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Jacob Reilly

Dr. Blackburn

RC1000 – 115

October 30th, 2019

Why We Should Consider Safe Food When Eating Ethically

Eating ethically isn’t something we always consider when we go through a drive through,

sit down at a restaurant, shop at the grocery store, and order takeout. Ethical eating isn’t part of

our daily rhetoric. So, what is ethical eating? According to the Food Ethics Council, eating

ethically “requires that we try to take into account all different values involved in our food

choices, that we consider all the consequences, look at the issues ‘in the round’ and try to decide

what is right, all things considered” (Food Ethics in Practice). Food ethics is a very broad topic

one of these issues is the way we grow our food. Should we grow fewer crops in an area to

reduce damage to the soil or grow a larger yield that will supply more people. Should we sell

food in less packaging with a shorter shelf life or package it and preserve the life of the food. We

need to change our rhetoric and start talking about food ethics and the safety of food because

without talking about it nothing will be done. Eating ethically takes in a lot of different variables;

however, you need to consider food safety the most if you are going to consider eating ethically.

The ethics of food can seem pretty black and white. Eat ethically if you care about

animals, staying healthy, and having good morals. When in reality it isn’t just the food industry

or your ego that is affected by eating ethically. In “The Only Way to Have a Cow” by Bill

McKibben, he discusses the impact of eating factory produced meat and how it might not just

impact the food industry. McKibben states “In recent years vegetarians and vegans have upped

their attack on the consumption of animal flesh… pointing out that it is not only disgusting but
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also a major cause of climate change. The numbers range from 18% of the world’s greenhouse

gas emissions to – in one recent study that was quickly discredited – 51%” (Bill McKibben).

Climate change is a big topic that is heavily debated. For anyone who cares about this pressing

issue, eating ethically takes on a whole new meaning. McKibben provides an interesting statistic

about going vegan, “going vegan is 50% more effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

than switching to a hybrid car according to a University of Chicago study” (Bill McKibben).

McKibben continues to give more information about how we should be changing our eating

habits to eat more ethically and change issues that are very pressing.

According to the CDC, roughly 48 million people each year get sick from a foodborne

illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die. This is an alarming amount of people, and yet

not many people are doing anything to spread the word. The World Health Organization states

that “Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition” (Food Safety). There are

plenty of diseases that can make people sick leading to hospitalization or even death. The most

common bacteria are Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. Coli. Salmonella is usually from eggs,

chicken, and other animal products. Campylobacter is mainly caused by raw milk. Lastly, E.

Coli is related to unpasteurized milk and undercooked meat. Most of the time these bacterial

infections don’t lead to death; however, in some cases without proper treatment, like in

undeveloped countries they can lead to death. Viruses are also a risk, stemming from raw or

uncooked seafood. The Hepatitis A virus can cause long term liver disease. Foodborne illnesses

can also be in the form of parasites and prions, including tapeworms and Bovine spongiform

encephalopathy (mad cow disease).

As we progress into the future it may become harder to fight these foodborne illnesses.

Medicine advances are helping tremendously but the rise of large-scale manufacturing and the
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decline of locally sourced food can lead to a spread of disease. Based on the list of diseases

above, it might seem as if steering clear of meat could bring down the number of people infected

by food borne illnesses. This is where the ethics of eating comes into play. Throughout “Equality

for Animals?” Singer discusses the unfair treatment of animals caused by the competition of the

market. He brings into question if it is ethical to horribly mistreat animals in order to bring the

food to stores at a lower price. The quote, “The case against using animals for food is at its

strongest when animals are made to lead miserable lives so that their flesh can be made available

to humans at the lowest possible cost” (Peter Singer p. 213), sums up Singer’s main point. One

of the examples he uses to illustrate his point about mistreatment is “cage free” or “free range”

eggs. The idea behind this is that eggs are from hens who are kept in wire cages that aren’t even

big enough for them to stretch. However, this is changing, Singer mentions that in 2008

California passed a ban on battery cage. The ban was taken into effect in 2015. Michigan is also

phasing out battery cages over a 10-year process which will be completed as of this year.

Eating ethically and food safety are very similar in many ways, they are both conscious

decisions that we have to make. I stated earlier that we don’t think about eating ethically when

we go through a drive through. So how do we change eating ethically into a conscious decision?

The first thing we can do is research. In 2008, Lauren Dundes and Tamiko Swann looked into

the food safety of fast food restaurants. They collected this data through a case study of one

college student who worked in three different fast food restaurants. The authors of the article

questioned the college student as to the types of food safety violations she witnessed while

working for the three restaurants. The food safety issues began with the training, the employees

were required to watch videos on food safety. The problem with these tapes is there was no

proper way to guarantee that the information from the video had been retained. Furthermore,
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cross-contamination was a big issue seen. The employees were urged to wear gloves but there

wasn’t much importance on the switching of gloves between raw and cooked food. Lastly, even

though there are signs posted everywhere about hand washing, the employees were never

enforced by managers to wash their hands. Most of these problems seem to originate with the

managers not enforcing health and safety standards that are set by the FDA and FSIS. However,

the managers can’t take all the blame for these unhealthy practices. The employees at these

companies should not need to be reminded to practice food safety. This is where the ethics of

eating comes into play and why food safety is the most important topic. If we aren’t

implementing the ethics of food into rhetoric, it won’t spread.

Safe food isn’t just an issue in fast food restaurants, it can also be a big issue in your

home. When you are cooking at home it is easy to think that the food is safe because you are

preparing it. When in reality food borne illnesses in home cooking can be a big issue. Elizabeth

Scott, PhD, writes about “Food Safety and Foodborne disease in 21st century homes.” Scott

mentions a US study that found that 80% of the hamburgers that caused E. Coli had been

prepared at home. Another reason to consider that the home is even more susceptible to food

borne illnesses is the fact that humans and animals are living together. Scott states “Humans and

animals can both serve as symptomatic and non-symptomatic carriers and also as post

symptomatic excreters. Pathogens can be transferred from various sources to inanimate contact

surfaces … via transient carriage on the hands” (Elizabeth Scott). Even though we discussed that

fast food restaurants squeeze by on safety regulations, most of the time prep surfaces are cleaned

at the end of the night, and gloves are worn. At home you don’t always do a deep clean of your

prep surface every night, you are also cooking with your hands and without gloves. Following

this, Scott talks about factors that impact food safety in the home. One of the examples she gives
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is that there has been a dramatic shift in healthcare delivery. “It is estimated that eight million

patients are now nursed at home, with 66% of them being over 65 years old” (Elizabeth Scott).

This is important because think about if you went out to eat and ate at a hospital. You would

want to be confident that the food was prepared safe since you are surround by sickness. Another

impact on food safety is the growing trend of home-based daycare. The chance of infections

spreading in the home is far greater when there are children running around. The last point Scott

makes is that not all food prepared in the home is served in the home. Sometimes this food is

prepared but taken to events where a larger community of people share this food, thus spreading

the disease to people who aren’t even living with them.

We also need to consider the safety of our food as it is being farmed and/or produced. An

article written by the PennState Extension titled “Keep Fresh Produce Safe Using Good

Agricultural Practices,” discusses the way we can cut down on food borne illnesses earlier on.

The article lists many consequences of food borne illnesses, and then leads into GAPs (Good

Agricultural Practices). This article is the solution that needs to spread and change our rhetoric.

If more people are discussing food safety, then it will become implemented more.

In conclusion, eating ethically can impact more than just your health and the people

around you. But, the safety of food is a very important topic we should consider when thinking

about eating ethically. The safety of our food isn’t something we think about on a daily basis.

Sure, we wash our hands before we eat, but sitting in a drive through you aren’t wondering if the

employees switched gloves while handling different foods. This is why we need to start changing

our rhetoric. No amount of regulation will stop fast food restaurants from squeezing by.

Furthermore, regulations don’t impact the home which is a breeding ground for food borne
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illnesses. With roughly 48 million people being affected by food borne illnesses every year this

isn’t a topic to take lightly.


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Works Cited

Dundes, Lauren, and Tamiko Swann. “Food Safety in Fast Food Restaurants.” Taylor &
Francis, 11 Oct. 2008,
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15332840802156881.

LaBorde, Luke, et al. “Keep Fresh Produce Safe Using Good Agricultural Practices
(GAPs).” Penn State Extension, 27 Sept. 2019, extension.psu.edu/keep-fresh-produce-
safe-using-good-agricultural-practices-gaps.

McGrath, Nina. “What Is Food Safety?” What Is Food Safety? : (EUFIC), 19 Aug. 2019,
www.eufic.org/en/food-safety/article/what-is-food-safety.

Onyeneho, Sylvester N, and Craig W Hedberg. “An Assessment of Food Safety Needs of
Restaurants in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.” International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, MDPI, 2 Aug. 2013,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774439/.

Scott, Elizabeth. “Food Safety and Foodborne Disease in 21st Century Homes.” The
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases = Journal Canadien Des Maladies Infectieuses,
Pulsus Group Inc, Sept. 2003, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094945/.

Singer, Peter. “Equality for Animals.” Food Matters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader, by Holly
Bauer, 2nd ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 212–216.

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