Chew on This by Eric Schlosser
I think this should be required reading for all High School Ag classes, Home Economics and Health classes.
"Pull open the glass door and feel the rush of cool air. Step inside. Look at the back lit color pictures of food above the counter, look at the ads for the latest Disney movie, get in line." The book begins and ends with essentially this same paragraph. In the beginning it shows that "the whole experience of eating at a fast food restaurant has become familiar, routine and taken forgranted." But 250 pages later after detailing amonst other things how McDonald french fries are made and what makes thes taste so good; learning about the secret ingredient that makes your drink pink; exploring the life a fast-food chicken lives before it becomes a chicken nugget; explaining the advertising methods employed by fast-food companies that exploits children; and an explanation of the "dangerous corporate concentrations" in the fast-food industry, it closes with a similiar paragraph however it leaves you with a sense of hope in that the next step is yours. "Think about where the food came from, about how and where it was made, about what is set in motion by every single fast-food purchase, the ripple effect near and far - think about it. Then place your order or turn and walk out the door. It's not too late. Even in this fast-food nation; you can still have it your way."
"If a defective toy somehow poses a risk to small children...the US government can demand that every one of those toys be removed from the stores but [they] cannot order a meatpacking company to remove contaminated, potentially lethal ground beef from fast-food kitchens and supermarkets-even if that meat can kill children. The government can't even fine companies that knowingly sell bad meat...The ability of the meatpacking companies to avoid strict food safety rules has been made possible by their close ties to members of Congress."
"The US goverment claims that the color and flavor additives widely used in processed foods are safe." However, a 2004 University of Southhampton in England study found 3 and 4 yr old children were "more hyperactive when they had the drink full of artificial ingredients than when they had fruit juice." We used to think DDT was safe too.
"The whole idea of a free market is that a fair price will be set by a lot of potential buyers competing for the same product. That cattle market doesn't work that way anymore. With only four big meatpacking companies left, there isn't much bidding these days."
"The political power of the fast-food companies and their big suppliers makes a discussion of what Congress should do largely meaningless."
It is not all doom and gloom - there are people out there getting it right.
The Edible Schoolyard started by Alice Waters is a perfect example of someone who is trying to make changes.
