Food Injustice In The United States

Food injustice

Food injustice is a big problem in the United States. First off, there are disorders that come from food like obesity, anorexia, and other kinds of eating habits. One solution for this is more laws restricting amount of fat in products as well as better labeling on food. Another problem dealing with food is the production, some fruit pickers and meat processors are abused by their bosses. A solution for this is better laws against unfair treatment to employees.

Physical eating disorders are a huge and growing problem in the U.S. According to a 2005 study 1.6 billion people worldwide are overweight and 400 million people are considered obese, (Davis, 2007). A source of this problem could be that young kids are not getting

the information they need from parents. Some parents tend to be too lenient towards how much fat they will let their children consume. In addition to that, only ⅓ of kids between the ages of 12 and 18 get the recommended amount of exercise they need to stay healthy, (Ravn, 2008). Another problem with the food industry is the abuse towards workers. In California, workers would pick grapes all day in harsh conditions and get paid very little for it, (Viva la causa, 2008). Also, in the slaughterhouses they work in freezing cold weather along with abusive superiors. The employers give the employees no breaks, make them work with dangerous machinery and tools, and make them fondle raw meat without any gloves or sanitary measures. These people work 10 hour shifts every day and do not receive any health benefits or get paid a reasonable amount. I suppose now you can see how their are so many flaws involving any side of the food industry, whether it’s the process of making it or consuming it.
Thankfully, to any problem there are solutions. In an online article, “We can’t just assume that fat people are lazy, many of their lives are overwhelming to them,” (Reimer, 2014). If people are overwhelmed with work, family, or friends, they might use eating as an escape route from reality. A solution to this could be something as simple as advertising. Advertising? You might ask. Today all you see in grocery stores are these processed sugar balls with colorful packaging to stand out. If we were to change that so healthier options had the fancy packaging, people would be drawn to that instead. Also, companies that make unhealthy snacks need to stop lying to the public and put more accurate statements on the front. A solution to abusive employers is even simpler. There should be more laws on how much break time a worker is allowed per day, how many safety precautions a facility like a slaughterhouse must have, and even a better minimum wage. This will not only help the workers, but also the employers because when the employees get paid more and are comfortable they will work more efficiently and make more money for the company. Finally, you can see how easy some solutions could be if the government was willing to step in.
This issue matters because their are many people who suffer and are killed from these working conditions every year. Every year 300,000 people are injured and 100 people killed in the slaughterhouse, (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2010). That means these working conditions are not even adequate, less yet useful. Also, obesity matters because when we have a large percent of our population overweight and unhealthy, the standard of living goes down as well as the general health of the public. If we can lower the percentage of obesity throughout the United States, it will affect personal lives as well, being surrounded by more fit people will encourage others to stay healthy and not fall into the trap of the media. All in all, if we can lower obesity rates and make more laws on worker protection, this country's overall standard of living will skyrocket.