In the past few years, awareness of factory farming and the unhealthy reality of food is growing. According to Philip Lymbery’s, Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat:
“Intensification has had so severe an impact on meat quality that some scientists claim you’d have to eat four entire Factory-Farmed chickens to benefit from the same level of some nutrients you would have got from a single organic chicken in the 1970’s. They also contain nearly three times more fat and about a third less protein than 40 years ago, resulting in a woldwide epidemic of obesity-related diseases.” [emphasis added]
According to Professor Michael Crawford of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Nutrition, "The intensification of animal farming has virtually destroyed the nutritional quality of the food." In his study published in the premier medical magazine Lancet, he highlights the difference between the fat content of factory-produced animals – piggeries, poultries, cattle pens, rabbit farms etc. – and their "wild" counterparts. His research reveals that the ratio of "bad"(saturated) to "good" (polyunsaturated) fats in factory animals is 50:1 as compared to less than 3:1 in naturally grown animals.” [emphasis added]
‘If I produce more sugar, I will get re-elected.'
And this takes us to then US president Richard Nixon who was facing angry voters and soaring food prices. His "solution" - which ultimately was to increase the production of sugar – was achieved in 3 steps:
Getting the farmer’s lobby onside: To bring food prices under control, Nixon had to get the farmers to lobby onside. So, he hired Earl Butz, "an academic from the farming heartland of Indiana, to broker a compromise."
Mass producing corn: “Butz pushed farmers into a new, industrial scale of production, and into farming one crop in particular: corn."
Turning corn into sugar: Based on a Japanese innovation that enabled the mass production of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), "HFCS was soon pumped into every conceivable food: pizzas, coleslaw, meat.”
This is precisely why sugar – high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – is in everything.
But does this cause us health problems?
According to Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at UCSF, the answer is an unmitigated "yes." In this section of this video, he chronicles the rise in fructose consumption – which he holds responsible for diabetes and childhood obesity epidemic – to this "economically evil" policy:
CBC’s, The Fifth Estate produced a documentary, The Secrets of Sugar, which linked sugar to chronic diseases:
What so special about diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease?
They account for over half (51.4%) of the 283,000+ Canadian that died in 2018.
Yet another excellent illustration of how the system gaslights us away from the real issues that affect our lives because there is a lot of money to be made in selling sugary food – even though the corporations know it's terrible for us:
“Michael Mudd, at the time the VP of communications at Kraft, made the presentation. He warned the food executives that if they didn’t do something to curb obesity, they would be facing lawsuits down the road… As he spoke, slides demonstrating the link between processed food and diseases such as cancer and heart disease are presented overhead… the CEO of General Mills, Stephen Sanger, was livid with Mudd and refused to participate in his proposal for food companies to pool money to tackle the rise in obesity.” [emphasis added]
The food conglomerates have also used their clout to silence the press. For example, Fox capitulated to Monsanto's demand to kill a story on how their bovine growth hormone was resulting in “cows also have much higher levels of udder infections, which put more pus in the milk.” The NY Times published a story on how the Sugar Research Foundation paid Harvard scientists to minimize “the link between sugar and heart health and cast aspersions on the role of saturated fat.”
Furthermore, the processed food industry pays billions in advertising dollars. For example, Coca-Cola had a market spend of $5.8 billion in 2018, while Pepsi spent $4.2 billion. That’s a total of $10 billion between just two players. Consequently, media outlets who hold them accountable will not have access to these advertising dollars.
So, is it any wonder we are more worried about being murdered than eating sugar?
What needs to be done?
This approach to food production would need to be reorganized. Philip Lymbery makes an excellent case on how ending the cruel practice of factory farming will return us to the sustainable approach of raising animals on pasture-land – thereby freeing up grain for human consumption. He makes a similar case to feed fish to humans instead of animals. He also notes that food waste is a massive problem. This is no surprise as Capitalism focuses on production, whereas Islam focuses on distribution – which is the root problem here. Nixon was simply applying the Capitalist concepts to the issue of the food shortage. Although he’s responsible for the policies he implemented, the broader problem is Capitalist thinking itself.
He has other suggestions, such as to stop overeating meat. A couple of years ago, I would have balked at his idea. However, after a few rounds of intermittent fasting, I have realized that we don't need much to eat. Regardless, the point is a solution is within reach to provide nourishment to all.
The more significant issue of responsibility
One could argue that Capitalism, through Nixon, fulfilled the basic needs of the people through the mass production of the corn and HFCS. In hindsight, however, it is evident now that the ‘cure was worse than cancer’.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) explained to us:
“No harm and no causation of harm.” [Al Hakim]
Consequently, it is a must for an Islamic government to ensure we have access to high-quality food that doesn't cause the health epidemic that we are currently mired-in. That is, it is not allowed for the Khaleefah to serve people toxic food that fills our bellies but causes health problems. Instead, the ruler must ensure that the food in the land does not cause harm and enables us to live a healthy lifestyle. This is the key issue of responsibility. In a hadith in Muslim the Prophet (saw) noted that the obedience given to the ruler (i.e. the Khulafa’a) comes with a price:
“There will soon be Khulafa’a and they will number many (in one time); they asked: What then do you order us? He (saw) said: Fulfil allegiance to them, the first of them, the first of them, and give them their dues; for verily Allah will ask them about what he entrusted them with". [Muslim]
It is unacceptable to stuff people with toxic calories. Instead, we must go back to a sustainable food system that enables all to eat nourishing food that will prevent health issues instead of precipitating a crisis.
In sha Allah, in the next instalment, we will explore the issue of water.