The Cost of Food Production in Today’s Society

From Environment & Resources 2020

The chapter “Producing and Consuming Food” by Jason Konefal and Maki Hatanaka examines the current agricultural system and conventional foods, the environmental degradation and social inequalities they produce, and some possibilities for a more sustainable and just food and agricultural system. The world has shifted from local farms, fresh and unprocessed foods, and small produce stores to globalized, standardized, mass-produced, and processed foods under corporate control in large retail stores that we don’t know very much about.

Since the mid-20th century, local farms and rural living has declined drastically, along with an increase in urban areas. Corporate power in agriculture has also increased, where few corporations control most of our food, and some corporations control every level of production causing vertical integrations. Another aspect of our current agricultural system is moving from natural foods to industrial, chemically produced, processed, and containing GMOs. The use of pesticides, fertilizer, machines, and other technologies aid in the larger production of food. The global South has been following the path of the global North, increasing the use of certain technological innovation as well, moving into an industrialized agriculture system too.

Konefal and Hatanaka argue that the current agricultural system and conventional foods with rising corporate power has led to many environmental and social impacts that need to be addressed. The use of fertilizers and pesticides alone has damaged ecosystems, waterways, pollinator species, and wildlife. Further, food production has a high food footprint, meaning our current agricultural system requires more energy for the making of our food than the caloric energy output because of large-scale farming, mechanization, chemicals, processing, and transportation. As such, attempts at more productivity and a treadmill of production mindset have caused a variety of environmental and social problems. The authors state one issue that has caused these changes is the privatization and commodification of formerly public land and resources pushing many previous farm owners to move to urban areas which has many problems in itself. The new ways in which food is produced and consumed has led to a decline in the health of the environment, the health of food production workers, and the health of consumers. Some concerns of developed nations as a result of this dietary change is obesity and implicit hunger or micronutrient malnutrition and explicit hunger or lack of food in undeveloped countries. “Today’s globalized, corporatized, and industrialized food and agriculture system is characterized by contradictions, insustainability, and injustice.”

To sum up their points, the authors offer alternative food production movements and emphasize that conventional food and the agriculture system “prioritizes the maximization of corporate profits at the expense of food safety and quality, small farmers’ livelihoods, cultural diversity, and ecological sustainability.” One strategy of altering food production is consumer based and market-driven strategies where consumers buy the healthier food options for us and the environment over the cheaper options, which increases demand and production of the healthier options. Movement organizations are another way capable of reforming food and agriculture which require products be labelled with sustainability or organic stickers. They can cooperate with large corporations by slowly shifting the shelves to alternative, healthier products. There are a few setbacks with market-based approaches to alternative food, including an unfair advantage those who can afford healthier, ethical, and organic foods have over those who can’t and are left buying the most affordable options. Therefore, political consumerism can eventually change laws and make these sustainable, just, high-quality, and healthy foods a private right to everyone.

This article is focused on the multiple problems experienced by the environment, production workers, and consumers at the hands of the current, more efficient agriculture and food systems. Neoliberalism ideologies and capitalistic governments are some major potential influencers to the growing practices explained in the article. Our society is obsessed with efficiency, timesaving, and working. These ideals along with insatiable desires for money and wealth, our society has made it possible for corporations to take over and control production, research, marketing, and more and allowed little room for consumers to make choices. Consumers have less time to cook because we’re supposed to clock in more hours; that’s what pays the bills and makes you seem less lazy. This is one of the reasons for the increase in purchases of prepackaged and processed foods filled with preservatives, sodium, sugars, and fat. There is an obesity epidemic occurring in the US and in many other countries following after the US in fast food restaurants, corporate owned foods and levels of production, and diet trends based on what’s readily and cheaply available. Obesity isn’t the only health risk to people, but all the chemicals and altered food we consume when we eat lead can lead to cancer, heart problems, and other health concerns, even in children. Factors like the treadmill of production, a focus around productivity, government favoring of large businesses and free market trade, and efficiency has resulted in an ever-changing environment, for the worse. While some government regulations have been made controlling corporate power, many corporations can get around these rules and limitations using the tools and resources they possess as extremely rich entities. Lastly, the health of labor workers is impacted too, where high agricultural areas, mainly in the global South are feeding the rest of the world. They increasingly experience more demand, less pay, and worsening working conditions to effectively and inexpensively produce food fast enough for corporations. Greed and political theologies are the main cause of our changing agriculture system.

This article angered me and makes me wish our government was different. I’ve felt in recent months from what I’ve learned that socialism doesn’t seem so bad after all, and if not socialism, then strict, enforced rules and restrictions corporations must obey or be faced with punishment, along with stronger environmental and labor protection laws with harsher punishments if broken.

One aspect many people hardly think about in the agriculture and food system is the consumption of meat has risen and so has the abuse and mistreatment farm animals receive on a daily basis. Likewise, the increased use of technology and environmentally harmful practices that ultimately allow corporations to make more money have been some of the main contributors to the decline of environmental health, including loss of natural habitats, contaminated waters, loss of hundreds of species and more. I’m most troubled by the issues affecting livestock, wildlife, and ecosystems, but I believe in rights for the poor labor forces as well. Consumers have a limited amount of resources and information available to have educated shopping strategies because of tactics large corporations and large stores use, including advertising, research studies, and store layouts. It’s primarily up to the people and government to gain control once again in politics, marketing, and the food system. Citizens together can have a huge impact on the actions of corporations by urging for new and improved policies and laws, forming organizations, creating petitions, going on strikes, and changing shopping habits to name some.

I was aware of most of the knowledge and information shared in this piece, but the authors laid out the points very clearly for your understanding. One important issue they failed to mention was animal rights in the agriculture processes, which I feel goes along with ethicalness and the health of living things involved. It’s not always about the safety of people. I would recommend this piece to anyone who goes shopping for their food and wants to know what and from where are the things they’re putting in their bodies and what steps the food went through to get on store shelves, which should be everyone. I think if we could go back to a time with more local farmers, personal farming for families, and more trade, many problems that are caused by corporate power and integrations would be nonexistent. The sad truth is that almost all evil stems from money or the hunger for money.

Citation:

1. Konefal, Jason, Hatanaka, Maki. 2015. “Producing and Consuming Food.” Pp. 191-208 in Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology, Second Edition, edited by Gould, Kenneth A., Lewis, Tammy L. Oxford University Press.