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Politics of Food:
How Americans Choose What to Eat
Jennifer Kitchen
June 5, 2011

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Politics of Food
In the United States there is pride in the freedom of choice. Americans can choose what
religion to belong to. They can choose what career they want to pursue. They choose what the
purchase and when. Are they choosing on their own or are Americans persuaded to buy certain
items?How does politics play a role in the food market?
Most Americans know that the government has agencies to help protect our freedoms.
They are also aware that the foods, drugs, and other products that they purchase have been
tested and deemed safe by one government agency or another. In the U.S. people hear, watch,
and read the news. Americans know that tobacco can cause health issues because the
government made it so a warning is placed on all cigarettes and other tobacco products. The
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls foods and drugs that are found to be
harmful and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates what kind and
how much of an emission from factories can be let into the atmosphere. So, citizens of the
United States can purchase whatever they want from the store and feel secure that what they
purchase is safe for them to use and that whatever they consume was made in a eco-friendly
way.
Yet, Americans are experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and
cancer at alarming rates. Obesity is running rampant and children are developing diseases way
before the age of 30 when we should be seeing the onset of degenerative disease.Can the
freedom to choose play a role in these situations? The government recommends that
Americans eat less fat, sugar, and salt but many of the favorite snacks eaten in the U.S. are

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salty, sweet, and fat laden. As Americans are told to eat healthier diets the food industry stocks
the shelves with more convenience foods that are not really healthy. What does the average
American, busy pursuing their American Dream, know about food and food choices? Eating is
an activity everyone has in common and everyone has freedom in deciding what to consume
every day. To understand why Americans choose the foods they do and how it effects their
health it is important to understand the environmental factors that play a role and what ethics
and policy mean in the food industry and the government agencies that regulate them.
Environmental Factors
Today, there are more foods on the market than ever before. Americans get to choose
from a whole aisle of breakfast cereals. There is a cracker of every taste and budget. The food
industry supplies its consumers with 320,000 food products to choose from and tells them that
there is no good or bad foods, all foods can be part of a healthy diet (Nestle, 2007). How can
this be? If certain foods contain a quarter of the sodium or fat that an average person needs in
a day, how can all food be part of a healthy diet? The food industry says eat a balanced diet,
eat a variety of foods, and eat certain products in moderation (Nestle, 2007). That sounds like
something that the government said in the Dietary Guidelines. “Consumption of a balanced
variety of protein foods can contribute to improved nutrient intake and health benefits.” “Eat
a variety of vegetables.” “Choose a variety of fruits.” “If alcohol is consumed, it should be
consumed in moderation.” (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2010). The fact that the Dietary
Guidelines do not reach the population as well as the advertisements of the food companies is
one aspect that can make purchasing healthy food products more than a little confusing.

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Consumers believe that what they are purchasing is good for them and that if they follow the
recommended ‘balance, variety, and moderation’ plan when shopping and eating they will be in
good health.
Americans live in a special environment that is deceptively run by the television, radio,
and internet. The government agencies, like the FDA, EPA, and the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) may regulate certain aspects of the production and sale of products in the
U.S. but what Americans buy is ultimately up to them. The FDA recommends that people
eathealthy diets and get enough activity to help maintain a healthy weight but commercials
make food products look so tempting and the latest movies trailers entice people to take some
more sit-down time. Americans are told all food is good and relaxation is a necessity. As Nestle
states in Food Politics, representatives of the food industry make claims that promote
purchasing by consumers (2007). Commercials are made to promote profit not health. A
commercial for a fortified cereal tells people that the product has good nutritional value and
more fiber, which the doctor said to get more of. A box of cereal promotes what the
government says about getting more grains in the diet. The ‘nutritional label’ says the cereal
contain 100% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of more than 7 vitamins and minerals. It
must be good for them. Yet, if Americans had read the Dietary Guidelines, looked at
MyPyramid a little closer,and then read the list of ingredients they would know that the cereal
they are buying has more sugar, sodium, and fat than should be added to a healthy diet. They
may start to think that looking for whole grains instead of eating the cereal that is made from
enriched, white flour sounds like a better choice for health. Most Americans do not have a fully

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understanding of the marketing efforts made by the food industry and even less is known about
the food industries influence in the government.
Ethics and Policy
Over the past 100 years, food and government have come together. The agencies
within the government not only regulate the food industry but help to set up guidelines and
recommendations for the population on how and what to eat. In 1916, The USDA's put out its
first food guide, "Food for Young Children" and classified food into five groups: cereals,
vegetables and fruits, milk and meat, fatty foods, and sugary foods. By 1945, they gave us “The
Basic Seven” which by 1956 became “The Basic Four.” In 1979, “The Hassle-Free Guide to a
Better Diet” included the category of the foods to eat in moderation; fats, sweets, and alcohol.
In 1984, the USDA came up with the five food groups we know today and published "Food
Wheel: A Pattern for Daily Food Choices". In 1992, the wheel became the "Food Guide
Pyramid", which changed to “MyPyramid” in 2005. Now, they are ready to come out with a
new food guide called, “MyPlate”, which will highlight fruits, grains, vegetables, protein and
dairy (Stenovec, 2011). The food industry has had some pull in what has gone into these
guidelines and when they cannot get the government to convince consumers to “eat more” of
their products they try their own convincing and tell consumers that dietary advice from the
government changes to often and that government intervention in dietary choice does not fit
with democracy (Nestle, 2011). So, when the USDA says, “Enjoy your food, but eat less” (USDA,
2011) it is because the industry does not want to hear “eat less” but when the USDA says to

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enjoy the food it can mean still eat what you want to eat. Making the food industry happy also
means promoting economics and economics play a major role in politics.
With hundreds of thousands foods on the market there are more jobs needing to be
filled. The farmers grow the food,others must transport the food, then the manufacturers
make and package the food in packaging that was produced in a factory and shipped to them
from elsewhere. There is movement of food and food products by trucks, trains, planes, and
boats every day.Then the food is put on shelves or prepared behind counters to be served to
thousands of hungry, paying customers. According to Nestle, this makes for a good argument
on the side of the food industry, if people “eat less” economic harm will come to food
producers (2007). If people “eat less” meat, economic loss will be felt by producers of meat.
“Eat Less” of the foods containing sugar and salt and economic harm come to not only the
farmers of sugar cane and the miners of salt but also to the companies that produce the sugary
drinks and salty snacks. So, the food industry lobbies the government agencies and tries to
convince them that people do not need to “eat less”. Instead, the food industry and the
government agencies decide to develop fortified and functional foods, which lets the people
“eat more” (Nestle, 2007). Then the food industry spends money on marketing, from packaging
to advertisement, to convince consumers to keep eating. With this structure of institution,
built by the industry to sell more, how can the American population move away from
premature degenerative disease and the epidemic of obesity? How can Americans change their
diets for a healthier tomorrow when they still look to the commercials and the packaging for
their diet and nutrition information?

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Making a Change
Nestle lists in Food Politics, there are several “modifications of public policies” that
could help promote better dietary choices and more active lifestyle, such as discontinuing sales
of sodas and candy bars and requiring more physical education and sports in schools
andrequiring all food packaging and print advertisements to include nutritional data and
prohibit misleading claims (2007). This may help but requires the government to change
policies on foods and combat the lobbying of the companies that do not desire change.
Already, most packaged foods on the store shelves are required by law to carry nutrition
labeling but with raw foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and fish labeling is by choice (FDA, 2011).
Some stores do put up information for consumers regarding the nutritional content of these
raw foods but the information is not available everywhere.According to the FDA Americans do
read labels, though, and the labels are helping people make better health choices when buying
foods. Over half of consumers in the United States when buying a product for the first time
often read the food label (FDA, 2010). People are getting wise to their nutritional needs and
the links between food choices and early degenerative diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
They are becoming aware that the saying, “you are what you eat” is not far from truth.
With this in mind, Americans have started movements that promote health and hope to
change policy. Although, there are many organizations that a person can join that promote
awareness amongst consumers and push for change in the policy making of food rules and
regulation, some of the biggest change can be made by the personal purchasing power of the
people. In the section ‘Taking Action: Voting with Forks’ of Food Politics Nestle states;

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“Our overabundant food system, a result as well as a cause of our flourishing
economy, gives most of us the opportunity to make a political statement every
time we eat – and to make a difference.”
The U.S. has a great food market. We can shop at a variety of stores and buy a variety of
products. With the American people educating themselves and purchasing foods that are truly
“healthier for you” the politics of food may be modified for the better. People can learn about
the effects of food on health when they speak with their doctors, nurses, or nutritionists. They
can gather information from books, magazines, television programs, and the internet but it is
important to research the source of information as well as the legitimacy of the claims being
made. With the knowledge of nutrition and purchasing power a difference can be made.
Each day people make choices on what to eat, but they do not often think about why
they make the decision to purchase certain products and not others. People do not think about
the policies that put an item on the shelf or the ethics of the company that made the product
for them to purchase. They only see what is shown to them in advertising and the package that
they hold as they contemplate their purchase. This is how common everyday people can make
a difference. Even people on a budget can learn how to eat healthier and it is simpler than
many would think. Taking one step to cutting junk food out of a family’s diet and learning to
make new healthy fast foods can help cut much of the over-consuming of salt, fats, and sugars
down (Paul, Segal,& Smith, 2011). Some rather easy lifestyle changes can make a World of
difference. As Americans learn to buy healthier foods and leave the fat-saturated, blood-
pressure raising, and kid-hyper-making foods on the shelf, the food industry must change. If

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people say they will no longer consume these unhealthy foods, the industry must come up with
foods that will satisfy the people, or else, they lose the bottom line, profit.

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References
United States Food and Drug Administration, (2010). Survey Shows Gains in Food-Label Use,
Health/Diet Awareness. Retrieved from
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm202611.htm
United States Food and Drug Administration, (2011). Food Label Helps Consumers Make
Healthier Choices. Retrieved from
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm094536.htm
U.S. Department of Agriculture, (2010). Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010.
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf
U.S. Department of Agriculture, (2011). Choose My Plate. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Stenovec, T., (2011). USDA Food Pyramid Gone: A History of Food Guides. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/02/usda-food-
pyramid_n_870457.html#s286384&title=1916_Food_For
Nestle, M., (2007). Food Politics:how the food industry influences nutrition and health. CA;
University of California Press.
Paul, M. W., Segal, R., and Smith, M., (2011).Eating Well on the Cheap: saving money on healthy
food. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_on_budget.htm