Social Class Determined by Food

            On Friday in American Studies, we were discussing the different criteria used to define social class in America. One of those criteria happened to be the types of foods someone eats. This reminded me of my junior theme. In fact, it connects directly to one of my main points. The United States government subsidizes corn in order to supply the food market with cheap, corn-based products. That way, consumers will be happy because they get relatively good tasting food for an extremely low price.

            To get a better idea of the food industry, check out this video…

            As you can see, food is a definite factor in terms of one’s social status. As the woman stated at 0:50, you could get two hamburgers for the same price as a vegetable. Clearly, anyone of a lower social class would not buy the healthier foods because they are more expensive, whereas the higher-class people would because they most likely can afford to buy them.

            What do you think are the main differences between social classes in the United States in terms of the foods they eat?

Supersize Me

            Today I was reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan for my junior theme, when I read something very interesting. Since the introduction of high fructose corn syrup, sales of many processed food companies – especially fast food companies – have gone up. Why? Because they have supersized many of their products. For instance, 7-Eleven has introduced the famous double gulp. But what enabled them to do this?

            When high fructose corn syrup was introduced, companies jumped on the opportunity to use it in their products because it is just as sweet as regular sugar, equally affective as regular sugar, but is only a fraction of the cost. They then realized that they would have to pay much less to make the products they sold. However, instead of sell their products at the same size for a lower price, they decided to supersize their products, costing them about the same as before, and selling them to consumers for a slightly higher, yet still profitable price. This new supersized product, as we well know, appealed to consumers more than companies even realized. So now, we see companies supersizing everywhere. Take a look at this video for a better idea:

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/323871

            As you see, fast food companies from across the board have supersized their products, and made an incredible profit from it. This, however, has contributed to the declining health of our nation, as the rate of type II diabetes as well as heart disease, obesity, and many other illnesses increases. While our nation’s fast food companies reek the benefits of this ingenious sales tactic, our waistlines pay the price. And at the cost of what? Corn? How could something as silly as corn make such a large impact on our nation’s health?

            Is it responsible of fast food companies to supersize their menu when they know it’s hurting the health of our nation? At what point should companies worry more about the welfare of consumers than their own profit?