Earlier this year, 53 people were infected with e. coli in 9 different states from Chipotle. The causes for the outbreak are still unknown. The Chipotle on Marshall Street here at SU was always packed every night with people trying to eat. Imagine if your teacher, yourself, or friend was one someone that became extremely ill because of what they ate. We eat food at least 3 times a day. Most people go to the grocery store and just put things in the cart barely looking at the packaging. The public assumes that the food we eat is safe because the government regulates it knowing little about how the food industry works. The government is thought to have full control of the food industry but with the daunting task of inspecting millions of places with powerful companies seeking profit and efficiency, big business use it’s power to control the food industry to maximize revenue. Big companies pressure the government into regulations that are good for them because they are resistance to food safety when it comes to making money. Therefore, the public is in the dark when it comes to food industry business and process of food making.

The problem in the food industry comes from all levels. The government, the producers, and the consumers all contribute to the unruly food business. Nobody is willing to take the blame for problems that arise. Resisting Food Safety, written by Nestle, a professor of Nutrition and Food Studies at NYU, talks about how producers, processors, and the government are trying to place blame on each other when outbreaks of food borne illnesses occur. Nestle sates how today’s food production encourages bacteria and viruses to spread with animals being in such close living quarters. Not only are the living conditions poor, but the people raising the animals on the farm, or killing them in the slaughterhouse are not educated enough to know how to protect themselves and the public from bacteria. Outbreaks are being reported to the media but from the past to now, outbreaks have gotten nastier because bacteria like ecoli 0157:H7 have changed over time to be able to withstand extremely hot temperatures. Animals are being held in large holding pens where they stay in extremely close contact until death where touch is only needed to spread pathogens. It is evident that there are people involved in every stage of food processing. Everyone must take responsibility in food safety but taking responsibility makes the businesses liable if something happens. That is why processors blame producers, the government blames processors and producers, and everybody blames the consumer. Each stage of food processing doesn’t want to take the blame for anything because it can be devastating to business. Earlier this year when the Chipotle outbreak occurred, there stock dropped 42 percent. Money is a reason as to why producers try to wash their hands of any responsibility.   Because we eat food so often, it is very hard to determine where a food borne illness was contracted. But consumers even after hearing of an outbreak will still keep eating. Chipotle still has lines and they had massive outbreaks all over the country. Even though there could be repercussions, the government needs to get a better hold of the food industry so problems will be addressed.

Eric Schlossar, writer of Fast Food Nation, states in Food Inc. that the top 4 companies control 80 % of the food industry. These companies are so powerful that they are able to “bully” smaller companies, farmers, and to some extent, the government. The strength of companies like Tyson and Monsano pose great obstacles for the government when they are trying to get regulations passed because they have people on their side working in high spots in the government. Consumer Reports writes, “the need for slaughterhouse to find a cheap, safe way to dispose of waste gave rise to a marriage of convenience between renderers and food producers, and to the inclusion of animal by-products in animal feed” (26). Animal waste is being recycled into feed, which is inhumane. Plus, the effects of animal waste in humans are still unknown. Animals are being fed drugs to grow faster and there own waste. The government is aware of the toxins that humans are exposed to when waste is being fed to the animals we eat, however they are not able to do much about it because of how many billions of dollars the drug companies make of selling there drugs to corporations and how little money it takes to recycle waste into food. Nestle writes, “The FDA proposed to restrict the use of antibiotics in animal feed. Congress, however, overruled this idea under pressure from farm-state lawmakers, livestock producers, and the makers of the drugs” (Nestle 46). With the pressure placed on the government, there still lie regulation loopholes because billions of dollars are at stake. These businesses allow animals to live in wretched conditions where there is no sunlight, manure on the ground, and dead animals lying around. They feed the animals waste and drugs in order to fatten them up cheaper in the shortest time period. They are unwilling to sacrifice public food safety for profit. The government is aware of this but can’t do much about it because how few companies there are nowadays in this industry. Each company has so much leeway that even the government cant control them.

Due to the lack of public knowledge about the food industry we are not able to make better decisions as consumers. This makes me question how much we really know about this business? There are plenty of articles and movies showing the sketchiness of the production of food but the public does not take the information seriously enough. Sometimes organic food is going to cost too much but the public needs to be aware of what is going on so changes will occur. If the public decides to boycott one brand because of unruly practices then changes will happen. Organic Illusions by Blake Hurst creates doubt in the readers mind about organic versus conventional farming. He writes, “organic foods are labeled as organic because producers certify that they’ve followed organic procedures. No testing is done to check the veracity of these claims” (Hurst 5). This makes me question the government’s role in organic farming. If the government is not checking whether or not organic food is actually organic then how is the public supposed to know if organic food is actually healthier and worth the extra money? The FDA and USDA do not have enough manpower to regulate imports, warehouses, slaughterhouse, and farms. It’s an extremely important job but one that is not being done to the best extent. Overall, the government oversight of the food industry is a mess and needs to improve.

If the government fails to step up to big businesses many things are going to be affected. Consumers will still be exposed to the harmful toxins, which the causes in humans are unknown, that are put into animal feed that can lead to food borne illness. More deaths will occur due to outbreaks and the public will become very concerned about the government and its role in protecting the people. If food is something that we need to survive, it needs to be well regulated to ensure safety and well being.

Robert Kenner stated it best in Food Inc. when he said, “The industry doesn’t want us to know the truth…if you knew the truth, you might not want to eat the food.”