The facts about our food

I decided to watch Food Inc. and I actually found most parts of it to be quite interesting. The portion that talked about the impact that corn has on our food system caught my attention the most. The development of high fructose corn syrup has allowed for corn to become an ingredient in a large amount of the food we consume on a daily basis. Corn can be found in some form in foods such as Twinkies, soda, peanut butter and meat. Cattle were originally raised as grazers of grass but the cheap cost of corn has turned the tide on the meat market. A large percentage of cattle farms in America now raise their cattle on corn which in turn means that the meat we consume contains it as well. The section of the film covering the chicken industry was also an eye opener. I have heard about the move towards genetically modified chickens in the past but seeing it first hand was a little odd. I felt bad seeing thousands of chickens not being able to move due to their enlarged bodies. But at the end of the day the only thing that matters to these huge corporations is the money. It was a breathe of fresh air to see farmers running grass fed beef operations and naturally raised pork farms. I feel as though that is how food production should be done but is a rarity to see in todays world. Hearing from a farmer that truly appreciates the value of cattle and pigs reminds me that there is still some hope for the food industry. Based upon the film I think these types of operations will continue to push themselves upon the food industry to better improve the quality of our food. With all of this being said I still think it will be hard for me to turn away from eating meat or fast food but it for sure has me thinking about how often I choose to eat these types of things.