Imagine a fat and juicy sirloin staring you right in the face. With a knife and fork in hand, I’d imagine most Americans would destroy that piece of meat with a smile and never think twice about what was in that tasty sirloin.
I checked out a fascinating documentary recently titled “Food Inc.” This Academy Award-nominated film really makes the viewer comprehend how our food is processed and served.
The following statement found on the film’s Web site summarizes America’s food problem the best: “Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment.”
It’s odd to think of, but as we walk up and down the aisles of the grocery store it rarely crosses the mind as to where all this food comes from and how it’s put together.
“Food Inc.” based a lot of the reasons for food expansion due to the rise of fast food and the multi-billion dollar industry behind it. When the public cried for faster processed food, the companies behind the curtain (Tyson, Smithfield and Hormel, for example) began producing the demanded meat at a far greater rate by changing the way the stock is raised.
Naturally, cows are herbivores. In order to survive, a cow would normally munch on grass throughout the day. As the demand for food increased, the large companies began feeding their stock corn feed made from the remains of slaughtered animals and full of supplements, hormones and antibiotics, which became a way to produce fatter and meatier cows at a far greater rate, according to a report on CBSNews.com.
Seems like good business, right?
Sinclair Biology Professor Marc Smith said cows produce a bovine growth hormone (BGH) that is similar to human growth hormone (HGH). BGH is a “naturally occurring hormone of cattle that regulates growth and milk production. It may also be produced artificially by genetic engineering techniques and administered to cows to increase milk production,” according to Medical-Dictionary.com. The genetically altered form of BGH is referred to as rBGH. After being injected into cows, rBGH forces cows to produce 10-15 percent more milk than their bodies normally would.
The Food and Drug Administration approved rBGH in 1993 and since 1994 every industrialized country in the world has banned the drug, according to shirley-wellness-café.com.
“We expect the food industry to look out for us, but are they really?” asked Smith. “The faster you can get something to the market, the less feed you have to put into it, the more profit is driven up. But, at what price to the human body?”
Milk from rBGH cows have shown high levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Humans naturally produce IGF-1 and increased levels in the human body have been linked to breast and colon cancer. Sustainabletable.org said no connections have been made between the two, but scientists have expressed concern over the possible relationship.
Whether or not people will ever care about what they consume is a question that doesn’t have an answer.
“Do we really care where our food comes from?” asked Smith. “The answer is no. We don’t take the time to care.”
While doing research on the topic of food processing, it has become an even more eye-opening topic that needs to be at the forefront of political issues. Clearly, there are things going on behind the walls of slaughterhouses and food processing plants that the public hasn’t been made aware of.
When will the American people begin to care? Hopefully, before I finish off my next sirloin.