Jonathan Robins travelled to Ithaca to talk about his vast knowledge of fats despite the conditions of the roads after the snowstorm. One of the most compelling themes within his talk was the fact that fats – and how healthy each type of fat may be – is contested among nutrition experts. Certain forms of fats have been subject to subsidies from the government, or even attempts to make them seem especially unhealthy for consumption. Moreover, fats can be manipulated to taste differently relatively easily. Thus, manufactures exploit this and sell cheaper fats.

What this talk made abundantly clear to me as a student was that oftentimes people assume that science or scientific subjects are simply within the scientific realm and they often fail to think about the social constructs and broader landscapes within which scientific arguments are created. Though we talked about the environmental impact of processing fats and company and government involvement in the production of fats, I wish we would have discussed the labor conditions that are used to process facts. It seems to me that extracting these materials is quite a laborious process. As someone who obtains things from markets, even I sometimes forget that the things in front of me came from somewhere; and the process by which it arrived is a complicated one that involves the labor of workers, likely a long journey across state lines, is a part of a deep, entrenched geopolitical system with a rich history, and is subject to politics just like any other facet of life. My own focus on global supply chains has led me to think deeply about where I purchase my clothes and other commodities and what I am supporting when I do so. However, it is rather difficult to opt out of purchasing certain products when as a student I am trying to get the best deal.