highlights the nutrition crisis stemming from food insecurity. The report notes that the four countries most affected by the nutrition crisis are “the Gaza Strip, the Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen” (GRFC 4). This nutrition crisis is linked to rising conflict in these countries and reduced assistance due to funding cuts.

The next topic is the decline in funding to support these countries in helping people in need. The report notes “major donors slashing their ODA budget by between 35 and 83 percent,  affecting health, nutrition, and food security operations in over 100 countries” (GRFC 6). These limited funds drastically reduce the amount of food that can be provided to communities in need, the time organizations can spend in these countries, and the amount that can be distributed. In addition to these organizations helping countries in need, they also provide data that researchers can use to look for early signs of food insecurity and malnutrition, with the finding cup cuts limiting the amount of time the organizations can stay in a country, which also reduces them out of data they can collect to help generate reports such as the Global Report on Food Crisis.

Reports like the Global Report on Food Crisis can help people learn which countries are experiencing extreme levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. It also provides detailed explanations of the factors driving this food crisis and the extent to which they are responsible. Without these reports, most people would be unaware of this crisis, which could also affect support for organizations dedicated to helping countries in need. 

If you are interested in which organizations help alleviate this crisis, some include World Central Kitchen, the UN World Food Programme, and Action Against Hunger.

References:

1. A Global Food Crisis: World Food Programme. UN World Food Programme. (2026). 

https://www.wfp.org/global-hunger-crisis 

2. Gliessman, S. (2022). Why is there a food crisis? Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 

46(9), 1301–1303. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2022.2115187

3. Global report on food crises (GRFC) 2025. 2025 Global Report on Food Crisis. (2025). 

https://www.fightfoodcrises.net/report/global-report-food-crises-2025/ and www.fsinplatform.org/grfc2025 

4. OSAH. (n.d.). Food insecurity. Food Insecurity – Healthy People 2030. 

https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/food-insecurity