Futre of Food Reflection (5)

One of my favorite snack foods are: SUNCHIPS: Garden Salsa Flavored Multigrain Snacks

The following were listed on the snacks website http://www.fritolay.com/index.html

• Ingredients: Whole Corn, Sunflower Oil, Whole Wheat, Whole Oat Flour, Rice Flour, Garden Salsa Seasoning (Salt, Tomato Powder, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Dextrose, Onion Powder, Sugar, Buttermilk, Whey, Romano Cheese [Part-Skim Cow’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Whey, Protein Concentrate, Corn Maltodextrin, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Oil, Spice, Natural Flavors (Including Natural Green Bell Pepper Flavor and Extractives of Cilantro), Sunflower Oil, Disodium Phosphate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Malic Acid, Artificial Color [Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake], Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Nonfat Milk), Sugar, Corn Bran, Natural Flavor, and Corn Maltodextrin http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/sunchips-garden-salsa.html
  


• Examples of whole grains are whole wheat, whole corn, oatmeal, popcorn, barley, and brown rice. http://www.fritolay.com/18g-of-whole-grain.html
  
• Also, according the website: “Frito-Lay is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PepsiCo Inc., (PEP), located in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay headquarters is located in Plano, TX. We have plants, distribution centers and regional offices throughout the U.S. and around the world.” http://www.fritolay.com/about-us/most-common-questions.html#10

In addition, no research I came across regarding these chips told how much water or fossil fuels were used in production. I’m also not positive whether or not the “modified corn starch” listed as an ingredient on the package is genetically modified or not.

I felt the film was very useful in my learning; it was really enlightening. I never before realized how much of an impact that both seeds and patents hold. I also found it extremely bothersome to learn about the extent corporations and the US government will go to in order to earn themselves a profit from the consumers, many methods that go unnoticed by the public. Conversely, I liked learning from the video that there’s an increase in the amount of organic foods being purchased and fresh food markets being visited by Americans. It’s also refreshing to hear that according to taken polls, a majority of Americans would prefer to have genetically modified food labeled whenever it’s present in food ingredients. I too also feel that this is something that corporations should legally have to do for all of their food products—I think for them to not include this information is a major medical liability for them. And I feel they should be held responsible for any medical complications that may result from a consumer unknowingly consuming genetically modified foods—as with the case of the female from the video.