Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Trent Hanselmann
Research Paper Final
Dr. VanLaningham
12/3/14
Processed Food Running the American Society
Despite processed foods incredibly unhealthy characteristics and even the knowledge
known about it, processed food has a significant role in todays American society. With
childrens obesity rates higher than ever before and the fast food consumption not slowing down,
there is a problem with the existence of processed food in America. Why does processed food
have such a large role in the American society, why is it so unhealthy, and what can be done
about it? The reason Americans purchase so much fast and processed food is because of their
values of time and money, it is extremely unhealthy because of all the chemicals put in the food,
and the companies and the government are not doing anything to change the processing ways; so
if he production of processed food does not slow down the unhealthiness of the American society
The overall issue is that the large companies of America are feeding people cheap,
unhealthy food because it is inexpensive and easy to produce which makes the companies the
most money. The argument has been present for a while, but it needs to be put into action with
the large companies of America and the government in order to help the average American.
There are different arguments within the issue whether processed food is necessary in society or
not. Some argue that it is necessary because the demand for food is so high that it is the only
way to produce the amount of food to feed the growing size of America. On the other side, there
are other ways of producing the mass amount of food if done right by organic farming and
ethically treating animals. Author Melanie Warner had a study that found that processed foods
Hanselmann 2
provide 70% of the average American diet (Warner). The problem is that feeding America
healthy foods is possible if executed correctly by all three players, the corporations, the
The reason that Americans just go along with what large companies are producing is
because Americans value their money and their time, and that is why fast and processed food is
our go-to. Even though we value money, we are willing to buy such cheap food, even though it
is unhealthy, because we value items over our food. The new iPhone or other new technology
means more to us than eating healthy. That is the problem with American today, people do not
realize that when they eat fast food it may be cheaper for that day or that week but in not the long
run, they do not consider the money they are going to spend at the doctor or the drugstore
because they are unhealthy and possibly obese. Until the average American realizes that, then
they will continue to buy fast food because in their mind, they are saving money, but they really
are not.
Going along with our values, Americans value of time, really affects what they eat and
their choice of eating fast and processed food. Even without eating fast food on the go, it does
not change what they eat at home. Wendell Berry describes her view of Americans today, We
hurry through our meals to go to work and hurry through our work in order to recreate
ourselves in the evenings and on weekends and vacations (Berry 66). Bringing up her example,
it agrees with my argument completely, we value time, but we do not value our time with
making, preparing, and eating food. We value our time hanging out with friends than eating
healthy. Which is still a problem today because people do not realize how it will hurt them in the
long run.
Hanselmann 3
One of the main issues with processed food is the unhealthy effects it has. A study of
dietary salt in processed food was done by Dr. Norm Campbell and he found that limiting salt in
a diet is one of the best methods to reducing the possibility of premature death and disabilities.
His team also found that dietary salt is most present within processed food in high-income
countries and those increasing their technology within food (Campbell 619). The reason that this
is a problem is because that when people are eating this processed food and fast food, they do not
realize what they are putting in their body. People need to think about how every McDonalds
cheeseburger they eat brings them that much closer to a premature death or other health
problems such as diabetes. If people do realize that there is a lot of salt in fast food and other
processed food, they think going to their supermarket and picking up some fruit and vegetables
Grabbing some fresh fruit from a local supermarket is not the best choice when trying
to eat healthy. The reason it is not the best choice is because the new technology of Genetically
Modified Food. Genetically Modified Organisms entered the market in the 1990s and since then
there has always been a controversial argument between the benefits and the harm of GMOs. A
promoter of GMOs thinks, Consumers may similarly benefit, as engineered fruits and
vegetables are created to have longer shelf lives and smaller price tags than their unaltered
counterparts (Johnson 34). I see a problem with that. I do not want my fresh fruit to be
sitting on the shelf for a week or however long they can last of the shelf with these special
chemicals put in or on them. I do not see that as a benefit to the consumers at all, it may be a
benefit to the producer because they would not have to throw away old produce, but being
sprayed with harmful and unhealthy pesticides and chemicals to make them stay fresh longer
does not sound fresh to me at all. Continuing to buy these fresh fruits and vegetables, the
Hanselmann 4
consumers health will be harmed which could have been solved by buying fresh organic
produce.
Giving benefits to only producers is really what the food market is all about. With the
companies only caring about themselves and how they can make the most money, it does not
benefit the consumers at all. People try to blame the unhealthy products on farmers because they
are the ones growing the food but it is not their fault. According to Susan Johnson, Industry
giant Monsanto, for example, has sued more than 410 farmers in twenty-seven states, 13 in some
instances destroying multi-generational farms in the process (Johnson 34). This is a problem
because the large industries are running all aspects of the production of food. They control
farmers by telling them what to grow and how to grow it and they control the consumers by only
giving them certain food to eat which most of the food produced is unhealthy. The producers are
not the only one to blame, but also the government. The problem is, if the producers only have
one mindset, they are not thinking about the consumers at all, so they dont care about how they
feel or what they say as long as their making money. So with the producers going against the
consumers they are on their own, especially without any government help.
The government does set rules and regulations for companies but the issue is that they do
not enforce that the companies follow them. A study done by Eleanor Alexander found that the
obligations made by the IFBA (International Food and Beverage) members and other major
multinational food and beverage companies will remain limited because no one is enforcing
these regulations (Alexander 1). This is only one example of large corporations not following
rules that are set by the government and the U.S.D.A. (United States Drug Administration).
With these corporations running the food industry and the government not doing anything to stop
Hanselmann 5
them, people need to realize that buying processed food is only helping the producers and what
Not all Americans agree with switching over from processed food to organic food is a
good idea. Disbelievers of organic growing usually rely on the argument that mass processing
and producing food is the only way to get the necessary amount of food out in order to feed
America. They think that there is no way that organic farmers would be able to feed America
since there is such a high demand for food. In the Documentary Fresh, Joel Salatin is an
American farmer and author who runs one of the largest organic farms in American and who
strongly believes in the necessity of processing food. In his research he found that if America
switches all of the processing companies to organic farming, it will be completely possible to
feed Americas demand for food (Fresh). Salatin is not only talking about the factory where it is
being produced, but all of the land from the vast amount of genetically modified crops and
utterly crowded feed lots. It is a lot more land than though about, which presenting this idea
Another argument that is presented for processed food is cheaper than organic food.
Many people argue that shopping at an organic food market is too expensive and people can get
more food in a supermarket full of processed food than at an organic market. Food markets and
farmers markets have actually lowered their prices in order to be able to supply more customers
with healthy products. Also, recently some local food markets have actually brought out the
reward system towards food stamps, and every time you buy items with your food stamps you
get extra money towards more produce. So even with families with low-income, now it makes it
food is because of their value of time and money, the unhealthiness of processed food from
genetically modifying it with chemicals, and the problem not being stopped by the government
or the large corporations. In order to lessen the unhealthiness of the American society, the
production of processed food needs to slow down to be able to fix the issue. At the rate at which
processed food is growing, the future of food in America may not have any other option than
processed food, and the idea of organic farming and eating healthy may be extinct.
Hanselmann 7
Works Cited
Alexander, Eleanor. "Major Multinational Food And Beverage Companies And Informal Sector
Policy." Globalization & Health 7.1 (2011): 26-33. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4
Nov. 2014.
Berry, Wendell. "The Pleasures of Eating." The Pleasures of Eating (n.d.): 66-70. Rpt. in Food
Campbell, Norm, et al. "Targets And Timelines For Reducing Salt In Processed Food In The
Fresh. Dir. Ana S. Joanes. Perf. Joel Salatin, Diana Endicott, John Ikerd, and Andrew Kimbrell.
2009. DVD.
Development Law & Policy 14.1 (2014): 34-70.Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Nov.
2014.