What Keeps Us Alive Could Also Kill Us

Food is an essential part of our lives. It's a necessity, but recently has become more of a want. Some of the different foods that are offered for sale are a bit extra; we don't necessarily need a double cheeseburger with extra fixings to survive. What we really need are the essential food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, etc. But lately we've been abusing that power.

When we were watching Food Inc., I'm sure that most of us were a bit sad when finding out that Kevin died from E. Coli after eating a burger from Jack in the Box. The thing about fast food is that it's not necessary to keep us alive; fast food is easy, cheap, and accessible, which is why most people are drawn to it. One particular scene that appalled me was when the different meat were placed together in one machine, and it was weird to think that our burgers could be made out of multiple kinds of cows instead of one. Precautions need to be done in order to ensure the safety of our food supply, which is where the topic of my research paper comes in.

What keeps us alive--food--could also kill us. Some illnesses could be caused by food: E. coli, salmonella, listeria, etc. What I researched is that foodborne illnesses and deaths are nearly 100% preventable. But why don't we take the extra step to ensure that? Because it would cost money instead of make money. A few more regulations and inspectors couldn't hurt, but it slows down the process. In Food Inc., we saw the type of factory line that processed the food. With all that manpower, processing takes a shorter time for a cheaper wage. It's all about the money. Just as long as profit is being made, the government has nothing to worry about.