Chapter 5

How have the potato farms in Idaho changed in the last 25 years or so?
In Idaho the last 25 years, many family-owned potato farms have been closed while the number of corporate farms has increased. The number of acreage being farmed has also increased substantially.

What makes McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants?
For awhile, McDonald's "cooked its french fries in a mixture of about 7 percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow" (Page 120) to give the fries their taste. Customers soon objected to this method, and, now, McDonald's cooks its fries in pure vegetable oil and uses natural flavors to distinguish its fries from other restaurants.

What are the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors"? Where is the "flavor industry" located?
The flavor industry is located in New Jersey; the largest flavor company is International Flavors & Fragrances. Artificial flavors and natural flavors are similar in that "both are man-made additives that give most processed food their taste" (Page 120). Natural flavors differ from artificial flavors as they are "derived entirely from natural sources" (Page 126), whereas artificial flavors are produced through chemical reactions. There may not be any difference between the chemical compositions of artificial and natural flavors: deriving something from a fruit or vegetable will not produce anything chemically different than if it were made through chemical reactions, nor will it taste different.