Systematic Oppression within the Food Industry

You are what you eat.” Parents tell their children this in a slight joking manner. But if you eat Cheetos and Pillsbury rolls every day, what do you become? You become closer to your death. This issue is ignored. It is hidden. It is detrimental. Especially in the United States where majority of Americans are eating foods that have ingredient lists longer than news articles. People don’t know what is in their food. They do not care because the effects are slowly creeping up on them. The idea of the food industry being racist sounds absurd. But go into areas with lower income residents and look for a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes. Find somewhere that has organic food. You won’t. Search for it and your search will end quickly. These companies are racist. Specifically, they are classists. They only sell their products to upper class people. Only the upper class deserves to eat healthy in the eyes of Whole Foods. Yet, placing the blame on these “Yuppie Grocery Stores” does not truly explain the problem. They are nearly a result of the issue. It would be impossible to enter a Whole Foods with a monthly budget of two hundred dollars. You would either starve or not go to that store anymore. Recently, farmers markets have been more accessible to people in the city. But the areas are mainly gentrified. People using food stamps would not be able to purchase anything from a farmers market. They’re trapped in a system that forces unhealthy food down their throats.
In a sense, criticizing SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) would not even be dealing with the root of the problem. Although they are the two major food stamp programs in the United States, they did not cause the problem. They are just a Band-Aid placed on an open wound. This issue (like many issues that are seen on a global scale) is strictly economic. In a capitalist society, there is a basic equation of “be wealthy, create poor.” This is simple Marxism. But this is also an idea that has tortured people globally. ***This post is not finished yet***