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Project Text
Andrea Dueez

Abstract
A research was conducted on the topic of "Trusting food companies" because it is
always an issue due to the fact that these companies aren't always one hundred
percent accurate. They deceive the public to believing that they are making good
decisions to producing the food have the best quality food out in the market
possible.

Although big food incorporations convey the idea of that the consumer's health is an
essential factor to the food industries' market and their concern for their employees are good , it
is actually misleading because their main concern is the flowing income into the company.
Most food companies claim that the bigger their companies expand, the more jobs they
will provide for the public, reducing unemployment rate significantly. However, most
American citizens do not want jobs that have to do with killing chickens, cutting up meats, or
packaging food items because they would rather have a different job that doesn't require getting
their hands dirty and very low pay. These companies then turn to hiring illegal immigrants
without asking them for any type of documentation of being allowed to work here in America,
or even cross the border for that matter. These companies pay these employees the bare
minimum. After theses illegal immigrants are for working for these companies for a certain
amount of time, the border patrol arrests these immigrants. Later these immigrants are deported
and cannot provide for their family back home. According to Laufer (2005), he argues that
"America should allow these immigrants to come by regulating the traffic of Mexicans coming
to America" (p.1 2005). Laufer also argues to "allow them to come without any restrictions other
that registering into the system" (p.1 2005).
The employment issues is not only a problem that lies within the company. FCMs are an
issue as well. FCMs are food contact materials . These materials typically come into contact

during the food production, and storing these products. FCMs are absorbed by the food and later
enter a body after the consumption of a product that contained the FCMs. The harmful FCMs are
the ones that cause diseases. FCMs are also considered to be COCs which are chemicals of
concern. According to Geueke (2014) "More than 6000 FCM substances appear on regulatory
and non-regulatory lists. Some of these substances have been linked to chronic diseases, whilst
many others lack (sufficient) toxicological evaluation." (p.1438. 2005). Big food companies do
not tell the consumers what the products they are buying actually contain because this would
mean the consumer will stop buying the companies' products. These companies turn to masking
the problem instead of fixing the problem.

Geuske(2014)
This chart here represents the different types of FCMs found in a investigation database. SIN
stands for "substitute it now". The green area represents the total chemicals found in material.

The yellow is only a portion of the chemicals found and they subdivided the yellow portion to
look in deeper of what is contained. According to Geueke(2014) area SIN list 2.1 the chemicals
found were characterized as "carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR),
persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB),
or posing an equivalent environmental or health threat." (p. 1439). Area SVHC list and Annex
XIV are very high concern substances, the author doesn't list specifically what these substances
are. However these substances are require to be authorized by the REACH legislative before
released. If this doesn't convince one enough to believe that big companies mislead the public,
what will?
One issue that is greatly discussed within the food controversies is that, "If the public
knows that the food is bad for one's health, why do people continue to buy the products when
they have choices?" Holm discusses the different types of factors that influence the way one
eats. Such as commercials that contain actors that try to convey what they are selling is good. He
also says that eating habits can influence one's daily routine (2003). Perhaps if people were
aware what they were consuming, it wouldn't effect the way one ate. Nor it would effect the
people's health in a negative way because people will be more motivated to chose not to
consume products. If avoiding products such as the ones that contain FCMs or any other harsh
chemicals, wouldn't that motivate big companies to improve their ways of producing and
processing their foods due to the fact that people would stop buying their products. People have
a choice.

Cheap unhealthy ingredients are typically used in processed products, this allows
companies to sell food for a "convenient price", but is it actually convenient? The answer is no.
According to Mudd (2013) companies use cheap products to "maximize taste" and increase to
portions of the products to increase the overall margins in profits(p.4 2013). A major health
issue that is derived from cheap products is obesity. Companies do not confront that they have
partial influence in today's amount of obese people. Instead they blame it on the people's ablilty
to chose what is right to eat.
FAO is the food and agriculture organization who promote and educate others about the
values of food the value of enhanced well being, the value of human health, the value of natural
resourced, and the value of nature. If people like these have the desire to educate people of the
rights and wrongs of food, why shouldn't we be eager to learn instead of pushing aside the truths
of these companies?

Resources
Laufer, Peter. Reforming Immigration Policy/ Let the workers come: SFGATE
2005. Website
MUDD, M. (2013, March 17). How to Force Ethics On the Food Industry.
New York Times. p. 4
Geueke, B. (2014). Food contact substances and chemicals of concern: a comparison of
inventories. In Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A (Vol. 31).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2014.931600
. Holm,

L. (2003). Food Health Policies and Ethics: Lay Perspectives on Functional Foods. In
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (6th ed., Vol. 16, pp. 531-544).