I was searching for a company that I hadn't heard of before. I wanted to do the research without any preconceived notions of how the company operates or what it's goals are. I ended up choosing a company called ADM. It stands for Archer Daniels Midland, and they are in the agricultural industry. They started in 1902 processing linseed oil which has many uses, most commonly as a wood varnish. Over the years they have diversified into corn, soybeans, cocoa, wheat, other oil seeds, peanuts and other similar products. They are currently headquartered in Chicago, IL. Their mission statement is “To unlock the potential of nature to improve quality of life.” The slogan for the company is “Resourceful by nature.” According to their website: “They are …show more content…
currently the number 1 processor of almost all of the products listed above. The produce food additives for enhanced nutrition, feed ingredients for livestock, alternative fuel sources and environmentally friendly chemical products.” They have over 33,000 employees and do business in over 140 countries. Net sales for 2014 were $81.2 billion. ADM is a publicly traded company on the NYSE and stock prices are currently around $53, they boast 70 years of uninterrupted quarterly stock dividends paid. They are also the worlds leading suppliers of a myriad of food additives too numerous to mention, however I will be focusing on their corn products. ADM's mission statement says they want to improve quality of life.
As a leading producer of high fructose corn syrup, they are processing corn in a way that makes it unhealthy. According to the Mayo Clinic, as the increased use of HFCS in soda and fruit flavored drinks so has there been an increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes. They do go on to say that there hasn't been a study that can directly link them. There are however more companies offering their products without HFCS everyday. Many food companies, including restaurants and grocery stores have moved toward more healthy products. The consumer today is far more informed than they ever have been in the past. In 1950 there were more than 700 food additives in use in food being sold at the time, only 428 were known to be safe for consumption. These additives add shelf life and flavors to products for companies around the world and are able to cut costs giving the consumer a choice to eat or drink …show more content…
cheaply. Another major source of revenue for ADM from their corn processing is ethanol.
President Jimmy Carter visited with the president of ADM in 1978 during the Arab oil embargoes and asked that they produce ethanol to supplement the lack of gasoline that would be coming into the US. Studies have shown that ethanol, which is required to be blended into gasoline at least 10%, actually lowers the fuel efficiency of most cars by 5% fewer miles per gallon. The US government has subsidized corn farmers, and the ethanol producers for years and a report from Cato institute estimates that for every dollar of profit made from these products by ADM costed the tax payers around thirty. The same ethanol production process can also be made into gin, so based on the market conditions ADM can either use their facilities to make ethanol or gin on a government
subsidy. While the company has made improvements to health products, added nutrition to foods around the world, created preservatives that add shelf life, and have also provided cost savings to consumers which helps people afford to put food on the table. I have a hard time agreeing that they are living up to their mission statement. I think in general they are, as any capitalist for-profit company would, using the programs and faculties at their disposal to generate profit and to lower operating costs. A company of their magnitude should not be condoned and subsidized by the government, approved by the FDA and consumed by the American public, for selling additives and chemicals that have been proven to be unhealthy creating obesity and many other costly health problems. I do agree that they should be allowed to operate their business as they choose, it's up to the consumer to vote them out of business by not giving them their money. Based on their growing sales and profits over that last 113 years, I think they will be in business for a long, long time.
High-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used artificial sweetener in foods. High-fructose corn syrup is a hydrolyzed version of ordinary corn syrup, which is produced via a steeping process. It is so widely used because it is both economically favorable and it helps to preserve food for extended periods of time. However, the drawbacks of high-fructose corn syrup include issues like potential obesity, diabetes, loss of liver function, malnutrition, and cancer. The fact that the producers of high-fructose corn syrup can deceive people that HFCS is harmless makes matters worse.
The book Salt, Sugar, and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us discusses the danger of food with its readers. The dangers of food discussed in the book are the ingredients of Salt, Sugar and Fat in the food individuals consume on a daily basis. Producers use these ingredients to their advantage to get the consumers bliss point. The bliss point attained is used by the food giants to achieve a profit. However due to research on the health risks of these ingredients food companies are strategizing in order to maintain their profit and earn more of a profit.
The food that we as a nation consumes reflects the health and well being of the American people. We have become so accustomed to fast food and easy, unhealthy, diet choices that diseases like diabetes has become very prevalent and on the rise. One in every three Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes. In the film “Food Inc.” takes a look into a typical grocery store and reveals the illusion of variety. Most of the food in the industry leads back to corn. High fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn starch, is found in many of the foods and beverages that we consume. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Corn has become very affordable and abundant and big food
In 1996, Jim Wagner was hired as chief financial officer and was able to successfully achieve steady profitability for the company. One year later, in 1997, in an attempt to source its strategic investments, Natureview organized an equity infusion from a venture capital firm; however, the venture capital now needs to cash out of its investment in Natureview and management will therefore need to find another investor or position itself for acquisition. In order to attain the maximum potential valuation, the company must make strategic marketing choices in an attempt to increase revenues to $20 million before the end of year 2001. And to meet this lofty goal, Natureview can potentially enter a new market and transition from the natural food channel into the supermarket channel, a move that would signify a dramatic departure from the company’s present cha...
However, the outcome was different from his desired result due to strong protest from the dairy and livestock industry, so the Congress instead urged people to buy lean meat and less fat food so the dairy and livestock industry do not go out of business. This created the fat-free boom in the market in the 1980s. However, food companies began to put more sugar in their products because the taste was bad when they reduced fat in the food. Now, the sugar intake of Americans has doubled compared with before. In the American market, there are approximately 600,000 different food products, and 80% of those include sugar. Although sugar is written in various forms and names, one suggests that it’s bad in any form, especially if taken too much. Sugar consumed naturally through fiber-rich fruit or vegetable should be fine, but the added sweeteners stimulate the hormones that increase insulin. High insulin prevents people from thinking they are full, and thus crave more food. This causes many diseases. Of course one meal high in sugar will not kill them, but the problem is that people generally exceed daily sugar intake in one meal alone when consuming process food. We eat more processed and convenient food instead of fruits, vegetables, and
High fructose corn syrup was invented by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957” (Production of HF...
Early plans to switch to biofuels were met with outrage when the Pentagon bought biofuels at $26 per gallon back in 2012. As a result of the high price tag, lawmakers passed a law that would restrict the purchase of biofuels unless the price was on par with the price of petroleum. Now, the purchase of 77 million gallons of a 10 percent biofuel mix cost $2.05 a gallon. At 13 times less than 2012 only three and half years later, it’s a victory for Mabus. As a result of the price drop, other contracts are in the works to fuel ships in other places.
For a start, fast foods is one of the leading causes of obesity in America. Places like McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Burger King sell oversized portions of processed foods at extremely low prices. Because it is quick and easily affordable it becomes a daily habit for more on-the-go Americans. Whats wrong with these foods that most of it is made with corn. America’s diet is a corn based diet. Ioana Patrigenaru writes in his online article about what is hurting the American diet, “The results showed th...
Take a second to understand why fast food firms choose to sell products that are unhealthy. Their unhealthy products are in a high demand in the food market; in fact, they are simply giving us what we demand for. Most firms have started putting food labels on their menus so there is no room for excuse when making the right food choices. Nobody is forcing us to eat a whole box of Krispy crème donuts or a super-size meal at McDonalds. I believe that we are always looking for shortcuts in life and now we can anticipate there is a shortcut in what we put into our bodies. So we are consistently after things that are cheap, fast and affordable. Who better to attend to our needs than the fast food industry?
With this concept in mind, I am going to analyze the Guardian online 2012 article “Why our food is making us fat,” by Jacques Peretti. The article mainly speaks about the rapid rise in obesity and the main contributor to it, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The article also points out some of the economic and political influences behind HFCS. HFCS is used for almost every food product in the food industry. However, if we look at HFCS from a limited point of view, we just see it as something present in our food and not the health factors behind it.
According to Michael Moss, during a meeting where huge food companies came together to discuss the issues of obesity in America, Sanger (head of General Mills) commented “Talk to me about taste and if this stuff tastes better, don’t go running around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good.” (476) Sanger has a point, due to the fact that companies have tried selling healthier versions of their best-selling items. Yet I do agree with him that the companies marketing strategies should change. The junk food industry is targeting certain people to buy their products.
The mission statement of the company was “As we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define the core values from which we develop our culture, our bran...
With the fuel crisis that is happening in the world today it is now more important than ever to begin the look towards alternative fuel sources. One smart step for the US would be to wean the country slowly off of the gasoline fix and to look into alternative fuels to replace the “never coming back” fossil fuels. It turns out that Ethanol as a hybrid fuel proves to be a notable candidate for this gasoline intervention, per say. Now the United States is currently looking to subsidize fossil fuel alternatives. However, before considering ethanol production as a governmental subsidy, using large amounts of hard earned tax payer money, there has to be many alternative factors that come into play such as making sure the pros out weight the cons as far as environmental benefits and performance output and not to mention looking at the entire matter from an economic or investment perspective. First we need to consider what the ethanol we are talking about actually is and how can we obtain it.
They say “Our deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world give us our strong relationship with consumers and are the foundation for our future growth. We will bring our wealth of knowledge and international expertise to the service of local consumers - a truly multi-local multinational.
Mission Statement: As an educator I will provide for students the opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives to help them accomplish unexpected goals. I will enhance learning to support my students in achieving their highest potential by integrating technology into the curriculum. I will integrate conceptual technology learning techniques that will implement concrete knowledge of technology that will emphasize mastery of understanding. Through committed support from educators, faculty, staff, parents, and the community, I will advance learning to support my students. This will allow students to become confident, creative, motivated, technology-ready students. I will provide leadership to achieve these standards of excellence each student deserves for a technology driven society.