Food and Technology

Meatpacking is the wholesale packaging of meat, which includes slaughtering, gutting, skinning, butchering, and further processing such animals as cattle, pigs, chickens, turckeys, and sheep. Most meatpacking today is done in large-scale slaughterhouses that are highly mechanized for fast and efficient processing. By using machines and other technologies, companies are able to employ unskilled, low-wage laborers for many tasks, which reduces their cost. However, the risk of both accidents and meat contamination are high when so many animals are processed and workers must work at a high speed.

The industry has undergone a lot of change since the 1980's, as the fast food industry has demanded more meat at cheaper prices. To cut costs, meatpacking companies lowered wages, sped up production, and had workers perform the same task again and again to increase efficiency. They moved operations from big cities to rural communities closer to feedlots and began contracting primarily with large farm operations that raise huge numbers of animals. In addition, the companies become more consolidated so that today, just five companies control over 83 percent of the beef packing market and 66 percent of the pork packing market.

The price doesn't appear on the Menu

Fast food and processed foods are often less expensive than healthier foods like fruits and vegetables because many of the ingredients come from crops subsidized by the federal government.
Some say that food choices fall under the realm of personal responsibility, what we buy and eat is a choice, and individuals should be responsible for making healthier food choices. Others argue that healthy food choices should be available to everyone and not just those with means. People shouldn't have to choose between healthy food and medicine.

Unintended Consequences

Feeding cows corn has increased the incidence of E. coli, since corn raises the level of E. coli in cows guts. Most E. coli are beneficial and help to break down food in the precess of digestion, certain strains can cause serious infection, leading to severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, and even death. People can become infected with E. coli by consuming foods or beverages that have been contamined with animal manure, particularly cattle manure. One of the most deadly strains, known as E. coli 0157:H7, was first found in 1982 and has been traced to ground beef,unpasteurized milk and cheese, spinach, and driking water. Cows high-corn diet increased presence of E. coli, which favors acid-resistant bacteria strains like E. coli 0157:H7.

A Cornucopia of Choices

The United States is currently the number one corn-growing country in the world. Government subsidies of corn and other commodity crops have greatly altered the way that food is produced and consumed in the United States. Corn is a cheap ingredient compared to other sources, and food producers have found many uses for it. Field corn is the main ingredient in most livestock feed. It is also processed into a wide array of foods.

The Difficult Lives and Deaths of Factory-Farmed Chickens

Food industry has altered the way that chickens are raised, including changes in farm operations, the living conditions of chickens, and even the chickens themselves.

Chickens today are often raised in huge metal buildings with no access to light or fresh air, and made to grow so quickly that often their bones cannot keep up and they can lose their ability to walk.

People have differing views on how much comfort and freedom farm animals deserve. Some would say that to keep food inexpensive, animals should be raised in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. Others would argue that animals should not suffer needlessly and that they should have a certain level of cleanliness and space.