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Eating Blind
By Julia Coda, Staples High School ‘25
In many grocery stores, hundreds of brands line shelves, variety seemingly limitless. Yet, despite the apparent diversity, I can’t help but question how many companies are controlled by a single corporate giant.
Throughout the United States, big agriculture isn’t just producing food- it’s controlling the entire system. Companies prioritize financial reward over morality, and disregard ethical practices and rules, pushing small family farms out of business, and decreasing the morality of the food system.
It is our time and responsibility as citizens of the United States that we give some thought to our food, beyond just the photo on the package.
Big companies like Tyson and Cargill manipulate the agricultural system by providing profits to their suppliers and workers, creating a system that only benefits them. Corporations “manage their inventory to affect and respond to market prices, potentially to the detriment of smaller producers.” (How Corporate Control Squeezes Out Small Famms - Pew Trusts). They determine who can sell livestock, their pay, and their successful business. Using power and control, they disguise themselves under different brands. Although when you go to the grocery store there are many different options and companies to buy, “85 percent of the beef market is now controlled by the top four meatpackers.” Big companies are gaining so much profit, “Nearly 17,000 cattle ranchers have gone out of business each year since 1980” (Ending Corporate Control - NFCC). Large corporations have created a system where power is kept in the hands of a few, and they control access to essential resources, leaving small farmers with no power to negotiate.
As the demand for meat increases, production companies have to keep up with the demand. These companies are providing us with “bountiful, affordable, and nutritious food supplies” (Learning to Love Industrial Farming - Evolution News). This is good, but there are negative consequences that come with messing up nature's natural cycle. The quality of meat and the processing system decreases as the demand increases. Meat companies have to aim to package a certain amount of items per day to keep up with the demand. They have tried to find ways to speed up their process and increase their supply. Some chickens are now genetically modified to grow faster, because their natural growing cycle can’t keep up with the 50 day cycle that meat producers want. Carole Morison, a former contract farmer for perdue complained that “when they grow from a chick to a five and a half pound chicken in seven weeks, their bones and internal organs can’t keep up with the rapid growth” (Food Inc, 00:13:10). When an animal’s diet is changed it greatly affects their body. People worry that when “there’s antibiotics that’s put into the feed,” the “bacteria builds up a resistance, so antibiotics aren't working anymore ” (Food, Inc, 00:14:10). This increases the risk of salmonella and other food borne illnesses. Large food production companies have developed ways to meet the growing global demand, but the methods they use to speed up production come with significant drawbacks.
The food industry's modernization has been displayed by a misleading image of traditional farming methods. In grocery stores, there are images of traditional farming methods, but the truth is “the way we eat has changed more in the past 50 years than in the last 10,000” (Food Inc, 0:00:45). These images help sell products, hiding the unethical methods of industrial farming. There is a curtain that is preventing people from knowing the origin of their food, “There is an illusion of diversity” (Food Inc, 0:17:30). Only a few companies and crops dominate the market. Few corporations control the supply, limiting true variety in both food types and farming methods. While the food industry has gone through changes, the imagery used to market food hides the reality of its industrialized production.
Since these companies are so big, it seems impossible to make a difference. But the difference starts with us. Supporting local and small farms. By buying directly from farmer’s markets, consumers can help keep small farms in business, with more transparency about farming practices. Get educated and spread awareness. Learning more about where food comes from and how the system works can help consumers make informed decisions. Lastly, boycott harmful practices. Consumers have a lot of power over brands because they are their main profit. Don’t buy from companies that you know engage in harmful practices. Although there are many more things you can do, here is a start.
Works Cited
"Ending Corporate Control." National Family Farm Coalition, nffc.net/what-we-do/ending-corporate-control/. Accessed 13 May 2025.
Food, Inc. Directed by Robert Kenner, Magnolia Pictures, 2008.
"How Corporate Control Squeezes Out Small Farms." The Pew Charitable Trusts, 18 July 2012, www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2012/07/18/how-corporate-control-squeezes-out-small-farms. Accessed 13 May 2025.
Smitch, Wesley J. "Learning to Love Industrial Farming." Evolution News and Science Today, 18 Dec. 2024, evolutionnews.org/2024/12/learning-to-love-industrial-farming/. Accessed 13 May 2025.
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