Recently I’ve been thinking how farm bill is contributing to the obesity problem in America. Well, since then I have been also thinking—can 127 million people in the US being overweight be chalked up entirely to subsidies in the farm bill? In the quest for an answer, I decided to look locally. A recent study by the NC Division of Public Health reported Orange County as having the lowest incidence of obesity in North Carolina. This makes sense; college students represent a huge portion of our population, and our proximity to RTP means that the average OC citizen can afford the health foods that are abundantly available here.
But being the fittest county in NC doesn’t mean what it used to, and according to World Health Organization standards more than 50% of local residents are overweight or obese & suffer from excess triglycerides levels. Not to mention the effects of excess food consumption, obesity effects the environment in several ways. An article in The Engineering Economist says that “nearly one billion gallons of additional fuel per year can be attributed to the average weight gain between 1960 and 2002 of people living in the United States.” If Orange County—home of the world famous Carrboro Farmer’s Market, Weaver Street, and dozens of gyms and health spas—can’t beat the obesity epidemic, what chance do we have?
In an editorial article on the BBC by Simon Cox, the health and environmental benefits of organic food and production are disputed. Many people intuitively feel that organic food is better for their health and so they buy organic products. However, what is the science behind it? I sure don’t know myself, not being big on the science thing. It’s interesting because this article shows that there is opposition to this organic movement which is becoming more and more popular as part of the larger environmental movement. Some research out there acutally says pesticides do not harm people since we already consume many foods with pesticides, and have been for several years.
You decide what you want to eat everytime you sit down for a meal right? Well maybe not…In Marion Nestle’s book, Food Politics, she reminds us that food is an industry much like tobacco. Nestle argues that the mere fact that we eat everyday creates an environment in which we take our food for granted and do not examine why or how we are eating certain things. Nestle tells us that this is a mistake…the food industry is a business which advertises and lobbies for policies that will be acceptable to their shareholders. So what effect does this have on us? This book tells us quite a large one.
Nestle divides her book into 5 different parts each covering one way the food industry has been politically active. The sections are: Undermining Dietary Advice, Working the System, Exploiting Kids, Corrupting Schools, Deregulating Dietary Supplements and Inventing Techno-Foods. Each section is broken down to show the way in which the food industry has worked to increase its profits and space in the food world by lobbying to the government for more lax regulations as well as advertising and promoting its products to young children and vulnerable audiences. The food industry accounts for 13% of the U.S. GNP which gives the industry unlimited resources to use when attempting to influence the way we eat. Some of the things you will read in this book will astound you: Did you know that in 2000 food companies spent $33 billion in the U.S. to advertise and promote their products? This book provides countless other details regarding each section of her book.
How does Nestle say we should combat the political power and influence of the food industry? Simply by taking action and voting with our forks. However, for this solution to be effective citizens must be educated to the politics of food. People must learn to recognize food advertisements when they seem them and realize that government regulations may not be in the consumers best interest as they have been influenced by food industry money and lobbyists. She advocates for eating food that is grown locally and organically which improves the nutritional quality of the food and supports local farmers. She encourages the development of alliances between people who want to make concious choices about food and which can counteract the political influence of the food industry.
Nestle’s book was a very interesting read and I would recommend everyone to sit down and spend some time at least skimming the book. It is written in a lively style that is really easy to read. Although the subject could be techinical, the writting is done in way that is accessible to all. The only downfall about this book is its length; it is 375 pages which can be overwhelming if you are pressed for time. I would recommend reading it when you can take the time to get into it. It is easy to get in a routine with the food we eat because it is an everday occurance that becomes second nature. However, if there is one thing this class taught me, it is the importantance of critically examining the messages we are receiving and the same should be done with food. Nestle’s work provides a body of knowledge that helps to educate the common citizen about the ways in which food is advocated for, manipulated and advertised by major corporations.
