The Food Industry The Food Fad The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan Food Politics by Marion Nestle Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser Food, Inc. by Eric Schlosser (book and movie) Super-Size Me FLO SEEDS Now an d then • • • • • In the 1930s, 24 percent of the American population worked in agriculture compared to 1.5 percent in 2002 In 1940, each farm worker supplied 11 consumers, whereas in 2002, each worker supplied 90 consumers (Scully 2002) Since 1960, the number of farms has declined from 3.2 million to 1.9 million, but average size has increased by 40% and productivity by 82% Most just raise a single commodity (AKA monoculture) Most use a system of vertical integration, ownership by one company of all stages of production and marketing (Nestle 2002) >>Basically there is a trend of less farms, but larger size and greater production But why? What caused it to be this way? History of Industrial Agriculture Key innovations that drove us to where we are now… 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Synthetic Fertilizer (NPK) Vitamins and Nutrition Supplements Antibiotics and Vaccines Pesticides Irrigation Hybrid Crops >>Also legislation like the Farm Bill Green Revolution • President Truman in his 1949 Inaugural Address expressed that in order to prevent the spread of communism, America should work to prevent hunger around the world • 1940s Norman Borlaug and HYVs in Mexico Technology now used by the industry • • • • • • Hybrids GMOs Synthetic fertilizer Pesticides Antibiotics Irrigation Sources • http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Penicillin_2.htm • Wikipedia Haber Process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process • http://www.pollutionissues.com/Na-Ph/Pesticides.html • Horrigan, Leo, Robert S. Lawrence, and Polly Walker 滴ow sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health effects of industrial agriculture.� NIH Research Review. Center for a livable future, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. v110.5 May 20002 • Nestle, Marion. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2002. • Scully, Matthew. Dominion: the power of man, the suffering of animals, and the call to mercy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002. Effects of US Food industry on Human Health Pro food industry Success of the US Food Industry The US food industry provides enough food to feed the US and provide AID for much of the developing world. In 1900, households relied primarily on local food production, and the predominant nutritional problems were low caloric intake and inadequate intakes of certain vitamins and minerals. Today, a hallmark of the American agricultural system is that consumers enjoy year-round abundance of nutritious and affordable foods. Dustbowl and Great Depression •In the 1930s, disasters such as the Dustbowl and the Great depression, were intensified by an unstable food supply. October 1939. Baby from Mississippi in truck at the Farm Security Administration camp at Merrill, Oregon Photographed by Dorothea LangeMigrant mother, aged thirty-two with seven hungry children, Nipomo, CA )Courtesy of Library of Congress Food Safety Because of the size of the US food industry, and regulations by the USDA and FDA, the food manufacturing process is very transparent and there are many less cases of food-borne illnesses than there would be if farming and food processing weren’t centralized. Administrations that monitor food quality and safety range from local and statewide efforts of federal institutions and laws: OSHA, USDA, EPA FoodFDA, Regulation Information of food safety affects public opinion and food purchases •Like any business, demand for a product affects the market supply for that product and the possible profits from the sell of it. •US Farmers, Food manufacturers, Grocery stores and restaurants go through rigorous measures to prevent a decrease in demand from their foods Food industry and Preventable Diseases •Does the US Food Industry contribute to preventable diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease? •Other factors affecting disease: •American Lifestyle •Economic situation America’s Diet: The Numbers Alternative foods in the US Food Supply •Many options such as organic foods, local produce, GMO/ High Fructose Corn Syrup and vegan/vegetarian options exist for those consumers who prefer these products. •Not all American consumers desire these products •Not all American consumers can afford these products •Large organic farms face the same sustainability issues as conventional farms. Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply. “Norman Borlaug References •Htt p://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://oecotextiles.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/dustbowl_photo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/textiles-organic-agriculture-andwater-use/&usg=__u5n5VWTFINOjddZ50k6TQkhtMNI=&h=569&w=757&sz=229&hl=en&start=9&sig2=PFA7FXwmPFVcvOQxdB_7g&tbnid=tVfzsR3j7oq0jM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=142&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddust%2B bowl%2Bphotos%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den&ei=HbH4SuTLE4-Vtgfj47 http://www.csub.edu/library/images/dustbowl.jpg http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.organicjar.com/images/made_with_non_gmo.jpg&im grefurl=http://current.com/items/90398596_whole-foods-to-use-new-non-gmoseal.htm&usg=__fb_yepYqsOKaEjVPgDjT3VDpy5g=&h=225&w=320&sz=8&hl=en&start=19&sig2=rgkMmGZoP37j6nxxuNLLg&tbnid=iuqzMlsihjjlwM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3DnonGMO%2Bfoods%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den&ei=a7_4SuL0Fsyo8Aai5KDzCQ http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSafety/consumerdemand.htm http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/DietQuality/Availability.htm http://libriumarcana.com/blogs/index.php?blog=12&title=why_organic_farming_is_not_sustainable_a&mor e=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 What’s wrong with our food industry? • Government subsidized commodity crops – Diet related health risks • CAFOs – Antibiotic resistance – Neighboring communities and waste • Worker Health • Green Revolution and the Use of Pesticides Commodity Crops • Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans • Processing = more profits • More energy per pound – Less water and fiber – More sugar and fat • COST – Food insecurity and obesity Obesity: Diet Related Illnesses • Three-fifths of Americans are now overweight. • Known risk factor for: – Coronary heart disease – High blood pressure – Triglyceride levels – High cholesterol – Diabetes Nutrition • Food Grown with Oil not Sunlight • Less Nutritious – Hybridization – Fertilization • Pesticides CAFOs • Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations • Antibiotics – Daily to avoid infections – Antibiotic Resistance • Waste – Residential Areas – Air and Water Quality – Ex: Hog Industry in NC Worker Health • Meatpacking – Unskilled and Young – OSHA: most dangerous industry in 1980s and 1990s • Farmers and their families – Pesticides • Acute effects • Chronic effects – Labor Wages and Environmental Justice The “Green” Revolution Movement to increase yields after WWII • Irrigation – Water Intensive • Pesticides – Farmers, neighbors, consumers • Synthetic Fertilizers – N and P • Hybridization – Selective breeding Monocultures • Always Cheaper? – Unsustainable – Synthetic Nutrient Cycle – Seeds • High Travel Cost – Food Miles – Vehicle Exhaust • Use of Fossil Fuels – Nitrogen Fertilizer Say No to GMOs? • GMO = Genetically modified organism • Can we know yet if its safe? – New technology – unpredictability • Health concerns – New allergies – New toxins? • Impact on the environment Food Safety • Meat processing facilities are consolidated • Food Contamination – 76 million Americans become ill every year – E. Coli – Salmonella  Terrorist threats to our food supply Sources • http://wparks.myweb.uga.edu/ppt/green/sld003.htm • http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=1462708 2 • http://www.foodroutes.org/doclib/204/Hamburger.pdf • http://www.nrdc.org/health/kids/farm/chap1.asp • http://www.hogwatchmanitoba.org • http://www.ecoliteracy.org/publications/rsl/michael-pollan.html • http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/organic_nutrition.cfm • http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2004-06-01/Is-Agribusiness-MakingFood-Less-Nutritious.aspx?page=2 • Donham, Kelley, and Kendall Thu, eds. Understanding the Impacts of LargeScale Swine Production: Proceedings from an Interdisciplinary Workshop, June 1995. Des Moines, Iowa. • Donham, Kelley. "Community and Environmentally Acceptable Livestock Production: Defining the Challenge". Presentation at Animal Feeding Operations and Ground Water Conference, November 1998. • Schiffman, S.S. 1998. Livestock oders: Implications for human health and wellbeing. Journal of Animal Sciences, 76:1343-1355. • http://www.edf.org/documents/2537_Hogwatch_EnviroImpacts.pdf. • http://www.saynotogmos.org/ud2006/usept06.php#confused • 7 Holford, Patrick, "How to Protect Yourself From Pollution", 100% Health Newsletter, No. 16, September 2003. Alternatives • Sustainable agriculture • Urban agriculture • CSA (community supported agriculture)