Food Inc Pages 91-122 and 169-177

This part of the book talks about the ethanol scam in the industrial food industry. Congress has rolled back the ethanol laws due to the numerous lobbying farmers. The production of ethanol leads to higher food prices, air pollution, water consumption, water pollution,as well as it adds to the greenhouse gas emissions that are produced. The ethanol scam is basically when there is a low stock of corn and it leads to high ethanol production. The demand for ethanol will increase significantly in result to the low supply in which people will still be willing to pay top dollar for it. This would potentially shock the market. Big corn rules over one fourth of all acreage under cultivation in the U.S. For the years to come, our use of corn for fuel will not change, leaving the poorest of nations to be hungry.
Chemicals that can be found in our foods are 10 times more toxic to children than in adults. Given that an estimated half of our produce in the grocery store contains measurable amounts of these pesticides, I think it is safe to say that eating organic foods are far more safe for children. Organophosphate pesticides are linked to many disorders and diseases including hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and motor dysfunction. These can be found in nearly 95% of Americans that are tested. The industrial food companies have a list of up to 400 chemicals that can be regularly used in conventional farming. Some are even used multiple times in one day.
Industrial food production also causes massive greenhouse gas emissions. There have been accounts of roughly one third of all causes of global warming to be from the process of production of our food. These emissions can be created by industrial farming processes such as fertilizer production, and by the emissions of trucks, ships, and planes during their transportation.
There are some initiatives that a person can take to step in the right direction. They can buy from organic and sustainable farmers. When doing this the person should take the following into consideration:
1.Is this food organic?
2.Is this product made from an animal?
3.Has this food been processed?
4.How far has the food traveled to get to my plate?
5.Is this food excessively packaged?
If you took these questions into consideration, you could greatly reduce carbon emissions. Another step a person could take is to start their own garden. This uses the natural process of photosynthesis and doesn't use pesticides and chemicals. The final step one could take is to spread the word for change. This could potentially cause a chain reaction and could potentially change the way we eat forever.
I think that this section of the book was interesting because it talked a lot about the things that people do not think about when they think of their food. Topics such as how much greenhouse gases are emitted when producing our food as well as the global warming and how it is connected with our food production process. Now I am better aware of what the industrial food industry has done to our environment. The end of this section makes me want to start my own garden of vegetables so i can save some money if i did it right and do it for a good cause.