Geneticall Obesity: Why Americans Have Lost Touch With Their Food

Humans need few things for survival: water, shelter, and food. So why is it that our food, something we need to survive, has grown so detached from us? Research has shown what we should eat and how much, with the illustration of the food pyramid to make it easy. More meats and grains and less fats and oils to stay healthy. Eat right, exercise, watch portion sizes, and all will be well with your body. What Americans do not think about is where their food comes from. Why are there oranges in summer and strawberries in winter? Why can a shopper buy ripe tomatoes year round? Americans have lost touch with their foods, where it comes from, the production process, and what is in it. Large food corporations care more for quick money than for safe, healthy foods. By shopping locally, consumers can fully understand where their food comes from, the treatment it faces, and whether or not it is safe. The food Americans eat changed to become more appealing to the eye than to the body.
Genetically modified foods have become the norm, along with having every fruit or vegetable available at any time throughout the year. In the American supermarket, there are no seasons, as everything is available all the time. In the documentary Food Inc., where filmmaker Robert Kenner examines the American food market, he explained, “ Now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas” (Food, Inc., 2008). Most americans have no idea that their fruits and vegetables are artificially ripened, so they can remain on supermarket shelves for longer periods of time. Luckily, under the administration of Obama, the Food Safety Modernization Act passed in 2011 which gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to inspect high- risk facilities, test for unsafe bacteria and pathogens, and call in contaminated food; however, the cost of this act is a whopping 300 million, and Republican senators, such as Tom Coburn are fighting to cut its funding. That being said, Americans need to be more aware of the fight behind their food. Do they know that large corporations, such as Walmart, sell foods that are genetically modified, without any restrictions? Why are Americans okay with blindly putting products into their mouths without any idea of what it really is? Local farms and markets can tell you exactly how, and where a product was grown and made. They can educate consumers on how a product should be processed and handled, or how a crop should be grown. In order to affect large corporations, consumers need to change what they buy, since companies will change what they are selling to fit customers wants. If a consumer limits what they buy to only natural and organic foods, then supermarkets and corporations will start selling more organic and all natural foods; however, if a consumer buys processed, unhealthy foods, then that is what supermarkets will sell, because that is what makes money. Consumers control the market, “...if enough people call for it, restaurants could be cajoled into offering reasonable portions. Tell them you don't want more for less. Tell them you want less for less--less food for even less money. You want to sit down and enjoy an amount of food that you can finish without feeling stuffed, at a fair and reasonable price" (USA Today, 2001). If consumers buy meals that are oversized portions, for little money, then that is what will be sold. Americans need to start showing that they care for their health, that they want smaller portions for less money, healthy options for fewer dollars. Without active change in consumer trends, the food industry will never change to help the people, but will continue to profit that large corporations, restaurants, and supermarkets. Due to consumerism, and lack of knowledge, the obesity epidemic has consumed the United States. Obesity has become America’s number one killer. Adults and children alike are facing the debilitating disease caused by overeating, lack of exercise, and lack of knowledge about the products consumed. Organic foods, which tend to be healthier and with pesticides or GMOs, cost more in supermarkets than soda, chips, or pre-made meals, making organic produce more likely to be left out of consumer’s carts and homes. According to USA Today, “Today, more Americans than ever--55%, according to the National Institutes of Health--are clinically overweight, while one in every four is obese (severely overweight)...for the first time in history, most of the American population is at increased risk for obesity-related ailments like certain cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, and osteoarthritis” (USA Today, 2001). America is at risk, and needs to make a change to prevent percentages from rising. All shoppers have to do is pay attention to ingredients and buy healthier products. Ignoring pre-packaged meals, such as frozen pizza, frozen burritos, or other frozen meals, and grabbing the veggies could seriously affect the obesity epidemic. Obesity is an issue that stems from the creation of ready made meals.
Pre-made meals, or frozen meals are not only bad for one’s health, but they are bad for the environment. They add to the amount of waste that the food industry produces. The convincing advertisements and convenient packaging hide the harsh reality, “...behind the mouth-watering offerings lies a distasteful reality: billions of dollars' worth of food is dumped each year because of retailers' inefficiency” (The Economist, 2008). Food waste is not only produced from prepackaged foods, but also from restaurants that offer huge portion sizes which people cannot finish. Some people may get their leftovers wrapped, but the rest send their food to the trash. Decreasing portion sizes, buying organic foods locally and cooking meals at home, and buying carefully can help the waste issue in America. On top of that, decreasing waste production would help corporations, such as Walmart, or Stop & Shop, cut
costs.