Strawberry Political Cartoon

_{Belinda Hu 2009 | full size}

Concept
The message conveyed by this cartoon is that although many products boast strawberries on their labels, many do not contain them in actuality. Although this image exaggerates the types of products, it indicates what could easily happen in the future. There are already some cases in which this is true: the strawberry milk sold at McDonald's does not contain any strawberries out of its 59 ingredients.

Details
This cartoon mentions strawberry allergy, which, although rare, can be severe. It is true that strawberry products that do not contain strawberries will not cause allergies. However, it also defeats the purpose of the strawberries, because artificial flavoring does not have the same benefits as the real fruit. None of these products will have the antioxidants, vitamins, or cleansing properties that give the strawberry its value. The bottom line is, the only benefit of these products is that flavor or smell, which for some, is acceptable because that is all they want. However, those who use them for more complex reasons will find no advantage.

Another aspect of the cartoon warns the consumer to scrutinize their potential purchases carefully before buying, because all the products shown mislead people into thinking they are made with strawberries. It shows how advertising can be deceiving with the labels as well as the banner, which is able to promote an artificially-enhanced product and make it sound better than the genuine article. Essentially, the cartoon speaks out against the degradation of commercial honesty.

Citations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_milk

Q of L Improvement by Strawberries

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Strawberry Consumption Mandate Bill

Strawberry consumption and usage improves quality of life greatly, with both physical and emotional benefits. Although strawberries have a large market in Canada, most people do not have the chance to enjoy them daily. Many strawberry products are available, yet they are only purchased by a fraction of the population. Others do not find the time or necessity to consume the fruit, even if they are fond of the flavor.


_{http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2633009389_fc1e46456b.jpg}

Proposal
As a whole, the strawberry industry has only affected consumers and growers in beneficial aspects. To best ensure the success of the industry, this bill requests for a law to be passed that mandates daily consumption of strawberries. The recommended amount is 100g/day for adults, and this delicious fruit can improve an individual’s mood and health with a just a few bites, and grows vigorously to saturate the commercial producer’s income. Currently, the strawberry industry is a large one, but does not reach as a grand a scale as it hypothetically could. With the abundance of benefits, it seems prudent to enlarge production and distribution, as long as the conditions of the new laws are determined carefully.

Strawberries both fresh and processed contain many nutrients essential to human health. They are extremely high in vitamin C, which, while being necessary for human health, is often under-consumed. 100g (2/3c) of strawberries a day will provide the average human with 100% of their needed vitamin C. Strawberries are also high in flavonoids, which can eliminate cancerous cells as well as inhibit diarrhoea. Another benefit is the antioxidants, which repair damage done by free radicals (by products of the cells when oxygen is used), and can reduce risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. Even the action of eating strawberries has its benefit: malic acid in the berry whitens teeth by removing stains without damaging the enamel. A daily dose of strawberries will improve an individual’s health in more ways than one, from reducing risk of chronic disease, to cleaning teeth.

The flavour of strawberries is a widely accepted one; most people like the taste. Sugar is present in the berry in sufficient amounts to attract most consumers, but they are not excessively sweet so almost everyone can enjoy strawberries. Used in smoothies, strawberries give great taste without added sugar, and the fresh fruit needs no additives to be considered a delicious snack. When eaten, a good-tasting strawberry satisfies the consumer, and improves mood in a way only tasty foods can. However, they are also healthier and more filling than most joy-inducing snacks. There are no negative after effects to eating strawberries, and they are almost as widely enjoyed as chocolate. Most people enjoy these fruits, and eating them more often would be welcomed. If everyone is required to eat strawberries, it would improve the overall mood and perhaps even lower depression rates.

Mandating strawberry consumption has many benefits and few disadvantages, but the details must be laid out carefully. Some people are allergic to strawberries, and exceptions must be made. Children and adults should also have to consume different amounts of the fruit, because their nutritional requirements are different. Each person will have to pay a strawberry tax as well; Alberta lacks strawberry suppliers, so larger quantities must be purchased from places such as California. The tax will supplement the purchase, as well as help develop a larger domestic strawberry industry. With the help of the tax, Alberta could very well become a strong strawberry producer, with fresh strawberries in the summer, and greenhouse strawberries off season. Because consumption is necessary, the growers will have adequate funds to operate in all seasons. If fresh strawberries become entirely unattainable at any point, frozen and freeze-dried will suffice.

As strawberries are extremely good for both physical and emotional health, there is no reason for people to not eat them, except in the case of allergy. Regular consumption will improve general health and increase life expectancy. They also serve as great-tasting snacks without the guilt factor of most good-tasting foods. If strawberry consumption becomes compulsory, it will also improve the industry in Alberta, and will reduce reliance on California’s crop. Because of the larger market, the growers will also benefit from the augmented business. Fruit sold in stores will also be fresher, which, to consumers is a great improvement. Nearly everyone will have the benefits of strawberries, which are direct benefits to quality of life.

Citations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry

Strawberry Variety Development

There are numerous cultivars (types) of strawberries available today, propagated by both runners and seeds. Each type is unique with its own advantageous and disadvantageous features; there is a suitable variety for almost all conditions, but none are completely efficient. Many of the cultivars commonly grown today are the result of selective breeding by researchers, and new cultivars continue to be developed.

Methods of Development:
Although modern technology can assist with growing, raising, and testing the new varieties, strawberry breeding remains almost unchanged. To create new cultivars, existing varieties are crossbred. The new plants must then be examined and tested over a period of two to three years, in order to determine whether they are suitable for commercial use. When a new variety is ready for the market, it must be reproduced on a mass scale to fill the fields.

New varieties are usually developed at large research facilities such as universities. Because most crosses do not result in a desirable strawberry, hundreds of new controlled combinations are made at the beginning a cycle. These are examined regularly, and the plants with favorable traits are retained for further development. After further testing and monitoring, successful varieties are grown on a larger scale for testing, and sometimes put on the market for growers to test. The amount of time it takes for a new variety to be completely ready for commercial use can vary greatly, often taking many years.


_{http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45605000/jpg/_45605948_strawberry2.jpg}

Developed Varieties:
Nearly every type of strawberry we consume today are the products of selective breeding in the past. The positive qualities of older varieties are bred together, and result in fruit suitable for commercial sales and home consumption. Examples of successful new varieties include:

V151
University of Guelph, Simcoe, Ontario 2007
(FL82-1452 x Selkirk) x (Chandler x 137A84)
The product of four different varieties of strawberries, this very new cultivar is still in researching stages and only recommended for trial use. Although it is very productive and bears high quality berries, it is susceptible to several diseases. Fruit size may begin to diminish in later harvests, and flavor can be inconsistent and sometimes bland. With these crucial deficiencies, it is likely this breed will never enter large scale production. However, it maybe be bred with more specifies for more effective outcomes.


_{the "Chandler" cultivar
http://www.kennedyseed.net/catalog/chandler3.jpg}

Wendy
AAFC, Kentville, N.S. 2006
(Sable x K91-2) x Evangeline
This variety is the result of three preexisting cultivars. Wendy was developed to improve the Evangeline variety, with larger fruit and higher production, while still retaining the early-season properties of its precursor. However, it is susceptible to verticillium wilt and has relatively soft skin, which decreases storage life. Although new, it is already in use, because it succeeds in improving the previous cultivar without gaining excessively detrimental effects.

Albion
University of California 2006
Diamante x Cal94.16-1
Marked by very high quality fruit and resistance to several diseases, this is a fairly successful cultivar. Disadvantages of Albion include inferiority to a similar berry -Seascape- in terms of productivity and winter hardiness. Although new, Albion is already on the market for for large scale annual production because of its many strong features. Lower production is also outweighed by the quality of the fruit and by the large percentage of suitable crop.

Genetic Modification:
Strawberries are mostly altered by means of traditional breeding (with technological assistance), and are rarely genetically modified. The main use genetic modification has had for strawberries is to increase shelf life, but the most well-known is the infamous fishberry.

A common belief that is widespread over the internet is that some types of strawberries contain genes from the Arctic Flounder that make them frost resistant. Sources go as far as to claim people getting fish allergies from eating strawberries, and anti-GM enthusiasts bring it up in nearly every case against genetic engineering. Mention of the fishberry is an effective way to back their arguments, because they make it sound like the strawberry is actually bred with fish.

However, fanciful Franken-berry tales aside, there is little fact to back the fishberry. The only event in which fish genes were ever transferred to a fruit was during a tomato experiment back in 1991. The experiment did not go well, and has never been extended to strawberries. While there may have been some mention of creating frost-resistant genetically modified strawberries, it has never come into practice; no strawberries grown and sold today contain fish genes. Furthermore, had the fishberry existed, the fish genes would most likely not be able to cause allergic reactions, since the codes used for genetics are universal, and the genes are not actually taken form a fish. Instead, the effective genetic information is taken and implemented in the fruit. In short, fishberries (sadly) do not exist! D:


_{http://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/assets/jpeg/fishberry.jpg}

Citations:
http://www.berries4u.com/nursery.htm
http://www.flintbox.com/technology.asp?page=3947
http://www.flintbox.com/fbox.vic?sID={E5007448-7FC5-4748-A98F-165AEA5E810E}&swID=02BC2C489B174811B49A02729E44A485
http://news.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-2/UF-researchers-develops-new-strawberry-varieties-11871-1/
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/strawvar.htm
http://www.innovationaccess.ucdavis.edu/strawberry/program.htm
http://www.bionetonline.org/English/Content/ff_cont3.htm
http://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/media/fishberries.html