Chao Zhao College Composition II Professor Reynolds 10/12/11 Changing the Meat and Poultry Industry The American

supermarkets provide kinds of food like meat,poultry, egg, vegetable, etc. When people shop in supermarkets, they care most about the price, flavor and quantity. There are few people concerning about the truth behind these kinds of food. "Food Inc.", a documentary directed by Robert Kenner, records what we eat everyday, how the food produces and the truth behind the food rarely known by people. In this documentary, Kenner points out that there are existing several problems in the meat and poultry industry which is an important part of the food industry relating to fast food, restaurant and human's diet. These problems are caused by both firms and farmers and they cover food market, health and animal welfare fields. As these problems have been caused, is there a need to break the meat and poultry industry's current situation? People have the rights to know the truth and the government even has responsibility to solve these problems. So it is necessary to change the meat and poultry industry. To begin with, there is an oligopoly phenomenon existing in meat and poultry industry. Oligopoly means a small group of firm control most of the market or dominate an industry. According to the documentary "Food Inc.", it is said that "in the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled only about 25% of the market. Today the top four control more than 80% of the market, they are Tyson, Swift, Cargill and The National Beef. The same thing also happens

in pork." It is adverse to an industry that the most part of market controlled by only four firms. The big four can set the industry standard and easily change this industry. For example, Tyson changes the way how chickens are raise. It reduces half time for chickens to grow up and makes chickens twice as big with large breasts than these in 1950s. Besides, they changed chicken farmers as well. Nowadays, chicken farmers do not need to control chickens because all the rights about chickens were owned by Tyson. The oligopoly also cause insufficient competition. The big four are able to set prices and rules so that small companies can not compete with them and gain fewer profits. Thus small companies will quit the industry or be merged by big four. So they can continue to erode the market in this way. What is more, these big firm can easily hide the information and truth behind meat and poultry. They even stand together to cheat consumers sometimes. People hardly know how the chicken and cattle grow up, how the chicken and beef are produced under the condition of unclear information. It is hard to break the big four's oligopoly but we still need to change the them. The government has the responsibility to protect small company and encourage them competing with big four by reducing taxes and fees. The whole meat and poultry need more transparent on information. Next, the meat and poultry industry has caused health problem both on humans and animals. In the New York Times article "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables", the author named Mark Bittman states that "yet the food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods. Their mission is not public health but profit, so theyll continue to sell the health damaging food thats most profitable." Most health problems are caused by company's profit. The same example as Tyson, they want to maximize the profit so they reduced half growth time of chicken and made large breasted chicken twice as big than before. Some chickens becomes

very sick but they are still sent to produce food. In "Food Inc.", a chicken farmer named Carole Morrison admits she put antibiotics into feed so antibiotics will pass through chicken. The bacteria have resistant to antibiotics so that they do not work. She is also allergic by antibiotics. In a result, many chickens become sick by this farming and human also suffer from antibiotics. In another New York Times article "Meat Packer Admits Slaughter of Sick Cows", the author named Matthew L. Wald narrates the biggest beef recall event in USA. Steve Mendell, president of the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, admits his company slaughtered sick cows to produce beef. Bart Stupak, a technique representative in the article emphasizes that "143 million pounds of beef that were recalled, about 50 million pounds went to school lunch programs or federal programs for the poor or elderly." So people's health can not be guaranteed that more than one third of meat made from sick beef has been eaten. Without doubt, it is not the only meat recall event during the past one decade. These meat companies are mainly responsible for producing unhealthy meat. But who is responsible for consumers' health? Supervisor need to focus on safety and health of meat and poultry. The meat and poultry industry needs good integrity and great sense of responsibility. Once again, the meat and poultry industry proves they care less about animals' welfare. In the "Food Inc." Kenner records an extremely terrible living environment of chicken. The colony house is very dirty and chickens stand in the feces. Chicken was crowded close to each other because there is no enough space for the large number of chicken living in the colony. Because of short growing time, their bodies and feet can not support their weight when they become big enough. Some chicken thus is not able to stand and move when they grow up and some even die. It is so cruel to feed chicken in such a bad environment and it greatly hurt

animal's welfare. Besides, some employees from slaughterhouse even torture of animals directly. In the New Times article "KFC Supplier Accused of Animal Cruelty" by Donald G. McNeil, an animal rights group release a videotape showing "slaughterhouse workers from the Pilgrim's Pride Corporation jumping up and down on live chickens, drop-kicking them like footballs and slamming them into walls, apparently for fun." It can not be denied that animals also have welfare. But these slaughterers lose ethics to keep animal's rights. To solve this kind of problem, the government need to strengthen on inspection of animal's welfare and the meat and poultry industry need to promise to keep animal's basic rights. So chicken farmers and employees from meat and poultry company should treat well to animals like providing a clean living and more spaces environment to chickens, increase to a reasonable growth period and killing them without painful. Lastly, the meat and poultry industry cause social problem. African Americans and Latino are mostly employed to catch chicken. Most of them are undocumented workers without any rights. Besides, these companies also control the farmers because of debts. Farmers have no choice to refuse these companies' requirements. It is important to guarantee human's rights and welfares that the meat and poultry companies should not use illegal labors and impose farmers. In conclusion, the meat and poultry industry caused several problems so there is a need to change it. We need a clear and transparent meat and poultry industry. It should have great sense of responsibility, provide safety and healthy food and guarantee both human and animals' welfare and rights. Besides, the government and supervisor, some food and animal organizations need to supervise and inspect this industry. In all efforts, the meat and poultry industry will change to be a better industry with fewer problems and more progress.

Work Cited
Kenner, Robert. Dir . Food Inc. Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media,

July, 2008. Film Bittman, Mark . "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables." New York Times. New York Times, July 23, 2011. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24bittman.html?pagewanted=1 &_r =2&sq=bittman&st=cse&scp=2 Wald, Matthew L. "Meat Packer Admits Slaughter of Sick Cows." New York Times New York Times, March 13. 2008 .web. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/business/13meat.html?ref=westlandhallmarkmeatco mpany McNeil, Donald G. Jr. "KFC Supplier Accused of Animal Cruelty." New York Times New York Times, July 20, 2004. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/20/business/20chicken.html?scp=10&sq=animalcruelty &st=cse&pagewanted=1