Food Ethics

Each of these pieces focuses in some way on the moral implications underlying food as a social phenomenon. In his piece “The pleasures of Eating” author Wendell Berry addresses the necessity of “eat[ing] responsibly” (64). His reasoning behind this edict holds his audience responsible for the “machines, drugs and chemicals” (67) which come into the world as a result of their “agricultural act[s]” (67). In this way, his rhetoric establishes a direct chain of responsibility from consumer to corrupt agricultural practice.

Following a similar theme, authors Dhruv Khullar and James Surowiecki focus on the importance of government intervention in the establishment of more ethical practices surrounding food. In his piece “Why Shame Won’t Stop Obesity” Khullar argues that an unhealthy “food environment” (128) created by overzealous advertisers is a primary cause of obesity. He argues that “public and political pressure” (129) is needed to curtail the phenomenon. Focusing on a similar issue, Surowiecki speaks about the “role of government” (123) in protecting people from unhealthy food choices. The community based rhetoric of both authors emphasizes their ethical support for regulation in the food industry.

“Grocery Gaps” “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” and “Soy Imperialism and the Destruction of Local Food Cultures” all focus on corporate entities and the ethical implications of their control over food production and distribution. In the first piece, “Grocery Gaps” the failure of the corporate sector to provide food to people living in low income neighborhoods is made abundantly clear. The author establishes that the promises of big grocery chains have “turned out to be hollow” (40). This author also draws attention to the fact that the “market penetration of fast food venders” (43) has created “food swamps” (42). Author Vandana Shiva picks up on this gloomy rhetoric as she elaborates on how companies, intent on selling soy products, have limited the availability of “culturally appropriate food” (143). Finally, authors Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele pick up on this gloomy theme of corporate impropriety in their piece “Monsanto’s harvest of fear.”  Using headers such as “Under Surveillance” (135) and “Control of Nature” (133) Barlett and Steele describe a corporate giant intent on crushing anything obstructing its path to higher profits. All of these pieces use rhetoric to expose a common theme of impropriety in the business of food.

These pieces make it clear that food matters because it is an industry and a community. By addressing the consumer’s role in food ethics, Wendell Berry draws attention to the importance of personal choices surrounding food. Dhruv Khullar and James Surowiecki argue that we need to address problems in the food industry collectively, and the rest of the authors and pieces I mentioned discuss those problems as they relate to corporate entities. In any case, these pieces contribute to an understanding of how and why food matters by focusing on all of the broad components and problems in our current system of food distribution and production.