An infamous agribusiness named Monsanto, which is best known for their agricultural biotechnology Genetically Modified (GMO) foods, works on grounds of dubiousness and dishonesty, but they were still able to earn the seal of approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Given the responsibility of testing, Monsanto continued to report the safety of its own GMO foods as being “well.” However, a Monsanto study done on rats that had eaten the GMO food source began growing tumors the size of a golf ball after six months proving that their foods are not safe. Yet, the FDA still allows agricultural industries like Monsanto to be open for business; rather than focusing on the health of Americans the FDA has allowed powerful agribusiness to distort
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The FDA has allowed powerful agribusinesses to change the mental concepts of healthy eating just to earn substantial sums of money. The agroindustry’s “food politics” taps into the subconscious of the U.S. consumer by way of advertising to boost the consumption of particular products. To clarify, “food politics” refers to the political aspects of the production, control, regulation, inspection, distribution and consumption of food. Marion Nestle, who is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and Ted Wilson who is the leader of the Seventh Day Adventist World Church, has shed light on what food politics is and how it affects American health. Collectively, Nestle and Wilson stated in Food Industry and Political Influences on American Nutrition that “In 1999 direct media spending (advertising going through agencies) by McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Coke and Diet Coke was $627, $404, $207, and $147 million respectively” (2012). Familiar brands well known by the US consumer have been advertising food by showing information like their calorie count to consumers, which can be important although most of these products are very un-healthy regardless of its 0-calorie count because it is processed. Processing is a way that increases the …show more content…
This is because simply telling the food industry to place nice will not work. The FDA whose task is to protect Americans’ foods, personal care products, and medicines has been in need of reform. This rule set will have to include a limitation of agribusinesses and its involvement on food policy; if a rule set were to be set in place, food policy would not be dependent on the amount of money a company makes and people will be more aware of what they are eating. Food policy is now ruled on questions of economics rather than health. To fix this the FDA has to improve it “accountability and scientific credibility” (Natural Resources Defense Council 2014). Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration’s loose protection of overseeing agricultural production has resulted in Americans who are both unhealthy and unaware. The feasible solution is to take a stand and tell the FDA that Americans health matters and not the amount of money that agribusiness has given to the FDA that in return has led to its demise as a credible
The FDA has allowed powerful agribusinesses to change the mental concepts of healthy eating just to earn substantial sums of money. The agroindustry’s “food politics” taps into the subconscious of the U.S. consumer by way of advertising to boost the consumption of particular products. To clarify, “food politics” refers to the political aspects of the production, control, regulation, inspection, distribution and consumption of food. Marion Nestle, who is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and Ted Wilson who is the leader of the Seventh Day Adventist World Church, has shed light on what food politics is and how it affects American health. Collectively, Nestle and Wilson stated in Food Industry and Political Influences on American Nutrition that “In 1999 direct media spending (advertising going through agencies) by McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Coke and Diet Coke was $627, $404, $207, and $147 million respectively” (2012). Familiar brands well known by the US consumer have been advertising food by showing information like their calorie count to consumers, which can be important although most of these products are very un-healthy regardless of its 0-calorie count because it is processed. Processing is a way that increases the …show more content…
This is because simply telling the food industry to place nice will not work. The FDA whose task is to protect Americans’ foods, personal care products, and medicines has been in need of reform. This rule set will have to include a limitation of agribusinesses and its involvement on food policy; if a rule set were to be set in place, food policy would not be dependent on the amount of money a company makes and people will be more aware of what they are eating. Food policy is now ruled on questions of economics rather than health. To fix this the FDA has to improve it “accountability and scientific credibility” (Natural Resources Defense Council 2014). Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration’s loose protection of overseeing agricultural production has resulted in Americans who are both unhealthy and unaware. The feasible solution is to take a stand and tell the FDA that Americans health matters and not the amount of money that agribusiness has given to the FDA that in return has led to its demise as a credible