American Food Uses and Abuses the Uses

American Food Uses and Abuses

The uses and abuses of food in America are becoming clearer everyday mostly because we can no longer avoid the obvious concerns about the public's poor dietary health and obesity. This concern is leading us as a nation to take a closer look at our love of fast foods and the alternative ways for us to gain access to easy and convenient food that may or may not be healthier. It turns out that even as we look to organic or locally produced food, we cannot get away from safety and health considerations. The fact is that America's food preferences are tied closely to what it means to be an American and this often means they are tied to us using ingredients that are often first about simplicity and profits (Corporate Accountability, 2011).

We know that a good deal of what we eat is processed and packaged for quick preparation and ease of consumption. Our work, family and even cultural practices of going places and being seen in public are linked with eating out regularly and having access to low-cost, very fast foods. People who are succeeding in living out the American dream have to be able to participate regularly in the latest trends (including eating new versions of burgers, for example), which is something that fast food outlets offer. Many locations have play equipment and give out rewards as well. Plus, it is difficult for the typical consumer to beat the prices of $1 burgers. In this regard, these factors of American fast food are less about the food and more about the environment that is created. This clearly leads to the use and abuse of food for potentially unhealthy purposes as we consumer fatty and non-nutritious meals. It is this reality that underlies some of what major food advocacy efforts such as First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign are trying to do as they put forth positive alternative with better eating and exercise options. (Let's Move, 2011).

But even when we aren't driving past a window to pick up our typical family meals, Americans are still interested in finding inexpensive ways to feed our families. Today, this includes looking more locally for healthy and organic foods, or even foods that we can buy at area farmer's markets. Unfortunately, even these trends can have their own challenges.

Honey buying is a good example (Honey, 2011). Though we don't often give it a lot of consideration, many people eat honey directly or it is included in the ingredients of the baked or process foods we eat. Only recently have we begun learning that much of the honey that is shipped to the United States and sold in stores or used in food processing comes from other countries (including China) and is mixed with unsafe chemical supplements or with artificial sweeteners. The makers of this fake honey do this to minimize the amount of real honey they have to use so they can make greater profits (Philpott, 2011). This introduces unhealthy elements into our diets that could be just as bad as processed fast foods. Unfortunately, we may not be able to judge this when we look at the popular food items we buy in our local stores thinking that we are buying better ingredients. Even when consumers turn to buying raw, unfiltered honey from local harvesters they may be at risk of contaminates, which is why they need to learn more about honey and its benefits (Honey, 2011).