09/02/2009 05:17 Filed in:
rethink | AllieAnyone who has seen the documentary Food, Inc. will have their view on the way they eat changed forever. This movie shows just how much the food businesses and the preparation of food has become more like an industry, with the cruel way the food is prepared and they dangers it now poses. The big businesses are in for quantity, not quality, as they raise animals in ways that are unhealthy for them and designed to make them fat, quickly. However, it is cheaper and easier for the company, and that is all that matters to the food producers.
There was some frightening footage of the areas where animals are raised. The chicken houses are packed in with barely any room to move around, and floors covered in their own filth. They are not healthy, and are bred to be fat in a shorter amount of time. Footage of a factory had meat being passed through conveyor belts and put through machinery like any other manufactured product. This film was very enlightening, and I specifically was surprised to learn at the number of different products made of corn. There were some very sad and scary stories that were documented. One woman lost her young son to a disease borne out of an improperly made food product and cross-contamination. She has gone on a fight to pass a bill that will make food safer.
Everyone can make a difference. By choosing carefully what you buy, you can cast a vote for local, organic and sustainable food. These are like a survey, and makes a note to the manufacturers of what the people want. Shop at the local farmer's market. Read labels so you know what you are getting in your food, and find out where it is coming from. For more tips and information, visit Takepart.com. You can also sign a petition for the Child Nutrition Act, which helps bring nutrition into schools. As a high school student, I can attest that the normal school lunches are not very healthy. If there was nutritional, energizing food in cafeterias, who knows what effects it could have on the students and their performance in school? Know what you are eating and fight for change!
Tags: food
07/18/2009 12:21 Filed in:
rethink | MinaOkay, I know that we all have our cereal faves. Whether it’s Cocoa-Pebbles, Fruit Loops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Wheaties, Frosted Flakes, or Rice Crispies they are over packaged and they don’t even keep fresh for that long since they have poor sealing qualities. First you have your cardboard box, which has your fun and exciting graphics that are a total necessity. (By the way, that was sarcasm) Then you have the plastic bag that keeps your cereal somewhat fresh. That plastic bag is actually necessary since it holds your food and helps prevent a stale breakfast, but the cardboard box? What does it do? I mean besides looking fabulous on the shelves of your cupboard. Nothing at all! Did you know that about 44% of all cereal boxes end up in landfills? If all of the cereal brands in the U.S. lost their cardboard packaging, we could annually save 375 million
Tags: food
