So my group decided to use google.docs to publish our website instead of a new weebly. It was hard for me to figure out at first, but then I got the hang of it. The site is not set to public yet, but when it is I will post the link in a blog and/or tweet (@linzz88).
    
     In other research updates, I went to Trader Joe's yesterday to find some meat companies that I could include as suggestions for my part of project. I found a couple decent options, and I even got to talk with one of the friendly employees about their farms. I asked them about their name-brand, and he actually told me that he can't say what major company they are affiliated with. He said, "TJ's is pretty closed-lip about their farms." I didn't push him to tell me more, but he was able to tell me that most of their meats come from local farms in Pennsylvania, and their organic yogurt is produced by a major name brand company. My husband seemed to think it was WaWa farms, but that was just a guess. I think it may be Yoplait or something of the sort. Overall, I'm glad I made the trip out there. I always forget how great that store is.

     This Friday, April 22, my group also has an interview the Natural Health food store in Blackwood.  We will either be interviewing the owner or another regular staff member, so our questions may vary a little. Our interview questions thus far are:

1 .) How long has the store been here?
2.) Why did you want to start/start working at a store like this?
3.) What kinds of things did you eat growing up?
4.) Has your food lifestyle and choices changed drastically from working/starting this store?
5.) How well does your family eat?
6.) What is your favorite product the store sells?
7.) What is your favorite company that the store carries?
8.) What makes the store carry one brand over another?
9.) What are some top sellers in the store?
10.) How has business been over the years?
11.) Right now in the struggling economy?
12.) Do you think the store will ever expand with another location?
13.) What is some advice you can offer new consumers of all natural and organic foods?



     In putting together my project, I also found this interesting video.

I can't wait to see how everything comes together in a few days!

     So since narrowing our research topic, my group is researching the "narratives" behind certain food companies and how they use pictures and words like "whole grain" and "natural" to appear to more health-conscious customers. I am focusing my part on the Perdue chicken company.

Evidence Piece #1:

     On the bottom left corner, there is a farm blatantly pictured. Looking at this, customers are immediately thinking about the countryside. Perhaps they grew up on a farm, where their father or grandfather raised and grew meat and produce more "naturally" and honestly. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. Yet companies are still advertising like this, because it is still appealing to the customer. They want that home-grown feel, even though it doesn't exist in companies like this anymore.

Evidence Piece #2:

    In my group's interview piece, our interviewee, Jackie, talked about buying hormone free Perdue chicken. Though this is clearly a good option, as opposed to hormone injected chickens, I decided to look into it further. I am a skeptic, and I had a feeling I would find out more than I wanted to.
    I stumbled up a blog post from Organic Fanatic from 2007. In it, they advocate and support that Perdue does not inject antibiotics or hormones in their chickens for the purpose of growing the chicken quicker or larger. The blog claimed that although Perdue's chicken was not "organic", it was still a good option for those who could  not afford "organic". Upon further reading of the comments on this post, I found one particularly interesting:

Fayna said... Perdue chickens are actually fed the antibiotic Bacitracin (also a growth drug).

"What about chickens labeled ''no growth hormones used''? That is just stating the obvious. Although the Agriculture Department has approved the use of growth hormones in beef, it has not sanctioned their use in veal, pork or poultry. But drugs, as opposed to hormones, are another matter. Bacitracin, an antibiotic that is also a growth drug, is part of the feed of many young chickens, including those of Perdue and Bell & Evans. The Agriculture Department, while acknowledging that bacitracin can be a growth drug, characterizes it as an antibiotic, which processors contend are necessary to eliminate disease."

Though the article Fayna references was from 1996, I still think the claim is true. It is from a reliable source (The NY Times), and Perdue's current Q&A section of their website is still a little, shall we say "iffy", with the information about antibiotics given to their chickens. They claim that they while they do not inject hormones or steriods, they still administer some antibiotics for use of basically protecting and prolonging the chickens' health. They do not say exactly what antibiotics they use, which makes me believe that they probably do use bacitracin. As explained in the comment and linked article above, a side-effect of that antibiotic is accelerated growth.

How very convenient.