Tuna Case Study

1) Outline the species of animals that are being harmed by tuna fishing. Turtles and sharks are being harmed and killed by the tuna fishing. Over 300000 turtles are killed every year just from tuna fishing.

2) Name the fishing practices that are used to catch tuna. Longline fishing, sustainable pole and line and fishing are some of the fishing practices that are used to catch the tuna, and with longline fishing, also turtles and sharks.

3) What step did consumers take to display their anger at the lack of environmental information on tuna products? In anger of finding out the lack of environmental information on tuna products, numerous enraged consumers sent out angry emails demanding tuna companies behind the brands to clean up their act.

4) Create a graph showing the sustainability rankings of the brands mentioned in the article.

5) From this information, which is the most sustainable brand? The most sustainable brand is Fish 4 Ever, with the highest and only good ranking of 70%.

6) Name the store that sells this brand of tuna. IGA supermarkets sell the brand Fish 4 Ever

7) Explain why you think companies such as John West and Sirena are secretive about the methods they use to catch tuna. I feel that companies such as John West and Sirena are keeping their methods to catch tuna secret because other companies will try and compete for customers to buy their tuna, by trying to increase their percentage ranking. This in turn will create more competition, and for the companies with the method, less sales.

8) Does the information in this article change the way you will shop for tuna? Explain why or why not?  Yes, this article changes the way I will shop for tuna because I now know what is done to catch tuna, and how it is effecting precious animals like turtles and sharks. Like most, I don't want to eat a product that is killing and possibly endangering other wildlife just so I can have some tuna. 

Activity 4 - Part A: Investigate, analyse and justify

Issue: Product labels are designed to provide nutritional information to consumers through the nutrition information panel and the ingredient list. However, health messages included on packaging have the potential to confuse the consumer in making healthy choices.

  

1. Investigate the nutritional information and health messages found on two popular snack food packaged products available in the supermarket. The two popular food items that I will be looking at for the nutritional information and health messages will be for shapes and ice cream.

2. Collate the information found on the label of each product label.

3. Investigate the health advantages and disadvantages of the main ingredients found in these products. The health advantages of the shapes are that there are no artificial colours and no artificial preservatives in the shapes, and because they are baked and not fried, there are no fatty oils that are stuck on the shape giving the body cholesterol. The health advantage of the ice cream is that it is made with fresh milk and cream. If they were not fresh, then the ice cream would taste bad and the consumer may find health problems having expired dairy products. The disadvantage of both products is that they both contain artificial flavours; however the ice cream also has artificial colours and preservatives.

4. Analyse this information to determine which product is healthier. The food product that is healthier out of the shapes and the ice cream is the shapes

5. Determine which food product is healthier and justify your choice in 150–200 words. Use evidence from your investigation and analysis to support your arguments. The shapes are certainly a healthier option than the ice cream because it has no artificial colours or preservatives present, unlike the ice cream which has those items present in the ingredients list. For every 100g eaten of the 2 products, the ice cream provides 866kJ, whilst the shapes provide 2000kJ, which keeps you and your body moving for longer. The shapes have more protein than ice cream, with 12.7g compared to 2.7g respectively. The saturated fat in the shapes is 0.4g less than in the ice cream, with 7.2g. There are more carbohydrates in the shapes (56.6g) compared to the ice cream (23.9g) and are less sugars (1.6g) compared to the ice cream (21.8g) There is definitely a lot more sodium in the shapes, with 764mg compared to only 52mg in the ice cream. This is why having the shapes are definitely a healthier option than having ice cream. 

1. Collect a variety of packaged processed foods. Identify all the information on the label.

Here are some food label photographs of nutritional values table, the ingredients list, allergy list, where the ingredients were from, where it was made and how to keep it safe (e.g. under 4 degrees C)

Bright food colouring ban article

     1.  Identify the health concern associated with using food colours in processed food products.
The health concern associated with using food colors in processed food products is that food colouring in foods poses a threat to psychological health, and that it can cause hyperactive behaviour within children.
2. Transcribe the evidence that suggests the levels of food colour added to food in Australia are safe.
In the article, it says that "...Food Standards Australia New Zealand(FSANZ), has ruled there is 'very weak evidence' linking artificial additives to hyperactive behaviour in children...the results were interesting...evidence supporting the link was not strong." This shows that they have not been able to see why the levels of food colouring added are not safe in the food for the consumers to eat.
3. List the food products commonly eaten by children that are most likely to contain the colours mentioned in the article.
Food products commonly eaten by children that would most likely have the food colourings mention could include M&M's, smarties (before they got rid of the coloruing) lollies, biscuits, cookies and chips.
4. The article refers to high levels of food colours being used in the UK. How would a consumer find the country of origin when purchasing food?
To find the country of origin when purchasing food, the consumer would have to look at the label carefully and analyze the area near the nutritional information table. The country of origin is amongst all the information with the ingredients that is present in the product.
5. Some confectionary foods manufactured in Australia (eg Smarties) have recently changed in colour. Discuss the visual appeal of the new products and whether you think that this change will affect their overall popularity with children.
Although these colours will not be as vibrant as what it was before with the artificial colouring, I feel that this will not affect the overall popularity with children because it still has great colours, and the taste will not have varied so much that the children won't like them anymore. Children like colours, and smarties still offer a good range, which is why I feel the popularity will not decrease significantly.

Packaging material question 2-6

Plastic: needs to be sorted at the recycling station, made from non-renewable resources, needs to be sorted at the recycling station, costly to recycle, breaks easily, lightweight, strong, sterile, heat resistant, easily recycled   

Metal: made from non-renewable resources, needs to be sorted at the recycling station, heavy to transport, costly to recycle, lightweight, strong, sterile, easily recycled   

Paper and cardboard: made from renewable resources, needs to be sorted at the recycling station, decomposes easily, lightweight, strong, easily recycled   

Glass: made from renewable resources, needs to be sorted at the recycling station, heavy to transport, costly to recycle, breaks easily, lightweight, strong, sterile, heat resistant, easily recycled 

Food manufacturers would most likely prefer to use cardboard as their packaging material. This is because cardboard is relatively cheap to produce and it is made from recycled material, which makes it good for the environment as well. Cardboard can also decompose easily, it is lightweight and the material is strong.

The packaging type that would most suit the needs for the consumers would be cardboard. This is because it is reasonably priced, it can be recycled easily and the products will not be damaged when the package is delivered to the consumers’ home.      

I believe that the easiest packaging type would be cardboard, because it is made from renewable resources and it can decompose easily, which makes this type of resource environmentally friendly.  Cardboard is also a sturdy, lightweight material that can be easily recycled. This makes it easy to dispose of the material without harming the environment.  

Plastic shrink seal – grated cheese

Pop top screw top jar – pasta sauce

Foil seal or ring pull under the plastic lid – baby food

Plastic screw top with a collar below the lid – milk

Cellophane shrink wrap – tea bags

Zip lock resealable bags – milo or baby formula