Transforming Food Trends

Grilled chicken salad, Fettuccini alfredo, smoked salmon, Tuscan bread, and blueberry

pie. Is your mouth watering, yet? Renowned American chef, James Beard, once said, “Food is

our common ground, a universal experience.” Food draws people together. We dine on mom’s

special meat loaf with our family, and savor spicy curry at Cozy Thai with friends. I love food

and most people love food. Food exists everywhere; in your fridge, at Wegmans, or in your

neighbor’s garden. Food permeates our daily lives even when we are not eating. Every day, we

are bombarded with Olive Garden ads and TV reruns of “Top Chef” and “Cake Boss”. Ever

since the Industrial Revolution, “High-protein meat and dairy diets have resulted in substantial

increases in average [human] height and weight, and reoriented the rich world’s agricultures

from food crop to animal feed crop production” (Smil 156). Food cultivates and sustains life. It

exists in abundance in our immediate community. However, our evolution away from ancient

staples of rice, beans, and carbohydrates towards a protein-rich and sugar-infused diet has

resulted in unexpected consequences: obesity in developed countries and unequal global food

distribution.

Food availability dramatically increased over the last one hundred years especially in the

Western world. Improved standards of living in the U.S. due to the birth of new technologies

greatly increased food demand (Letellier). For example, the amount of total grain per capita in

the U.S. grew 55 pounds between 1970 and 2005 (Wells 6). Americans could finally afford to

purchase a variety of different foods, consuming more refined grains, fats, sweets, and meats to

satisfy their taste buds. All the while, our consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as whole

grains decreased. The excessive daily intakes of certain food groups and collective sedentary

lifestyles led to a plethora of preventable health complications related to obesity. Over one-third
of adults in the U.S. were considered obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Mississippi had an obesity prevalence rate of 34.4%, making it the fattest state in

America (CDC).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, more than one billion people around the world still

go to bed hungry every night despite the abundance we see around our immediate surroundings.

“Several factors contributed to the rapid spike in global food prices, including increased

consumer demand for food, oil, and energy supplies among emerging markets such as China and

India, leading to rising energy costs; lower crop yields resulting from adverse weather

conditions.” In developing nations where the majority of household income is spent on food, the

43% hike in food prices has created even more malnutrition-related problems on poverty stricken

people (USAID). Hungry adults cannot maintain productivity at work, and children cannot learn

effectively on empty stomachs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states, “Eighty percent of all corn grown in

the U.S. is consumed by domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and fish production.” Since

the demand for food crops has diminished significantly in the last century, American farmers

mainly focus on producing crops to feed livestock and to sell to food-processing companies. An

“animal feed crop” market is considered more valuable and profitable due to the increase in meat

demand. However, dangers associated with the transition from traditional to modern diets

include exhaustion of livestock grazing resources and decrease in overall crop production. The

worldwide population growth also causes strain on food production and distribution to

developing nations especially when only a small percentage of crops produced passes directly

into the consumer’s hands and mouths.

 The transformation of traditional food trends impacts our world in a wide array of areas

ranging from personal health to global environment. We typically do not think much about any

implications that might come from our food consumption. Nonetheless, our eating habits do

matter, both to our bodies and to our neighbors around the world. We can either encourage

continuous gluttony or take action to help prevent the exploitation of the earth’s resources. In

doing the latter, we benefit ourselves as well as the forthcoming generations.

Works Cited
Letellier, Travis. “Chapter 9: Long-run Economic Growth.” Lecture. Introduction to

Macroeconomics. Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. Feb. 2011.

"Major Crops Grown in the United States." US Environmental Protection Agency. 10 Sept.

2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html>.

"USAID: Global Food Crisis." U.S. Agency for International Development. 26 May 2009. Web.

03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/foodcrisis/>.

"U.S. Obesity Trends." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 03 Mar.

2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html>.

Wells, Hodan F., and Jean C. Buzby. "Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food

Consumption, 1970-2005." Economic Information Bulletin 33 (2008). Economic

Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Mar. 2008. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.