Sometimes the conscious eating journey begins with a diagnosis. For CNN Correspondent Christina Alesci, it was the discovery of adult-onset Type 1 Diabetes. In a recent post, she describes how the news forever changed her relationship with food, prompting critical questions that became the impetus for her new “Raw Ingredients” series.
Describing the series as an exploration into “where our food comes from, what goes into it and what it does to us,” Alesci is embarking on a behind the scenes examination of America’s industrial food system. Talking to people at every stop along the chain—from the field to the boardroom—she reports that how we grow, source and distribute food is stressed.
In her post entitled 7 things to know about our food system, Alesci provides a fact-filled glimpse at some core realities:
- As a country of 300+ million, our food system is huge
- We produce about 800 billion pounds of corn annually, and only consume about 10% of that as human food, most of which is used in the form of high-fructose corn syrup
- Corporations wield tremendous power that impacts decisions throughout the entire system, including safety testing
- The health of individuals and the environment are not top priorities, but consumers are empowered to bring about change
Take a minute to review her list for yourself. And if you’re inclined, dig a little deeper. Click through the links she’s provided to essential information. Build your knowledge of our food system. Think about how you can make a difference through your daily decisions.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on Alesci’s “Raw Ingredients” series for straightforward commentary on the issues shaping our food system.