Sc300: Big Ideas in Science: from Methods to Mutation Unit 6

Running Head: LOCAL SHOPPING

Local Shopping

Susan Steichen

SC300: Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation

Sabrina Hall

4/5/2013

Upon researching for this project I was thinking that this was going to be an easy assignment. I didn’t realize of how much of our products that we use everyday wasn’t grown locally or even in the vicinity of my area. There are a lot of product that are not listing their origins just distributed by, I work at Wal-Mart and that’s where I do most of my shopping. I always by the “Great Value” brand and all the great value list the same distribution area Bentonville Arkansas. Now since I am going into the law field I decided to go a little further with this investigation, due to the fact that Bentonville cannot produce all these products.

A friendly representative (let's call him James) answered the phone and told me Wal-Mart policy was they couldn't disclose where some actual food products are manufactured because they didn’t know. He also said that some particular food products are branded with the Wal-Mart name but produced in locations not known to him or his customer service area. He told me he felt the questionable sugar, coffee, and half and half were made in the United States but he couldn't be for sure because the products do not show the country of origin in his information kept on products at his desk. I thanked him and then thought better of this questioning why stores can't or won't know where products are manufactured when a consumer line states to call for additional product information. I also wrote an email on Wal-Mart.com but as of this paper was written I have not received a response. I will do my best in finding out where some of the products are sourced from.

The ingredients for the perfect cup of coffee, the first was the coffee which I ended up going with Maxwell Coffee as I wasn’t comfortable with using the undisclosed Wal-Mart brand, the coffee is manufactured in Texas; but the coffee comes from...