Food is a necessity of life. For this purpose, I have decided to do my final project over the real cost of cheap food and the overall impact of antibiotics, sugar, etc in the food that we consume. I realize this does not isolate women but it does in general effect women/poor. It was a briefly discussed topic in the textbook. I hope this creates a desire to choose more wisely the food we consume and look at what cheap food does for poverty stricken people and our pocketbook. With healthcare being at the center of all things politics, I feel this topic helps shine some light onto the big problem.
This topic also shows how jobs are not given but taken away. It enforces the use of cheap labor mostly done by Hispanics and that the locations of CAFOs(Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) are placed in regions that are struggling against years of poverty and end up creating an even worse environment for our poor with no possibility of improvements.
…”Concern about the growing level of drug-resistant bacteria has led to the banning of sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in meat animals in many countries in the European Union and Canada. In the United States, however, such use is still legal. The World Health Organization is concerned enough about antibiotic resistance to suggest significantly curbing the use of antibiotics in the animals we eat. In a recent report, the WHO declared its intention to “reduce the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in food animals for the protection of human health.” Specifically, the WHO recommended that prescriptions be required for all antibiotics used to treat sick food animals, and urged efforts to “terminate or rapidly phase out antimicrobials for growth promotion if they are used for human treatment.”“
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/overview.html
Four Tips to Start Eating Healthy for Less Today
1. Listen to Gandhi. Yes, Gandhi! He said that we should never mistake what is habitual for what is natural. Case in point: Some Chinese are very poor and yet they eat extremely well—small amounts of animal protein, with an abundance of vegetables.
2. Be willing to learn. We have to learn new ways of shopping and eating, new ways of ordering our priorities around our health and nutrition that supports our well-being, even if it is hard at the beginning.
3. Do your research. There are ways to find cheaper sources of produce, whole grains, beans, nuts, and lean animal protein. You just need to seek them out. It doesn’t all have to be organic. Simply switching from processed foods to whole foods is a HUGE step in the right direction.
4. Make an effort. Eating healthy does take more planning. It may require you to find new places to hunt and gather for your family. You might have to reorder your priorities regarding where you spend your money and your time so that you can make healthier eating choices.
Remember, eating healthy foods without spending a lot is possible—and you can do it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-quick-cheap-food-is-a_b_681539.html
“Cheap food causes hunger”
I know this is a very difficult statement to wrap our heads around but the truth is difficult to hear at times.
This article breaks down some very important thoughts that deal with globalization and what cheap food does to the poor.
Two paragraphs that really drives the point home states:
“ The globalisation of market failure gives us a worsening environment, increasing poverty among food producers, increasing food dependence, and hunger. That is why one of the main culprits of the food crisis is our blind pursuit of cheap food.”
“Globalisation cheapens everything. The problem is that some things just shouldn’t be cheapened. The market is very good at establishing the value of many things but it is not a good substitute for human values. Societies need to determine their own human values, not let the market do it for them. There are some essential things, such as our land and the life-sustaining foods it can produce, that should not be cheapened.”
http://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3035-the-true-cost-of-cheap-food.html
The environmental costs of CAFO production have been well-documented. Manure spills and leakages have contaminated waterways, killing fish and fouling fisheries. Still, environmental laws governing CAFO pollution are still not fully enforced in many states and regions of the country and the industry continually lobbies for less regulation.
http://www.cafothebook.org/thebook_myths.htm#up
Meat Plants
