According to a new film documentary, Food Inc., the
industrial food production system is riddled with greed, inhumanity, impurity
and dishonesty.
The purpose of the food business is profit not nourishment. Four or five large
agro-businesses control 80% of the food industry, including the lives of
workers, animals and plants, and to a large extent the health of citizens.
Crowded living conditions of chickens, pigs and cattle are so appalling and
their treatment so inhumane that outside observation is prohibited. In addition,
the industry power dictates that government regulatory bodies are often led by
former officials or advisors of the said corporations. Their advertising and
public relations departments paint a rosy picture that hides the true state of
affairs of the food we buy, including the use of chemicals and growth hormones,
and the integration of corn in prepared foods.
Centralization of the industry started about 40 years ago with the advent of the
fast food industry that demanded standardized and cheap products that could be
handled by young and inexperienced labourers performing one standard repetitive
task. Likewise, on large factory farms and slaughter houses, unskilled workers
and migrants process carcasses on dirty and dangerous “assembly” lines.
Farm operators, too, find themselves beholden to the corporations who lend money
to finance large costly buildings, and demand constant upgrading keeping the
operators in a continued state of bondage. Patent protection on genetically
modified plants prevents farmers from harvesting their own seeds, thereby
forcing them to buy new seed every year from a supplier such as Monsanto.
Life is a gift of Nature, an interconnected mystery. Animals and plants exist as
beings in their own right, not just to pleasure and benefit human beings. Modern
society has much to learn from older and traditional societies that treated
plants and animals with respect, often ceremoniously thanking them for
sacrificing their lives for the welfare of the tribe.
But what can we do? Take initiative. Know the story behind the supermarket
shelves. Study the ingredients of prepared foods before buying. Try to find
locally produced food and be prepared to pay more. Make a small garden if
possible. Cook at home. Often emulate vegetarian friends. Take responsibility
for our lives to build a better world and diminish the power and control of
external agents.
