Matt Nolan
Critical research
Draft 2/20
What is in jeopardy with the way that the American food system is being run today? The food industry is corrupted by big companies that are thirsty for money, forcing farmers to use GMO’s and specific feeds/farming techniques. Most of these things are bad for animals, humans, and the environment. The government(FDA,USDA) needs to do a better job at regulating and enforcing their rules on these techniques/practices. Is there a way to fix all of this and have a healthier food system for all of America or will we keep going down the same path?
Large companies have taken over the American food system single handedly in their desire to make the most money possible. They have power and control over farmers by paying them good money to do what they want them to. If the farmer wanted to leave and be out on his own he would most likely go out of business due to all of the surrounding farmers working for the company that they once did. We see this in the video “Food Inc.” where the farmers talk about how they are controlled like puppets. Companies also make seed deals and if you store the seeds or try and sell them you will have a lawsuit coming your way. The feed that they force their farmers to feed their animals is mostly GMO’s and other parts of chopped up animals. On top of all of this, most of the government and people above the big companies have money invested in them. This makes it almost impossible to change how things are happening now.
The things stated above are bad for America, consumers, animals, and even the environment. How? There are many studies that have been performed to prove this. Many of what is in the animals feed is very disgusting. That means that consumers are eating those animals that grew up eating that feed. “Our investigation raises concerns that the federal government isn’t doing enough to protect the feed supply and that as a result the food we eat may not be as safe as it could be”(CR Pg.26).Workers are being mistreated in many of the facilities across America. GMO’s are in a ton of the foods that are being sold to consumers. As it says in the article GMO pig feed “Currently, no GE safety testing is required in the U.S. The long-term study revealed that pigs fed a GE diet suffered higher rates of severe stomach inflammation…”. Pesticides and animal waste is being spread into the environment polluting waters that all life drinks on a daily bases.
The government, USDA, and FDA are not doing their jobs to overlook the food industry and protect animals and humans. For example Nestle says that they have a lack of funding and manpower to do the job and keep up with the growing food system. Which leads to a lack of oversight and practices are twisted and there is more room for error which leads to food borne illness and other things. About 80% of seafood in the United States is imported and the FDA tests only about 2% according to consumer reports. That is a ridiculously low percentage to be testing on all imports that could contain toxins and bacteria that could harm consumers. The FDA and USDA need to find a way to get more funding to keep up with the changes in the food system for the good of the consumers.
There are ways to fix this mess that is going on with the food system in the United States. But no one can seem to agree and blames everyone els for the problems. As Nestle says, the government(FDA,USDA) blames the corporations/companies, which blame the consumers and vice versa. Once we get over that we can start breaking down how to solve this problem. As seen in the video “Food Inc.” one farmer did everything the natural way. For example the cows were in a field, ate the grass, and went to the bathroom and the cycle continued. “If the animals were on a grass diet would eliminate 75% of E coli in gut”(Food Inc.).If this was done throughout the US there would be less talk about feed and what environment that the animals lived in. Taking away the big companies that control everything would be another good idea. If food was bought locally that decreases the chances for bacteria and other things to grow with the less time that it is processed, shipped, and stored. Though some would disagree with this hypothesis like Blake Hurst. Hurst talking about a study done at Stanford disagrees “When a study finds no differences in nutritional value after 70 years of hybrid seeds, 60 years of chemical fertilizers, a half century of synthetic pesticide application, and almost two decades of GM seed, its a problem for the narrative of the organic industry”. This is definitely worth looking into but there would need to be more studies done since so many people would be for a more organic old fashioned way of farming.
How will the American food system be in 50 years? No one knows but the way that it is going with corruption starting at the top with companies and government and the bad practices who knows. Hopefully people will start to look into what goes on behind the scenes and what they are actually eating and try to make a change. People need to start being more informed about what they are putting into their body and not being persuaded by company ads and other things. All of there articles bring up great points about what is wrong and what is not wrong with the food system. As it will take a ton of consumers and people that want to do the right thing to make a change for the good of the American food system.