Food politics is a very tricky system to understand. The main reason being there are many things that the food industry keeps hidden from the everyday consumer. There are many issues being raised regarding the safety of the foods we consume, the different consequences and benefits of different farming styles, and foodborne illnesses and what the government does to prevent them from happeneing. A lot of these issues fly under the radar and are seen as no big deal to a number of people out there, however it is important to know what is really going on in the food industry and the effects the food we eat may have on us physically and environmentally.

One issue I find as the mother of all the other issues in the food system, is the lack of transparency. The food system is often run by big brand producers who have control of certain areas of the system. The Documentary Food Inc., displays this for us by showing how there are a couple companies who run the meat industry, as well as companies who own the produce industry. The film specifically talks about a company called Monsanto, who is a chemical company who created a soybean that was resistant to a weed killer they created. This was a big deal because farmers could plant the seeds and then spray round up to kill all the weeds, leaving only the soy bean ready to go. Monsanto patened this seed and “by 2008 over 90% of sobeans in America contained Monsanto’s patened gene.”[1] Since this one company pretty much owns almost all of the soybean production, it is difficult for other farmers to get involved and produce their own seeds. Monsanto runs over all of the small farmers and businesses which gives them the power to share only what they want to share with the public. Often times people from the company refuse to be interviewed or answer questions regarding what they do. Also other farmers who are not even involved with Monsanto have to watch what they say because they could get sued. It is a big problem when big companies take over because it leads to increased secrecy within the food system.

This lack of knowledge about what goes on inside the food industry leads to other issues such as foodborne illnesses and concerns with how healthy the food we eat actually is for us. Consumer Reports came out with an article titled “We Are What They Eat”. It talks about what is in the feed of animals we consume daily such as cattle, chickens, and fish. It was found that some pretty repulsive things are added to the feeds of these animals. Cattle were given poultry litter, feces, feathers and waste from coops, chickens were fed meat and bone meal, and fish were fed meat, bone and feather meal. These ingredients were all approved by the FDA, however something could easily go wrong from something as simple as a storage mistake. The feed could become contaminated and go on to effect the animals who eat it, along with the people who eat the animals. This could lead to widespread diseases that could be found in many different human products. Marion Nestle, a nutrition, food studies, and public health professor at NYU, believes that there should be more government regulation in the food system. I agree with her stance completely and believe that it would resolve a lot of the issues that are present. A topic that Nestle focuses on is food borne illnesses. She says that people today consider food poisoning as an inconvenice rather than a serious issue. It is hard to find an accurate number of the cases of food poisoning in certain time frames, because a lot of times people do not report it. They are uncomfortable for a couple of days but do not think more of it to actually do something about it. However, when somebody does decide to take a stand, nobody in the food industry takes the blame. Each person who had contact with the food that caused the sickness whether it be the person who fed the animals, to the person who served the plate. Most times, the blame is put on the consumer. The idea of a company being associated with food poisoning can ruin so much for the business that instead of taking responsibility, they put the blame on whoever they can.

The government needs to be more involved in the regulation of foods to prevent foodborne illnesses from breaking out. Food Inc., tells a story about a family who was effected by E. Coli, and fatal bacteria that can be found in foods that were not cleaned properly. A little two year old boy who was completely healthy, passed away twelve days after eating a hamburger that was contaminated with E. Coli. When the mother tried to fight for what happened to her son, she did not get as little as an apology from anyone. The food system saw it as another casualty, while that family just lost their whole world. It is so important for people to understand how dangerous food can be when it is not properly cooked or produced. So many things can go wrong that can affect the lives of so many people. It is very disturbing that something so essential to our lives can come along with so many consequences.

[1] Food Inc