“Meat and Potatoes” by Eric Schlosser discusses the different ways that fast food has transformed American agriculture, specifically the potato and beef industry. Due to the power of a couple corporations, the way that our food supply is produced has been changed for the worse. Small farms have been shut down and the amount of profit farmers receive for their product has significantly decreased. Not only has this been detrimental to the small farm owners, the conditions at these processing plants are prone to disease and illness for the workers and consumers.
Before reading this article, I never thought about what went behind the making of my cheeseburger and fries. Now, my attention focuses on a few main men. J.R. Simplot success in taking risks in the potato business has made him partially guilty for my love of french fries. He grew up working on his family farm in Idaho and decided that school wasn’t for him at the age of 15. By the age of 36, he owned a farm where he controlled the growing, fertilizing, processing and shipping of potatoes. He even took it to the next level by mastering the frozen french fry. This eight-grade dropout turned into one of the richest men in the US. He became the biggest supplier of french fries to McDonalds. Today, frozen french fries are consumed in abundant amounts and most of them are purchased at fast-food restaurants. Schlosser emphasized that it is only the “three company giants” that have contracts with fast food chains, not the small potato farms in Idaho. The small farm owners haven’t come together to join forces to fight against this oligopsony. Without their combined support, these big companies will continue to control the potato business with their connection to fast food companies.
Similarly to Simplot, Monfort controls one of the largest cattle feedlots in the nation. Since the meat industry is also controlled by a few key competitors, the conditions for the cattle and the workers have gone down the drain. The most dangerous occupation in the United States is meatpacking, but the way these workers are treated doesn’t compensate for the risk. The employees include mostly immigrants(some illegal), who live in poverty due to their low wages and receive no training in their position. The lack of training and dangerous speed of the slaughterhouses leads to injury and illness. Because these slaughterhouses continue to run in this manner, it is no surprise me to me that our nation experiences outbreaks of E.Coli.
Questions of discussion:
1- What are some similarities between the potato and meat industry?
2- It was highlighted by Schlosser that the small potato farmers refuse to join forces against the 3 main competitors. Do you think if these farmers came together the government would actually change the potato industry?
3- When we hear about the great family business run by Rich Conway it gives us hope that our nation’s problems can be changed. Are we too far into this mess to have more businesses like Rich Conway’s?
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