We are not able to control what we eat. This is because we are not involved in the production, transportation, processing and marketing of the food we eat. Some people say we choose what we eat, but there are many factors that should be considered before drawing such conclusions.
There are some factors such as the price of food that we cannot control. We, therefore, need the government to intervene and regulate the food industry (Pence 34). The government should ensure that it enacts laws that will ensure that consumers are protected against unethical practices.
It is important, for example, that all Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) are well labeled so that consumers can make appropriate decisions on whether or not they would want to purchase the Genetically Modified Foods.
It is important that the government comes up with the necessary mechanisms to ensure that consumers are not exploited by producers who want to make huge profits at the expense of the consumers. They, therefore, overcharge some of their products (A place at the table).
Producers need to make sure that the food that they pass on to the consumer is of high quality. They should avoid unethical practices when producing food.
The government should also come in and offer subsidies. This is because healthy food is becoming scarce and, as a result, the prices on these foods go up. It is up to the government to ensure that every citizen can afford a healthy meal regardless of their economic status. The reason is that when the prices on healthy food go up, the less fortunate in the society will have no other option than to consume unhealthy food, which is cheaper.
I think that having access to healthy food is a right and not a privilege. My understanding of the word privilege is that a person is receiving special treatment. Recent research has shown that poor nutrition can lead to chronic diseases.
Some of the most common ones include cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and stroke. Chronic diseases are among the leading causes of death in the United States of America (A place at the table). Most physicians believe that the primary cause of chronic diseases is the consumption of unhealthy food.
Research has shown that a third of the American population is obese. Contrary to widely perceived beliefs that obesity is caused by eating too much, research has shown that obesity is caused by consumption of unhealthy food.
The main reason behind this is that food with high nutritional value is very expensive as compared to food with low nutritional value. It is also important to note that it is easier to get access to junk food than to healthy food.
However, more should be done to increase awareness about the effects of eating unhealthy food on young men and women, since they choose to consume junk food due to the lack of knowledge about the effects it might have on their health.
The government has a role to ensure that its citizens have access to healthy food. Research has shown that healthy food is more expensive as compared to unhealthy food, as the multinational companies who engage in food production do not stick to the traditional way of doing things (Burgan 68).
For example, a chicken only takes 6 weeks to mature compared to the early days where this would take some few months. Consequently, this has made junk food cheaper since some of the plants and animals have been modified to take shorter periods to mature. This has greatly reduced the cost of production, and as a result, people can now enjoy unhealthy food at lower prices.
The multi-national corporations involved in food production control the processing and sale of food. As a result, they can easily control the market prices. It is, therefore, important that the government intervenes and makes sure that they do not overcharge their goods.
The other role of the government is to provide subsidies to ensure that people are able to afford healthy food. Currently the government spends over $ 20 billion annually on agricultural subsidies (Hicks 46).
However, the government can still do more by increasing this amount to a higher figure so as to be able to help its citizens have access to healthy food at lower prices (Food Inc). They should also make sure that the money is used to subsidize the healthy foods that are expensive and beyond the reach of the majority of citizens in the country.
The other important role of any local government is to issue licenses to food processors. The government also reserves the right to revoke any licenses whenever there is a breach of contract. The government should, therefore, be vigilant and ensure that all the corporations that are involved in food production follow the right procedures in processing their food and produce high quality products (Pojman 90).
If they fail to do so, the government should intervene and revoke the licenses of such corporations. The government should make sure that all processed food meets the set standards before the food can be passed to the final consumer (Food Inc). This will ensure that companies involved in food industry produce high quality food.
Producers of food also have a role to play in ensuring that people consume healthy foods. They should not only be concerned with the profit they make, but they should also ensure that they protect their customers. They can do this by acting ethically. The companies should also ensure that they provide high quality food to their consumers at a fair price that allows them to make enough profit to help the company grow.
They should avoid overcharging their products as by doing so; potential customers will not be able to buy their goods. They should strictly adhere to the rules and regulations set by the government and avoid all sorts of malpractice that might affect their consumers negatively.
Consumers also have a role to play in this issue. We should make sure that we avoid unhealthy foods at all costs. This is because of the negative effects the food can have on our health. We should also ensure that we educate our young men and women on the importance of eating healthy. Most of our young people do not know the importance of eating healthy due to lack of proper education.
Consumers should also come together and form consumer movements that will be able to champion for their rights. This will help ensure that producers do not overcharge their products and that the companies produce high quality food. Consumer movements will also help push the government to increase budgetary allocation going towards food subsidiaries.
Works Cited
A Place at the Table. Dir. Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. Perf. Jeff Bridges, Raj Patel, and Tom Colicchio. Magnolia Pictures, 2012. Film.
Burgan, Michael. Ethics of food. London: Raintree, 2012. Print.
Food, inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan. Magnolia Pictures, 2009. Documentary.
Hicks, J. Morris. Healthy eating, healthy world unleashing the power of plant-based nutrition. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella Books, 2011. Print.
Pence, Gregory E.. The ethics of food: a reader for the 21st century. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Print.
Pojman, Paul. Food ethics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.