Is The Corporate Supply Chain Responsible for Food Safety The hectic pace of everyday living leaves little time to ensure the food we eat contains the highest possible nutritional value. Instead, fast food joints and corner restaurants make up the bulk of many people’s daily diets. Corporate supply chain food producers have developed ways to capitalize on our hectic lifestyles while delivering minimal nutritional value in the process.
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Those of us concerned about the quality of the food we eat may want to consider the benefits of buying food from local suppliers; or at the very least, frequenting restaurants that only serve locally produced foods. Considering the health issues at stake, the choice between corporate food supply chains and locally produced food products becomes far less difficult to make.
Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention show adult obesity rates have increased by 60 percent over the past 20 years. For children the rates have doubled. For teenagers the rates have tripled. When we eat foods with little to no nutritional value, the body tends to overeat in an attempt to get the nutrition it’s lacking.
Interestingly enough, these growing obesity rates have taken place at the same time the corporate food industry makes incredible advances in food production methods and top of the line performance management software. Genetically enhanced produce, hormone-fed livestock and finely-tuned preservatives are but some of the methods used in today’s food production plants.
For these reasons, it’s important to know where your food comes from in terms of locally produced versus shipped from out-of-state or even from overseas. Food isn’t supposed to remain fresh for days and weeks while in transit from point A to point B. When it does, you can be sure its physical and chemical make-up has been altered considerably; otherwise, it wouldn’t be edible.
Yield-enhancing technologies, such as pesticides, fertilizers and densely planted crops no doubt drive the sought after profit margins for corporate supply food chains. These technologies not only deplete foods of their nutritional value but also leave crops and livestock open to environmental contaminants. Some of the contaminants that make it into our food supply include:
Combined with the intentional alterations made within the food production process (colorants, additives and preservatives), the nutritional difference between locally-produced restaurant food and mass produced restaurant food couldn’t be any more apparent.
According to the LocalHarvest resource site, on average, fruits and vegetables are transported as far as 1500 within the United States. They may look fresh when they arrive, but the engineering used to keep them fresh depletes any nutritional value they once had. Consequently, restaurants serving corporate supply chain foods have virtually no control over the freshness of the foods they serve.
In spite of the hectic lives we lead, a health-conscious approach to food can start with being selective about what we eat and where we eat.
Guest Author
Also Read:
Introducing The Tasty Varieties Of Kerala Breakfast
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Those of us concerned about the quality of the food we eat may want to consider the benefits of buying food from local suppliers; or at the very least, frequenting restaurants that only serve locally produced foods. Considering the health issues at stake, the choice between corporate food supply chains and locally produced food products becomes far less difficult to make.
Food Quality
With Americans becoming more health conscious, more and more people have begun to place a greater emphasis on the importance of eating quality foods. Since the advent of agricultural industrialization, the nutritional value of the foods we eat has declined considerably through the years.Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention show adult obesity rates have increased by 60 percent over the past 20 years. For children the rates have doubled. For teenagers the rates have tripled. When we eat foods with little to no nutritional value, the body tends to overeat in an attempt to get the nutrition it’s lacking.
Interestingly enough, these growing obesity rates have taken place at the same time the corporate food industry makes incredible advances in food production methods and top of the line performance management software. Genetically enhanced produce, hormone-fed livestock and finely-tuned preservatives are but some of the methods used in today’s food production plants.
For these reasons, it’s important to know where your food comes from in terms of locally produced versus shipped from out-of-state or even from overseas. Food isn’t supposed to remain fresh for days and weeks while in transit from point A to point B. When it does, you can be sure its physical and chemical make-up has been altered considerably; otherwise, it wouldn’t be edible.
Restaurant Food - Health & Safety Issues
As any restaurant “connoisseur” well knows, quality of food can vary considerably from one restaurant to another. Some establishments make it point to serve locally- produced foods while others are perfectly content to serve up foods from corporate supply chains. Unfortunately, those who frequent the latter on a regular basis may very well be placing their overall health at risk.Yield-enhancing technologies, such as pesticides, fertilizers and densely planted crops no doubt drive the sought after profit margins for corporate supply food chains. These technologies not only deplete foods of their nutritional value but also leave crops and livestock open to environmental contaminants. Some of the contaminants that make it into our food supply include:
- Industrial chemicals
- Heavy metals
- Benzene
- Dioxins
Combined with the intentional alterations made within the food production process (colorants, additives and preservatives), the nutritional difference between locally-produced restaurant food and mass produced restaurant food couldn’t be any more apparent.
Food Freshness
Fresh food equals nutritional value. No surprise there. Our local farmers’ markets and quality-conscious restaurants place a high priority on delivering nutritional food products to their paying customers. In effect, these establishments control freshness by buying local without altering the physical composition of the food.According to the LocalHarvest resource site, on average, fruits and vegetables are transported as far as 1500 within the United States. They may look fresh when they arrive, but the engineering used to keep them fresh depletes any nutritional value they once had. Consequently, restaurants serving corporate supply chain foods have virtually no control over the freshness of the foods they serve.
In spite of the hectic lives we lead, a health-conscious approach to food can start with being selective about what we eat and where we eat.
Guest Author
About the Author:
Steton performance management software help restaurants effectivlely manage their supply chain performance to help bring customers the freshest and healthiest ingredients possible.
Steton performance management software help restaurants effectivlely manage their supply chain performance to help bring customers the freshest and healthiest ingredients possible.
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