The food industry in America is problematic.
Over the summer this year, I spent six weeks out of the country. It was amazing: beautiful scenery, amiable people and – most importantly – the food was absolutely divine. Not only was it rejuvenating, but I felt fuller, although I was eating less. I never watched my portion sizes, but I didn’t binge; it just always felt like enough.
The most apparent sign of this was my weight loss. I lost almost seven pounds in the course of one and a half months, and it never felt like I was cutting back on the amount I was eating. When I got back, I returned to my old habits. I would snack more frequently, eat bigger meals, and generally consume more daily. I think the problem lies in the American food industry. Maximized for profits, not only is it expensive, but significantly lower grade than food I’ve had elsewhere.
A lot of America’s food is processed. According to Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute, processed food makes up 73% of the food supply. This is extremely high compared to the average of 25% in Europe. The fast, cheap way of making food reduces the quality of it all and is linked to diabetes, obesity, cancer and other health problems.
Owen Fuesel, a junior who has traveled to Turkey and Greece, among other places in Europe and Asia, also believes there is a significant difference in the grade of food between those countries and the USA.
“Especially in Turkey, a lot of the food has a lack of processing, and it’s just a lot more fresh,” he said. “Say somebody moved from Istanbul to Omaha … they would probably be shocked by the fact that we can, or not that we can, but we do, throw a bag of some frozen food in our freezer and then just pull it out and heat it up anytime we want. That’s very different from what they do.”
Another junior student, Hugh Lowe-Weyand, has been to Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and other places in Europe. He also mentioned the general freshness as well as good quality food items being available without having to go to high-end restaurants.
“I bought a box of strawberries off some random store in Germany, and they’re the best strawberries I’ve ever had,” Lowe-Weyand said. “They were just that much better than anything I’ve ever had in the U.S. That just any random street food is like holy.”
This I can attest to. The last time I was in Europe was over five years ago, yet I still remember the Subway I had there. It looked fresh, it tasted fresh. That was my most memorable dish there just because I could compare it to the Subways I’ve had in the U.S. — it was so much better over there!
Another pro is how balanced the meals are. Fuesel and senior Zoe Pinkelman touch on this idea. Pinkelman believes American food is mostly composed of carbohydrates. This is completely different from Japan, where she went during the summer for a school trip. Both emphasized how each meal was served with vegetables and different parts of the food groups. The consumption of good-quality nutrients also results in feeling fuller and more satisfied after every meal.
“After most meals, I was like completely full,” Pinkelman said. “If I went out to eat in America, I would eat a meal and I would get full and then within a few hours I would be hungry again.”
Contrary to popular belief, the portion sizes in Japan, among other places, aren’t as small as many believe. A common misconception is that American portions are way bigger than those of other countries, but the students mentioned how other countries’ portions were perfect, sometimes even a lot of food. This means America’s portions aren’t the problem; the problem is how food is made and the main goal of the industry — profit.
The intentions of the American food industry are to maximize profit, leading to the use of processed goods and lower-quality ingredients. According to Escoffier, a culinary school, our factories produce processed foods more efficiently than fresh food. They are often subsidized, while fruits and vegetables that are being minimally processed are not, and therefore expensive to purchase. Lowe-Weyand and Pinkelman also identified this as the issue.
“It’s mostly just made to maximize the capitalization and how much money they can make,” Lowe-Weyand said. “They don’t care about long-term health; they don’t care about how good it is for you. They just want to make as much food as they can and as much money as they can.”
The people’s well-being is the primary objective of Japan. Pinkelman had purchased a bowl of ramen there for less than 500 yen this summer, roughly $3.41. That’s so inexpensive, and we already addressed the fact that portions are not meager. She even had a hard time finishing the meal because of how hearty it was.
“They care more about being able to feed people than profits,” she said.
Naturally, like how my brain still clings to the thought of Subway in Germany, these students found some of their own favorites to share in case readers have the opportunity to travel and try them out!
Fuesel’s favorite dish was some “good old gyros” in Santorini. He had them not only there but also in the U.S., and they did not disappoint him in Greece.
Lowe-Weyand enjoyed his meal in Germany the most.
“It was just like bread and meat and tomatoes and lettuce … it was something you could find here in the U.S., but it was just in Germany, so it’s better.”
