Obesity and its associated comorbidities such as heart disease and type II diabetes have become a major public health concern in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese; and 20.6% of adolescents age 12-19 are classified as obese”(CDC). As these numbers continue to grow, people are beginning to question the cause of this epidemic. There are several factors contributing to Americas weight problem including increased production of processed foods, socioeconomic status, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise. Although, the current way of food production in America is extremely efficient, several studies have found that processed foods have an ultimately negative
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Although this form of production has its benefits, researchers have linked processed foods to negative health consequences. Over the recent years, it has been noted that processed foods have been connected to the current issue of obesity in the United States. Obesity can develop as a result of a person being severely overweight. This is an issue because it can develop into heart disease, type 2 diabetes, as well as severe joint and bone disease. The rise in obesity in the recent year can be attributed to the current economic pressures many have been going through. It has also been shown that processed foods can become addicting to its wide range of consumers. As stated by economist Trenton G. Smith “It is no coincidence that obesity has increased in parallel with the rise in economic insecurity in the United States and around the world, and that consumption of fast foods…”( Economic Stressors). One reason why processed foods are so appealing to its consumers is for the simple fact that processed food is priced within most of Americas middle and lower classes budgets. As stated by Charlene M. Kalenkoski, Department of Economics at Ohio University, And Karen S. Hamrick, Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of …show more content…
Science and Agriculture have be able to go hand in hand, developing new and creative ways to produce crops that can be grown all year long. The ability for these crops to be protected by chemicals that ensure a product that isn’t contaminated by animals bacteria, as well as adding ingredients that will allow some products to have a longer shelf life without spoiling. However, this form of food production, industrial farming, is depleting our land of vital minerals, creating antibiotic resistant microbes and bacteria, and pollutes our water and air. As stated in an article written by the Organization of Concerned Scientist, “American Corn Belts were once celebrated for their fertility. But industrial farming treats that fertility as a resource to be tapped, not maintained. Soils used to grow annual row crops and then left bare for much of the year have poor drought resistance, increasing irrigation costs” (Hidden Costs of Industrial Agriculture,1). Due to crowded conditions in factory farms most animals are left sitting, crawling, or standing in their own filth, and to combat any large outbreak of infection, several farms use low level antibiotics to keep their investments safe. In doing so the current food industry inevitably has some cases when they created super bugs or bacteria which end up being resistant to most
Although this form of production has its benefits, researchers have linked processed foods to negative health consequences. Over the recent years, it has been noted that processed foods have been connected to the current issue of obesity in the United States. Obesity can develop as a result of a person being severely overweight. This is an issue because it can develop into heart disease, type 2 diabetes, as well as severe joint and bone disease. The rise in obesity in the recent year can be attributed to the current economic pressures many have been going through. It has also been shown that processed foods can become addicting to its wide range of consumers. As stated by economist Trenton G. Smith “It is no coincidence that obesity has increased in parallel with the rise in economic insecurity in the United States and around the world, and that consumption of fast foods…”( Economic Stressors). One reason why processed foods are so appealing to its consumers is for the simple fact that processed food is priced within most of Americas middle and lower classes budgets. As stated by Charlene M. Kalenkoski, Department of Economics at Ohio University, And Karen S. Hamrick, Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of …show more content…
Science and Agriculture have be able to go hand in hand, developing new and creative ways to produce crops that can be grown all year long. The ability for these crops to be protected by chemicals that ensure a product that isn’t contaminated by animals bacteria, as well as adding ingredients that will allow some products to have a longer shelf life without spoiling. However, this form of food production, industrial farming, is depleting our land of vital minerals, creating antibiotic resistant microbes and bacteria, and pollutes our water and air. As stated in an article written by the Organization of Concerned Scientist, “American Corn Belts were once celebrated for their fertility. But industrial farming treats that fertility as a resource to be tapped, not maintained. Soils used to grow annual row crops and then left bare for much of the year have poor drought resistance, increasing irrigation costs” (Hidden Costs of Industrial Agriculture,1). Due to crowded conditions in factory farms most animals are left sitting, crawling, or standing in their own filth, and to combat any large outbreak of infection, several farms use low level antibiotics to keep their investments safe. In doing so the current food industry inevitably has some cases when they created super bugs or bacteria which end up being resistant to most