It's a Cutie!

For this blog assignment, I was allowed to choose any single or multi-ingredient product that I eat regularly to write a basic report on, and, if you can’t already guess, I decided to write my blog on Cuties. Cuties, or California Mandarins, are advertised as, “Nature’s perfect fruit”, and due to their E-Z peel and seedless-ness, I can’t argue.

The company that farms Cuties, known as Sun Pacific, began in Exeter California, but today they transport over 35 million boxes of fresh fruit from their farm land in San Joaquin Valley, so yes, Cuties come from our one and only, California (http://www.sunpacific.com/history.html). Cuties are farmed through the selective breeding cross between clementine’s and mandarin oranges. This means that a plant is taken that exhibits desirable traits, and its cross bred (pollinated) with other desired traits, thereby explaining the E-Z peel, seedless, and sweet taste of cuties.

Sun Pacific is a major farming corporation that started with 72 acres, and currently has over 20,000 acres today, needless to mention, their plan isn’t to limit their acres of land. With that stated, it seems apparent that as Sun Pacific grows economically, so will their land, and in turn, local small farmers will be harmed. Unfortunately for local farmers, Sun Pacific doesn’t just farm their famous “Cuties”; they also have tomatoes, grapes, kiwis, and other vegetation. Besides economic impacts, there does appear to be some environmental concerns during the process of selling Cuties. For starters, Cuties are shipped nationwide, so obvious environmental transportation issues arise, and secondly, they appear to be wrapped in some type of plastic mesh and labeling (of which, I cannot pinpoint the material).

Now, it’s time for the health effects:

Note: Some of the following information has been extracted from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Antioxidants

Some antioxidant compounds are found only in citrus fruit like Cuties. Some of these plant-based chemicals that can prevent DNA damage by “…inhibiting the activity of free radicals” (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cuties-good-you-3221.html). Recent research indicated that people with a high intake of citrus-rich fruit were 50 percent less likely to develop mouth, stomach or throat cancer and 20 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke.

Dietary Fiber

Cuties are an especially good source of soluble fiber. This specific fiber may help prevent diabetes and high cholesterol. A diet that regularly incorporates high amounts of dietary fiber may also, “…lessen your risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, ulcers, and also hemorrhoids” (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cuties-good-you-3221.html).

Vitamins

Cuties have a dense number of vitamins, but they are especially high in folate and vitamin C. High folate intake may help prevent depression, heart disease and age-related macular degeneration. Pregnant women who consume a lot of folate may decrease their infant's risk of being born with defects. The consumption of vitamin C can decrease the risk of osteoarthritis, cancer, and heart disease.

Cuties also contain a high concentration of potassium. Potassium plays a vital role in maintaining cardiac, smooth and skeletal muscle contraction. People who include plenty of high-potassium foods like Cuties “…in their diet may be less likely to suffer from kidney stones, osteoporosis and stroke” (http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cuties-good-you-3221.html). Cuties are also a good source of minerals like copper, iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Together, these nutrients contribute to the synthesis of red blood cells and bone and support immune and nervous system health.