Supermarket Food Consumption Study
Cultural Anthropology
11/21/11
“Supermarket Food Consumption Study” On Wednesday November 16, 2011 at approximately 3:33pm I visited Pathmark and asked to speak to the produce manager whose name was John. I asked him if he could explain the process of how apples are picked, and transported from the orchard to the local supermarket. John, the produce manager, stated that the apple picking business is a long process to get the apples from the farms to the supermarkets. He said that the first step is to pick the apples from the tree. After the apples are picked from the tree, the apples are brought into the processing center to be inspected for any damage or any infestation. Then they let the apples rest for about forty eight hours. After, they then put the fully inspected apples into what is known in the business as an apple spa where they are rinsed. The apples are then dried and placed into bags to be shipped to local supermarkets.
John said that there are so many steps in the process of getting apples from the farms to the consumer. He also said that it is a strenuous job because of all of the manpower needed to pick the apples, clean, and transport them as well. I asked john how many people does it take to get the apples from the orchard to the supermarket and he said about fourteen to fifteen workers. I asked John who usually does this job and he said that they usually hire day laborers so that they can keep their overhead down. He said another reason why they hire these guys is because the apple picking business is a seasonal job, and because of this, they can use these guys for as long as they need. When the job is done they can let them go without any problems
What I learned from this study, is that the foods that some of us consume on a daily basis are taken for granted. It takes a lot of hard work and manpower to transport apples from the orchard to the supermarket. I also believe that all of the men and women who work so hard should be shown
11/21/11
“Supermarket Food Consumption Study” On Wednesday November 16, 2011 at approximately 3:33pm I visited Pathmark and asked to speak to the produce manager whose name was John. I asked him if he could explain the process of how apples are picked, and transported from the orchard to the local supermarket. John, the produce manager, stated that the apple picking business is a long process to get the apples from the farms to the supermarkets. He said that the first step is to pick the apples from the tree. After the apples are picked from the tree, the apples are brought into the processing center to be inspected for any damage or any infestation. Then they let the apples rest for about forty eight hours. After, they then put the fully inspected apples into what is known in the business as an apple spa where they are rinsed. The apples are then dried and placed into bags to be shipped to local supermarkets.
John said that there are so many steps in the process of getting apples from the farms to the consumer. He also said that it is a strenuous job because of all of the manpower needed to pick the apples, clean, and transport them as well. I asked john how many people does it take to get the apples from the orchard to the supermarket and he said about fourteen to fifteen workers. I asked John who usually does this job and he said that they usually hire day laborers so that they can keep their overhead down. He said another reason why they hire these guys is because the apple picking business is a seasonal job, and because of this, they can use these guys for as long as they need. When the job is done they can let them go without any problems
What I learned from this study, is that the foods that some of us consume on a daily basis are taken for granted. It takes a lot of hard work and manpower to transport apples from the orchard to the supermarket. I also believe that all of the men and women who work so hard should be shown