America's Food System

What do you think of the American food system? Do you think America is doing it’s best to feed you healthy food that’s safe for consumption?

In this critical response to the article America’s Food Crisis and How to Fix it by Bryan Walsh. I am going to talk about how animals are being harmed and are given antibiotics to keep them from becoming sick, where the farmers put all the waste from the animals, and how people could fix it.

Consumers have become increasingly detached from their food as America’s food system grows larger and continues to ruin the environment. The main problem is that most consumers do not know how their consumption habits affect the ecosystem around them. Nor do they know about how their food was produced. Information about how and where the food is being produced and wasted is essential, so people can shop responsibly. Short of legislation, Americans make choices at the grocery store. It is essential for all Americans to cast in a vote with their dollars to change the way that food is produced in the United States resulting in more sustainable food being more accessible in the aisles of the grocery store for all Americans.

Prior to the War, the American diet heavily consisted of “red meat, butter, wheat flour, and sugar.” Red meats, wheat flour, sugar, and butter were all consumed by many American families on a weekly basis, which is why the United State Food Administration felt the need to place restrictions on consumption and encourage the consumption of “milk, vegetables, nonwheat cereals, fish and poultry.” The American diet consisted primarily of these foods because these foods could be grown and harvested in America.

My family and I have been a vegetarian for 2 years. Trader Joe's and The Whole Foods store have been a life saver for me, more expensive, However still more convenient than growing your own food and prepping it. Sometimes I’ll visit the Local Farmers market. Like Clemons or what use to Moms and Pops off Michigan. I have many options; still I have to be aware of where my food comes from and what is in it. I work hard for my family just as much as the next consumer; who wants their hard working dollars’ worth. Our families and loved ones that are being affected by what the FDA approve; an official that Americans trusts.

When asked the question "who in the United states is food-insecure?" one must first answer the question of what it means to have food security in America. Food security is defined by Edelstein (2010) as "assured access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, as well as access to enough food that is safe, nutritious, and acquired in a socially acceptable way." (pg. 71). Hunger would then be considered the absence of food. According to statistics by the Feeding America Organization, in 2014 they reported that 48.1 million Americans where considered to be food-insecure, with 32.8 of them being adults while 15.3 were children (2014). I believe that is also important to characterize where exactly Americans are more likely to be in this category. These same statistics also showed that there was a correlation of region when it came to Americans being more food-insecure. This region was shown to be the southern states of the US, as states like Texas, Kentucky and Louisiana all were in the top

Obesity is an issue; malnutrition is a problem. Their solutions seem simple: diet and exercise. If it is this easy, how come so many Americans are still dying from non communicable diseases everyday? There are many theories surrounding the exact origins of nutrition disparity such as food deserts, ignorance, convenience, and more, however, the reason for the continuation is likely out of repetition. Unhealthy habits have taken generations to form, yet knowing this, we continue to approach the issue of obesity from a surface level and offer the same advice: “Just eat a balanced diet.”

Lee (2015) theorizes that failed financial incentives, lack of knowledge and training in medical education and limitations of the physicians’ role regarding infrastructure and other policy making decisions have a direct impact on the obesity and subsequent disease processes that are impacting the nation.

The United States food system has changed drastically over the past few decades, consequently the change has not been for the better. There are a couple major problems with how our system is run nowadays. The food system was originally controlled by the farmers that cared about their product and the people they were selling the food too. Those farmers where just normal everyday people with a moral compass. In 1925 About 30% of Americans were in the agriculture business, but as the years went on, they were replaced with big businesses tycoons. Now in present time only 2% of Americans are left in agriculture, and most of them left are 55 years old or older and have to depend on multiple jobs just to make a living. And of those 2% left they have

Everybody loves food! Have you ever met somebody who doesn’t? But when it comes to the foods we eat, we don’t like to ask questions. When you stop and think about it, most of us don’t even consider where our food comes from, much less how it’s made. Meat and dairy products are food staples that are consumed on a regular basis throughout the world. There are many people out there who have chosen to live vegetarian lifestyles because they support animal rights and detest the idea of mercilessly slaughtering animals for food. However, there is a dark secret lurking in the bloody shadows of the dairy machine, one that the food industry doesn’t want you to know. If we could look beyond the dreamy landscapes and happy cows plastered on every milk carton and cheese block to the reality of dairy farming, we would be shocked and horrified at what goes into obtaining a glass of milk. If we really knew what happened on egg farms, we would cringe at the inhumanity of the process. The truth is, even though you may not eat meat, your consumption of dairy products could still be driving the animal-abusing, commercialized, factory of efficiency and monetization that is the dairy business – a business that is taking living, breathing animals and turning them into simply expendable resources. The truth is if you want to be one hundred percent certain that you are living animal-friendly, you must commit yourself to a vegan diet.

The food system that is in place in the united states is not sustainable. The damage that is being made from growing animals in the united states is damaging the planet by polluting and harming our own bodies with these genetically modified food products that we consume at a daily basis. Animals in the united states are not self-sustainable because the nature of the animal was changed by the animal’s growers.

Growing up in the early 2000s allowed people to observe drastic changes occurring in the American Food Industry. America is now seeing the repercussions of eating Fast Food daily and what might happen when a person does not maintain a healthy diet as part of their lifestyle. America is now the number one obese country in the world. By the looks of what is happening, America was determined to keep that title. People simply have not taken into consideration that the foods they eat have a direct impact on their body image. The food pyramid has been the first step of many to help show what foods belong where, and how much a person should consume. Even with the food pyramid trying to slow down fast food consumption across America the obesity rate

Veganism is a food lifestyle based on diet of vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and fruits. People are being vegetarian because they think it is healthier to only eat vegetables without eating meet or chicken, and they think that they will get a perfect body shape, free of diseases. As in vegetarian, where they feed on foods that do not fit into animal flesh, whether from wild or marine animals. They also don’t eat food that comes directly from the animal, such as: egg that’s comes from the hen, milk that comes from cows, goats and honey that comes from bees. In India, Ethiopia and Jamaica there are a lot of vegetarian people, because they don’t have enough food to feed themselves, so they decided to eat vegetable. This paper argues that veganism is a harmful lifestyle for three major reasons.

As different crazes and fads are appearing each day, we have come to expect them to simply fade away as the hype passes. However, veganism has stood the test of time in our fad society and is still increasing in popularity. Originally only thought to be a religious lifestyle, many people from different walks of life are becoming vegans. However, this poses many questions and sparks heated debates, mainly from omnivorous people who believe that veganism is against life’s natural order. Vegans, then, argue against an omnivorous lifestyle by bringing up facts about humans’ biological makeup and how humans are, contrary to popular belief, herbivorous by nature, not omnivorous. While both sides present good arguments to some, the veganism lifestyle contains more benefits and less harmful cons than an omnivorous lifestyle.

Some would not be able to live without eating any animal products in their diets, such as, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and honey. For vegans, however, this is a normal way of life. Vegans are frequently misunderstood as either people who have eating disorders, or an unnatural passion for animal rights. It is time for people to realize that veganism, a challenging yet rewarding lifestyle, goes way beyond being skinny or caring for animals. In reality, veganism can be extremely advantageous to anyone who adapts it as a way of life and has many different benefits that come along with it.