Today I’m going to write about the ‘food industry’.
Scott and I watched a documentary this week called ‘Food Inc.’
‘Food Inc.’ exposes America’s industrialised food system and its effect on the environment, health, economy and workers’ rights. It’s also driving a campaign to encourage people to become actively involved in fighting for a healthier food supply.
The documentary explains how in the space of a few generations the food system has been transformed.
From humble farm origins to a highly efficient commercial entity. A business controlled from seed to supermarket by a small number of large multinational corporations.
So, how relevant is its analysis to the Australian context?
There is a common lesson. Control of the food system by large corporations supported by government policies driven by the almighty dollar, has resulted in a food system that is a commercial success, but at what cost to public health.
Australia’s processed food is in the hands of 10 big players, and that is not taking into consideration the control that Woolworths and Coles have in the industry.
The food manufacturing industry is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, accounting for $111 billion and almost one in six jobs. Its peak body, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), wields enormous power.
The AFGC
The AFGC aims to shape a regulatory environment that increases the profitability of the food and beverage sector. Its approach generally involves a seat at the policy table arguing that food industry regulation is unnecessary or flawed.
It uses three main tactics to do this.
First, it pre-empts government regulation by introducing its own voluntary schemes.
Like many self-regulatory schemes, there is no formal sanctions for non-compliance, and relies instead on peer pressure and companies’ fear of damage to their reputations.
Then, there are the initiatives focusing on the exercise side of the energy imbalance equation that is leading to population-wide weight gain. Given a choice, the food industry would prefer us to move more, rather than consume less.
The AFGC’s third tactic is to influence policy, and it seems the efforts are paying off. Parts of its wish list came closer to being granted in the recent federal budget. This included cutting funds to the National Preventive Health Agency and National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health. (Source – http://theconversation.com)
So what does this mean in regards to our food? If the AFGC is only interested in increasing the profitability of the food industry, how healthy is our food?
Foods subjected to processes such as high levels of heat, light, and/or oxygen, suffer nutrient and vitamin losses. These are then replaced with manufactured vitamins and nutrients. There is plenty of information available about the chemicals used to make some foods look better and last longer. There is not yet a lot of information available about the long-term effects of some of these chemicals on the human body.
How many times have you gone to the supermarket and picked up products to read the labels and not been able to understand anything on them.
Real Food
A wise man once said, ‘real food doesn’t have ingredients, real food is ingredients.’
Real food is food that has not been processed at all or food that looks similar to its original state. There are some foods that require processing such as flours, milks, butters and cheeses.
In an effort to know what we are consuming, we try to buy very little in the way of ‘processed’ foods. It is easier to understand how different foods affect your body when you know what you have eaten.
Until the next post,
Live Clean n Prosper