Introduction
With technology, one would think that food, which powers our frail engines would have been made more efficient in delivering this fuel. Food processing, however, seems to be going in the opposite direction. We might begin to wonder. Will the present trend ever be reversed.
We Have to Start at the Beginning
Before the Industrial revolution began here in the U.S., food grown here was basically un-modified, un-polluted and of course, for all practical purposes, un-processed. The agriculture department realized that it was costing farmers too much money to maintain the fertility of soils in the farm belt and they decided to artificially engineer fertilizer products that the farmers could use to increase their profits. After all, farmers needed quantity and not quality to achieve their goals. The consumer of course, was happy, since vegetables on the grocer shelves were always filled. Who could complain? The hidden agenda was that by using chemical fertilizers depleted our foods from many important minerals and vitamins, which were previously being plentifully, supplied using normal soil replenishment using “organic” fertilizers. Of course, the chemical fertilizer industry was very happy, they now had a multi-billion dollar industry fed by consumer desire.
Then Came Food Manipulation to Create Appeal
Consumers became complacent and didn't like how pie crust was so brittle when they were purchased at the local bakery. Food engineers got to work correcting this problem by adding doe conditioners to our processed flour, which had already removed much of the B-Vitamin content, along with some minerals. The doe conditioner only added some toxin level increase that our liver would have to deal with. Of course, the pie manufacturers who delivered their produce to the supermarkets loved the change. The consumer loved the pies and eventually all the other pastry stuff that began filling the shelves. The consumer just had to eat more to maintain proper nutrition levels. Food coloring also added some distinctive appeal.
Along Came Food Irradiation in the 1950s
Farming in the U.S. eventually became huge and required a worldwide network of distribution centers for handling and packing of this produce. Because of the immense volume being processed, some of the food would spoil, either in transit or on arrival to their destination. Some food processors were being sued and this was costing them money. Our government realized the possible potential in the use of nuclear irradiation might solve this dilemma. It began setting up facilities that would irradiate selected foods that were found to be having problems becoming rancid and increasing its E: coli bacteria count. They surmised that this would lessen consumer complaints and lawsuits to the manufacturer. Today, we still hear about hamburger recalls, etc. Meanwhile, all of the fruits and vegetables that are irradiated before shipment lose 50-80% of their vitamin content. It also produces chemical changes in the food that is irradiated. Enzymes that were present before irradiation, somehow disappear, thus providing more work for our pancreas.
So, What Has Been Accomplished?
Our food looks better, but looks are deceiving. Probably 80% of food nutrition has been depleted from the total food process and the consumer still pays the same price, plus inflation. The only answer is probably to plant your own garden.
