Persuasive Essay On Food

People in Houston were told to evacuate their homes and to leave everything behind, due to the hurricane, but they couldn’t leave everything so they compromised and only brought with them the things that were an absolute necessity. Not a lot of people are able to compromise so easily. For some people this is a hard subject to grasp. Food is a major thing to in society today that not many people can agree on. Food is such a huge part of our everyday lives, but when two people are asked what they want to eat it seems that no one can come to an agreement. Food, however, is, “something beautiful to be shared with people” (M.F.K. Fisher), not something to cause problems and arguments when a decision about the food can’t be made. More often than not it’s really hard to compromise, but when it’s for the greater good and taking in account people other than yourself, there’s a certain satisfaction earned. In order to be considered a “well-rounded person” in society, it is inevitable that one has the ability to compromise. I had to experience compromise first hand in the humid, swampy, hot, seafood loving, Louisiana. “Four regions of south Louisiana were settled by the Cajuns.” (Ducote). So it’s probably pretty safe to say that Louisiana houses some pretty good, traditional Cajun food. This experience has helped me to realize my place in our culture when in comes to being a cordial, agreeable person.

Every person in America is guilty of this almost daily in some way or another, and that is wasting food by either letting it rot in your refrigerator, taking too much at dinner and throwing what is left into the garbage for some varmint to rummage through later, or even in the production process by throwing away a perfectly good potato because it doesn’t meet the size requirement for processing. In America, it’s something we don’t think about; rather it’s just a habit that causes us to lose money on that wasted food. Something we seem to forget about, however, is the fact that there are starving people in other parts of the world that could have benefitted from that. Contrariwise, American’s are not the only ones that can be accused of

Have you thought about how much food is wasted? Just think about your supper last night did you throw any food away if you did have you ever thought about where it goes or what happens to it? Many people don’t realize that there is a lot of food that is thrown away every year. Not only do people in their homes throw away food but grocery stores also throw out a lot of food too. “Most people believe that grocery stores should donate their food instead of throwing it away but the reason why many stores don’t donate their food is because many stores either don’t want to get sued or many grocery stores don’t know that they should be donating it.” ( Jacobs)

There are billions of people struggling every day to have enough to eat, and billions of tons of food being tossed in the garbage, food waste is gaining increasing awareness as a serious environmental and economic issue. Research shows that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, with an estimated value of $162 billion. About 32 million tons of it end up in landfills, at a cost of about $1.5 billion a year to local government this economic crisis is worldwide! My research estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed, and the total cost of that food waste could be as high as $400 billion a year. The food discarded by retailers and consumers in the most developed countries would be more than enough to feed all of the world’s hungry people, but it is not just those countries that have problems with food waste, it is also an issue in African countries like South Africa. The problem is expected to grow worse as the world’s population increases, unless actions are taken to reduce the waste. Food waste is not only a social cost, but it contributes to growing environmental problems like global warming, experts say, with the production of food consuming vast quantities of water, fertilizer and land. The fuel that is burned to process, refrigerate and transport it also adds to the environmental cost. Most food waste is thrown away in landfills, where it decomposes and emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

So, just think about this. How many of you have, say the last week, eaten every single bit and bite from your plate for dinner? None of us can really say that we always eat all of our food. Just think about all the food you wasted this week. All the food one of us wasted all together this week, could have helped feed another person, or maybe even a whole family somewhere in Africa or other poor places. Of course, some of us are more cautious than others, but one way or the other, we will always be wasting food and this is a problem that has been climbing higher and higher on the global issues ranking. Food waste is now one of the top issues in the world today, a1nd especially in America. So next time you decide to throw away food, think it through. “Let’s feed people,” “Not

Healthy food should be accessible to everyone. If healthy food isn’t available for everyone all it’s going to do is cause more and more health problems. If we made healthy organic food the same price as cheap unhealthy food there would be a big difference in the health of our country. It’s completely unfair to make healthy food too expensive for other people to buy, which causes them to buy cheap unhealthy food, like off a dollar menu at a fast food restaurant. This issue needs to be put to an end.

Food wastage includes both food loss and waste. It is morally irresponsible and also causes huge economical losses and severe damage to the world around us. The United States and Britain estimated that food wastage could lift around 224 million people out of hunger if we actually implemented ways to do so (MacMIllan, 2009). When looking at these numbers, people realize how wasting food is inefficient and unfair. The sources we save should get diverted to feeding hungry people, in hopes that food security will boost international efforts in tackling poverty and malnutrition (MacMillan,

When something is detrimental to our health, we strive to avoid it whenever possible to extend our lives. We know that exposure to known cancer causing agents such as asbestos and lead paint is harmful; therefore, we do not expose ourselves to the risk and we certainly do not eat it. This seems simple; however, what do we do when that harmful vice is food? We cannot stop eating; instead, we must closely examine what we are putting into our bodies. When faced with the choice of a burger or grilled vegetables, most would choose the burger. These choices have lead us down a path littered with food related diseases, illnesses and rising healthcare costs. The state of Americans health is declining due to increasing obesity, diabetes and

In November, Abby Philyaw started getting sick after eating school food. Until February, she suffered from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and stomach aches. Her doctor thinks the school lunch was the cause. After examination, scientists and health inspectors say school food isn’t as healthy as what the education system wants you to think. Science shows that burgers contain ingredients that make you fat, not to mention the other health risks it possesses. Multiple studies have shown that multivitamins can do more harm than good if taken daily by healthy individuals. After examining how burgers contain more than just fat, to why multivitamins might not be good for you, to what really is in school food, scientists fear we are dooming the bodies of the future generation day by day.

A healthy diet provides the body with the necessary nutrients: liquid, a sufficient amount of essential amino acids from the protein [1] Essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and enough calories. The requirements for a healthy diet can be met from a variety of botanical and animal foods, even though those following a vegan diet need non-animal sources of vitamin B12 [2]. A healthy diet supports energy needs and provides nutrients to the human body without exposure to toxicity or heat consumed in the body in excess of the body's required weight. A healthy diet, in addition to exercise, is considered as an important factor in reducing health risks such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer [3].

Food waste, throughout America, and the world, has become such a momentous problem that we can no longer afford to ignore it. In Caroline Scott-Thomas’s article US Wastes 40% of its Food Production, Finds NRDC, she writes that the chain of food waste begins with farmers and ends with consumers. Whereas Danielle Nirenberg’s article In a World of Abundance, Food Waste is a Crime she covers not only America but sub-Saharan Africa as well. Each article supplies endless statistics to back up their claims of food wastage, however, I believe one provides sources to back up their claims while another is more of an opinion piece. Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the waste they produce which has caused writers to study the reasons why such an excess of food is being thrown away, furthermore, while both articles are insightful and well-written, Caroline Scott-Thomas’s article provided the study as backup for her article while Nirenberg fails to cite significant sources in hers.

Imagine a piece of land around 24 times the size of California dedicated to farm crops and food. Now imagine all those food being thrown away and not eaten by people who are too full to care about the people going hungry every day. Not only does society ignore the problem of food waste, it constantly contributes to it. According to an article, “Curbing Food Waste Is Good for Business, the Environment, and Society”, 2.5 billion acres of land used for farming to grow food are wasted every year (Lewis). Now think about the amount of food 18,000 times the weight of the Eiffel tower or about 1.3 billion tons, gone with every 1 out of 9 people facing starvation. Where does all the food go? Unfortunately, instead in hungry stomachs, it goes into our landfills, which then produces methane contributing to the uprising issue of global warming (Dana). United States citizens need to reduce the amount of food waste by educating younger children to prevent poor habits and charge customers based on the amount of food wasted.

What if you just count calories? Well, calorie content on packaging isn’t exact; it’s more like an estimate. Not to mention, it’s too easy for us to start obsessing over calories. The focus on calories pulls us away from the actual ingredients, not to mention the ability to enjoy our food.

The world seems to become a more busy place every day, and finding the time to cook/shop for/eat healthy seems to become more and more difficult. The importance of a healthy diet, however, can not be overstated; thus, when one looks at the effects of a diet rich in processed or convenience foods, versus foods that are more wholesome, the effects are clear.

In America, we are constantly surrounded by abundance. Food is a prevalent waste item in the United States. Most people do not think about the resources it took to produce, transport, and prepare the food they throw away. Our food waste is not actually just trash; it is the key to human survival. Ordinary consumers can change the future with one small action: to stop wasting food. Actions at the individual level can decrease food waste and feed those in need. Twenty five percent of purchased food is thrown away. (TED) Often this is because food has spoiled, but it can be for other reasons such as oversupply, misread labels, or individual consumer shopping and eating habits. http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf