The Real Cost Of Eating Cheap Food Analysis

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Recommended: Cruelty within the food industry

The Real Cost of Eating Cheap Food Never Appears On the Menu According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2011, the average American consumed nearly one ton of food, 1,996 pounds of food a year. That means that, a minimum of 1 in 4 people include some type of fast food in their menu on a daily basis. Junk food is a poison to health. Fat food is high in fat and sodium, which increase obesity risk and the possibilities of a stroke, diabetes and a coronary artery disease. Many people might be aware about the physiological side effects presented when eating fast food. However, the hidden truth about the real cost of cheap food does not only includes esthetics and evident things to sight, it goes far beyond to affecting our biosphere …show more content…

Is humanity really benefiting from obtaining cheaper food products? In the article, Walsh advises the public not only about how harming the food most consumers eat is, but also how it is connected to the way animals are raised. Although the author makes excellent analytical conclusions when convincing the audience with a great use of rhetorical strategies supported with interesting percentages and evidence, he purposely manipulates the topic to obtain the desired results when persuading the audience, omitting certain facts revolving around organic products as its productivity, time, spoilage and …show more content…

Walsh also reinforces his rhetorical points by using imagery, which is a potent technique of evoking compassion in the reader not just about the way our food is processed, but emphasizing more in the animal’s suffering. For example: “When the pig is slaughters, at 5 month of age, he’ll become sausage or bacon that will sell cheap, feeding an American addiction to meat that has contributed to an obesity epidemic currently afflicting more than two thirds of the population.” (pp. 1). The author even addresses the negative aspect about organic food, (higher prices) demonstrating that he’s not afraid of the opposite side when he present the Mexican-fast-food chain Chipotle as an example. “…the taste more than compensates, and Chipotle’s higher prices haven’t stopped the company’s rapid growth, from 16 stores in 1998 to over 900 today.” (pp. 7). Finally, the author recognizes that fast food offer lower prices, which is a point that can be used as an argument in favor of the opposite side, but to sound even more convincing, he uses it to reinforce the comparative analysis that the monetary difference between the quality of food is insignificant when comparing it to the health-care costs of being obese or having any

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