By Phumpiu, Paul F.
Publication: American Journal of Agricultural Economics
Date: Sunday, December 1 1996
Subject: Grocery stores (Marketing), Reengineering (Management) (Analysis)
Changes in Retail Food Delivery: Signals for Producers, Processors, and Distributors (Jean Kinsey, University of Minnesota, presiding)
The food supply chain moves food from the farm gate to the consumer, transforming raw commodities into products that can be conveniently purchased, prepared, and consumed. The chain is comprised of food procurement and manufacturing companies, wholesale/distribution firms, brokers, food service firms and restaurants, and retail grocery firms. It is remarkable for its efficiency, diversity of firm sizes and types, and responsiveness to consumers.
Except their lack of responsiveness to our diseased nation from the chemicals they treat our food with in order to increase their bottom line. Chemicals that increase shelf life but that the human body has no way of breaking down and eliminating cause rampant free radicals causing aging and cancer as starters. Chemicals like artificial food coloring and flavoring to fool the palate and the eye while causing cancer, asthma, allergies and other common diseases.
Except that in their greed to sell more products, they load the foods with sugars and fat disguised with chemical names we do not recognize.
Except that they hire Madison Avenue ad agencies to push sugar laden chemically laced cereals, snacks, drinks, and other foods to children, thus starting the heart disease, cancer process, tourettes syndrome, juvenile diabetes, and A.D.D. early in life.
Except that they produce easy to make quick food products that have been refined so much there is no nutritional value left in them.
Except that for convenience sake in a society too busy to cook from scratch, processed nitrate listeria filled cold cuts accompanied with crackers loaded with fat for the arteries and a sugar filled desert full of artificial flavorings, coloring and preservatives are nicely packaged for children as a healthy snack.
The quick food market for working mothers has been a boon to a nation of single parent families but at what cost? If the food purveyors cared at all about the quality of their products, they would find a way to market healthy choices for this market.