Let's talk about Connecting the Dots.
Does the notion of less government and business self-regulation appeal to you? Do you think it is healthy? Do you think your attitude is killing you?
Here are some Facts from a movie (Food,Inc.)I've been watching:
In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.
In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold. Today, we have only 13.
In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164.
During the Bush administration, the head of the FDA was the former executive VP of the National Food Processors Association.
During the Bush administration, the chief of staff at the USDA was the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry in Washington.
Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas was an attorney at Monsanto from 1976 to 1979. After his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a case that helped Monsanto enforce its seed patents.
The average chicken farmer invests over $500,000 and makes only $18,000 a year.
The average American eats over 200 lbs. of meat a year.
30% of the land in the U.S. is used for planting corn.
The modern supermarket now has, on average, 47,000 products, the majority of which is being produced by only a handful of food companies.
70% of processed foods have some genetically modified ingredient.
1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes; Among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2.
E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks have become more frequent in America, whether it be from spinach or jalapenos. In 2007, there were 73,000 people sickened from the E. coli virus.
Organics is the fastest growing food segment, increasing 20% annually. |
