The Origins Of Current U.s. Food Regulation

Regulations made to minimize the risk of illness through food are based on the government’s understanding of science. While food businesses consider both the quality and safety of food, the government focuses only on food safety.

In the Shenandoah Valley near the border of Virginia, Joel Salatin and his son Daniel, accompanied by two farm hands, run “one of the most productive and influential alternative farms in America” (Pollan 126). Polyface Farm is rather unique in its business tactics as well as agricultural practices. The only way to eat products from Polyface farm is to live next to it. . .or within a half-day’s drive. Joel Salatin is a firm believer of “relationship marketing” wherein the only way to ensure integrity is to meet the man who raised your meal (Pollan 240). Farms like Joel’s are often forgotten or considered to be at the bottom of the socioeconomic food chain, yet customers come back every single week to pick up the food that they know has been humanely raised and is not tainted by the farcical regulations (or lack thereof) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Joel claims that “the only genuine accountability comes from a producer’s relationship with his or her customers, and their freedom” but his business is hindered by the “disconnected multi-national fecal factory” that is the American food industry (Pollan 235-241). Joel wants to be able to do more for his customers, and he’s fighting the system so that he can. Eventually, Joel would like to cure, or even smoke, his meat so that his customers have even less work to do, but the USDA regulations prohibit curing/cooking meat on land designated only for agriculture (Pollan). If the USDA were to modify its

“Our food system is 21st century, but our government’s food-safety system is stuck in the 1900s.” (Bryan Walsh). This is a 21st century of new technology and better health care, but our food-safety system can’t get any better. Food safety is not as safe as it should be. This is one thing that should not be taken for granted. We are dealing with people’s lives and their health. Our government does not care how safe our food is. These meat packing companies and corporations get away from lack of food and safety inspections because people in our own government have worked for these companies. Even though these companies are main source of food, and because of the lack of concern for the food-safety system there needs to be stricter

In recent years, pork production has become a big business in the United States. In the past, the raising of swine was handled by small farming operations. Today, however, pigs are raised in large factories, some of which have the capacity to hold more than 100,000 animals (Lynch

Factory farms having locked doors only reinforces what some of us already suspect. That they are engaging in activities appalling to the public. Their secrecy is seemingly sustaining their business. Consumers’ ignorance of the meat production business only encourages inhumane animal husbandry. Foer says, “the power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do.” (pg. 87) This is why we need to educate ourselves on this matter extensively and start actively demanding where our meat is coming from. Advocating for animal welfare is one way we can begin the process of changing or ultimately ending factory farming.

Even though self-regulation hasn’t been successful so far, with incentives that could change. Businesses are run by their owners not the government, and regulations shouldn’t be imposed on them, but current voluntary guidelines could be supplemented by tax incentives, which would motivate the food industries to implement them. They would be persuaded to make better adjustments to their product for the purpose of selling and advertising healthier food items. Bittman believes that “grass roots movements need to make agencies aware that food industry regulations for marketing are needed”, however this is not feasible (1). These are big corporations, their money and comradery will influence the agencies to ignore claims from the grass roots movements. The power of financial persuasion is the method the government should use to get the food industries to self-regulate in a health conscious way. Getting food industries to implement better marketing regulations would only solve a small portion of the problem, education would solve the large portion. It’s up to the parents to educate our kids about eating healthy with the help from the school. The most effective course of action for children or anyone having a healthy diet is being educated about it. The government should

One may not agree with the government regulating our own food. The government wants healthier food choices, people to be more athletic, and they really want everyone to make better decisions. The government is only trying to get the population to be healthier. People may not agree with the government regulating our own food choices.

Summary: Because of food borne pathogens, 5,000 people die yearly and some 76 million are ill. Meat contamination has changed the nations confidence in the food safety system and questioned if the government should scale up regulations. Consumers advocates says the government need to increase inspections of both domestics and imported products and sanction facilities that repeatedly fails. But officials say increased regulations may put plants out of business without increasing food supply. A last minute hitch, however has left fate of that bipartisan legislation uncertain, despite support form unusual alliance of industry and consumer advocates. Scientists can now genetically modify fruits and vegetables as well as livestock and other food

Throughout human history, food has always been a major influence towards society. Whether it may advocate changes of culture, formulate emotional bonding, it can also aggravate towards poverty. According to modern society, the latter has it that food has become an abundant resource to some parts of the world, so

It is so easy to become complacent in our sheltered world and to turn the other cheek to the violence and misery that our every life decision can perpetrate, and that the majority of the country (mostly unknowingly) buys into. The fact is that if the horrors of the meat industry were common knowledge, the business would decrease, and drastically at that. So, to keep the knowledge from becoming widespread, meat and animal factory farms are content to work quietly and discreetly in the sparsely-populated back corners of the country where no one can see what is being done without making an active effort. The problem for them is, many people have been making an active effort- as the animal cruelty cause became more mainstream, the US saw a

Attention: Close your eyes and step into the world of an individual. You are born into a world where nights and days are never constant (attention getter). You are fed three to five times a day, but no one is there to nurture you. Not even the numerous others crammed into your living space. You grow frantic, scared, and sickly. Now open your eyes, to reality. What I have just described is one of America’s worst ghettos. You know this individual who is trapped in this environment. He is your breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the meat you eat . Today’s farms not only abuse their animals they also produce harmful diseases and environmental hazards that affect each and every one of us, regardless of whether you consume animal products or not. The U.S. government should ban factory farms and require the meat industry to raise animals in their natural environments (preview of points and statement of purpose).

Food safety regulations worldwide don’t align perfectly from one country to another, and there are food safety-related issues that arise as a result. Governments don’t all legislate it the same way because scientific evidence for the validity of specific policies isn’t all there is to consider—culture, history and politics included. These same things in tandem with pervasive fear and protectionism factor into how regulations solve certain problems.

Industrial agriculture is currently the predominant food production system in the United States. It is distinguished by large-scale monoculture, abundant use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and meat production in CAFOs. CAFOs are ‘Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations’, otherwise known as factory farms, which aim to cram as many animals in one space to boost efficiency and profit at the expense of animal suffering and environmental hazards.

Changes in the Structure of the U.S. Pork Industry The United States has made a significant shift in swine production during the past two decades. The countryside used to be filled with small operations that raised hogs and crops. However, the industry has become much more concentrated among large operations. Single phase operations are much more prominent and replaced most of the farrow-to-finish operations. Between 1992 and 2004 the number of hog farms fell by more than 70%, yet the hog inventory remained stable as the average operation grew from 945 head in 1992 to 4,646 in 2004 (Key & McBride, 2007). Small family farmer operations could not compete with the commercial farms.

The mistreatment of animals in the United States is often overlooked as a major issue. Many Americans will often show disdain for countries that consume animals that they consider to be family, such as cats and dogs. However, most Americans do not see the hypocrisy in the maltreatment of