Food Matters - Essay Sample

Introduction

The hypocrites held on the notion that "let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." Food occupies a central position in human health. It makes the periphery of the different subjects of study. Different parts of the world have undergone drastic changes regarding food production and consumption. The western culture has, for example, experienced a period of technological advancement and therefore their modes of food production have been much technologically advanced. Different people have different food cultures. The nature of food is the same throughout the world, but the culture which refers to the cooking and preparation differs in every society. Most of the food sources come from either plants or animals. There are therefore various ethical considerations for the consumers. The paper set to argue out the fact that animal welfare and the limited environmental degradation is a primary moral consideration that a food consumer should put into an account.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Plants and animals are the sources of essential food components such as carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. The increasing daily demand for food threatens the life and well-being of the particular plants and animals. In some cultures, only animals are considered worthy of living, and therefore food consumption relies heavily on plant sources. The specific consumers tend to ignore the fact that both plants and animals are biological resources and are consequently leaving creatures with the right to live to the future. The consumption of either plants or animal products solely relies on the consumer's taste and preferences (Bittman 6).

With the increase in human population, plants and animals are at risk of experiencing over-exploitation for consumption purposes (Bittman 24). As much as food is needed to ensure a rational state of good health, the biological resources comprising of plants and animals should be sustainably used in a way that they meet the needs of the present as well as the future generations. Plants and animals have the various roles to play apart from being used as human food. They provide several other functions that are equally beneficial to human. The ecology of the human being is highly dependent on the existence of plants and animals for its regulation.

Food as a necessity for the survival of a human being cannot singly create contentment in an individual's life. There are several environmental factors which must be considered. The atmospheric temperature regulation, a function done by plants is very critical for the well-being of man. It is, therefore, necessary for the consumer to take note of the fact that overexploitation of plant leaves for consumption as food may have other drastic effects elsewhere. Overharvesting of plants for food and other purposes has been one of the contributing factors to global warming.

In agricultural production, the consumer ethics has been one of the issues of concern. There is a need for sustainable agriculture to help in the defense against the plants and animals' right disparity. There has been an argument on whether the technological production of genetically modified food would rescue the natural plant and animal resources from over-consumption (Bittman 8). The only answer has however been the need to have a conscious eating habit for the enhancement of one's health status while at the same time putting into account the welfare of the environment and the natural resources.

Healthy eating habits are fundamental as far as food is concerned. The quality and quantity of food matter, for the well- being of the consumer and the consumed. Eating the right amount and the best quality of food provides the ultimate healthy condition. The right quality of food contains the different food elements. The quantity of food needed by an individual, however, relies on the various factors. Consuming too much food is not only harmful to the human health but also to the environment (Bittman 12). The over exploited plants may even suffer the risk of extinction.

Fish is one of the nutritious sources of animal protein throughout the world. The excessive exploitation of the fisheries resource has threatened its existence. The different species of fish have been over-exploited for the human consumption. Both the freshwater and the marine fisheries have experienced a drastic decline over the past decades. The decrease has, therefore, had a different impact on the ecology of the remaining fish, putting them at risk of further decline. There have been policies and regulations in place to help regulate the harvesting of fisheries. Due to the rising consumer demands, there has not been a proper implementation of the controls.

Responsible and conscious feeding is cheap, healthy and socially acceptable. Responsible mindful nutrition helps in creating a safer planet. The energy consumption obtained through consuming a significant amount of meat can be equalized to other forms of atmospheric carbon emissions (Bittman 6). Business policies and economic factors are other vital determinants of whatever we put on the table for consumption. Whether harmful to the planet or useful to our health all relies on the different predetermining aspects aside from the personal taste and preference of the consumer. As opposed to the consumption of more animal products consumption of much vegetables has proved to be more helpful both to an individual's health and to the planet at large.

According to Bittman, unhealthy food should be highly taxed to reduce their consumption. Healthy food products on the other side should be subsidized to encourage their use (Bittman 26). In equal measure, there should be higher taxation imposed on the critical plants and animals to minimize the rate at which they are exploited. Such action will ensure the sustainability of the different biological resources while at the same time achieving the aim of creating a better environment and planet. With such initiatives, health-related issues such obesity shall be reduced by a more significant percentage.

Most of the unhealthy foods are eaten in restaurants and eateries away from home. Making food for commercial purposes without giving much thought to its effects have proved to be the contributing factor to the rise in cases of food-related health conditions. Many people do not eat home-made food because they lack the technical know-how of how to make meals (Bittman 17). This factor has not done any good to the environment, and neither has it done any better to the human health. Making home-cooked food should, therefore, be considered as a social responsibility where everyone is taught and is guided through the available recipes of establishing alternatives to the food sold in the eateries.

As much as incentives need to be accorded to farmers to enhance their production of healthier foods, incentives which would guide the protection of animals and plants safety should also be put to account. Making sure that we consume healthy food, while at the same time ensuring the sustainability, of the God-given natural resources for the future generation, should be treated as a corporate social responsibility. Every stakeholder starting from the producers all through to the consumer should all ensure that the animals and plants are ethically treated with the dignity they deserve. They must not only be considered as food but as living things as well. The environment in return shall be conserved as the ecological roles played by the plants and animals shall remain intact.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is right to acknowledge the fact that food is very critical in ensuring good health in an individual. Not only the quaity but also quantity of food consumed by an individual dictate our status of wellbeing. Consumption of too much food may prove to be destructing rather than enhancing one's health. Apart from personal preference and taste for food, there are other factors which also determine the type of food we consume. Economic as well as the political elements in a state dictates the kind of food consumed. On top of the given factors, there are several ethical issues of concern that a consumer looks into before taking the offered food. The animal welfare, as well as the environmental degradation, is one of the significant ethical consideration that a consumer needs to make. As much as we need food to improve our healthiest is never right to contradict the welfare of animals, plants as well as the environment at large, in our effort to achieve our aim of being healthy. Ensuring the sustainability of the resources for the future generation should be seen as a corporate socials responsibility.

Work Cited

Bittman, Mark. Food matters: A guide to conscious eating with more than 75 recipes. Simon and Schuster, 2008.