Food Politics

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For over a century, the government has been give us nutrition advice, telling us what we should or shouldn’t eat to stay healthy. Marion Nestles argument in her book, Food Politics, shows a corruption in the relationship between the government, principally the USDA through its dietary recommendations, the US Farm bill, and the food industry. The problem, says Marion Nestle, is that our diets are a political issue, because dietary advice affects food sales. Accordingly, corporate food companies use their relationships with people in the government, and science to push their product as a healthy choice. In other words, when it comes to consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economics; science, common sense, and health have very little to do with it. This explains why the food pyramid/plate has changed a number of times over the past century. It’s been influenced by the corporate food companies to drive sales. An example of this is given in chapter two of Food Politics, where the recently appointed Secretary of the U.S Department of Agriculture blocked the printing of the department’s latest food guide—the eating right pyramid. The reason for this was that the pyramid advised a dietary pattern in which people should eat more grains, fruits and vegetables, with a reduction in dairy and meat products, and even less consumption of foods high in fat and sugar. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that companies in the meat and dairy industry used their influence to prevent such a food guide from coming out. As you can see, there is a correlation between dietary advice and sales in the food industry, and therefore, corruption is inevitable.
The evolution of the kosher food industry in the United States is quite fascinating in ho...

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...f US organic food and the conventional food production. Firstly, most non-organic produce is treated with a variety of growth-enhancing substances. Secondly, Non-organic produce is commonly subjected to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grading and quality standards, which is not the case for organic produce. Thirdly, organic meats are often physically smaller then non-organic meats. The reason for this is because non-organic meats are treated with growth-enhancing substances. Lastly, various substances, such as food additives and pesticides are used on non-organic produce, which is not the case for organic. Additionally, organic products such as eggs, meats, and cheeses, come from animals that are raised without the use of antibiotics, and various other substances. Essentially, this means that organic products contains, if any, way less artificial ingredients.

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