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Guiding Question Sets (from Food Inc Participant Guide)
- In the film, union organizer Eduardo Peña says, “We want to pay the cheapest price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” Do you agree or disagree with him? What evidence do you see in the film that led you to agree or disagree? What evidence do you see in your life that informs your position as well?
- How would you compare the slaughtering of the chickens by Polyface Farms to the slaughtering of the Smithfield hogs? How do the workers’ conditions compare?
- You’ve seen in the film how the production of some of the meat we eat affects the workers involved in the production. It portrays these people as having no choice because farmers in other countries can no longer farm as a result of our food system. Assuming it is true that there aren’t local people to do this work, do you think companies have the right to recruit foreign workers to come into the country, as you saw in the film? What do you think of that?
- What alternative might the companies have if they can’t find local people to do the work?
- If you think it is okay for companies to recruit foreign workers this way, what
- might be the repercussions of that?
- Keith Ludlum in the film says, “They have the same mentality toward workers as they do toward the hogs.” What do you think of this statement? If it is true, how might that influence the treatment of both workers and hogs?
- Slaughterhouse workers may earn as little as $8 an hour to do the work shown in the film. For how much money would you be willing to do this work? What else might you demand?
- If you would require a large amount of money to do this work, how would the company meet your demand? How would they cover the additional cost? If you say that no amount of money would be enough, what alternatives would the company have, since people like you will not do the work?
- When a person chooses to eat meat, who else does that decision affect? What might people do to make sure that their eating meat does not harm other people or animals?
- Author Michael Pollan uses the phrase “Vote with Your Fork” to mean that consumers have the ability to influence companies by what they choose to eat. Is there a way as a group, school, or town that we could possibly influence this situation?
- Whether or not you think illegal immigration (or the influx of undocumented workers) is a problem, how is illegal immigration connected to the food we eat?
Brilliana G. EDA Per 4, Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eduardo Peña because workers in the slaughterhouse have to work really hard with long shift hours and the possibility of getting injured or sick.The workers’ conditions at Polyface farms are more sanitary and safe than the conditions for the workers at Smithfield hogs. At Polyface farms, chickens are slaughtered outside, instead of being cramped up in the kill floor and being slaughtered all at once. Smithfield hogs also washes the meat with chemicals, instead of water like Polyface farms.
I don’t think companies have the right to take advantage of the farmers because they are bringing illegal immigrants into this country. Farmers out of work in other countries is a result of our entire industrialized food system.The companies can hire people from a larger area to work, or hire people in need of jobs that are from this country. The repercussion of this would be that the workers can get deported and they would still not have jobs. The company would also be out of workers. This statement “They have the same mentality toward workers
as they do toward the hogs.” is almost true because the workers have poor, harsh conditions and no union. The workers basically have no rights because they are not citizens of the United States.
If I were to do this job I would demand more money because of the dangerous work conditions. I would also demand for proper health care. The company would most likely meet this demand by selling more product. Alternatives that the company may have are increasing benefits from the job and making work conditions safer. They may also cut the shift hours down and hire more workers.
The decision to eat meat affects those who may have health problems from eating too much, their families, and the animals that were slaughtered. People might buy farm raised meat products which are more lean and there is better living conditions for the animals. People can choose to eat healthier foods that are locally grown by actual farmers. Illegal immigrants are still people in need of work that come to America and get low-paying jobs, such as harvesting crops or processing meats.
Tyler M. EDA Period 4 Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eduardo Peña when he says “We want to pay the cheapest price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” The evidence that I saw in the video was that the workers are treated just as bad, if not worse than the animals. The cheapest form of labor is hiring illegal immigrants from Mexico. The slaughterhouses are often raided by police and dozens of illegals are detained. So what do the meatpacking companies do? Hire more illegal immigrants. This has no effect on the slaughterhouses, because they never have to pay more wages, and there is no shortage of illegal aliens looking for work. It is cheap and it works, but it’s not so good from an ethical standpoint.
Polyface farms’ workers definitely have a lot better working conditions than the Smithfield workers. The area they work in is a lot cleaner. The slaughter of the chickens may have been slower than the pig slaughter by Smithfield, but the chickens were a lot cleaner than the pigs.
If the workers migrate legally across the border, then I think that it’s just fine. We can’t act like the companies don’t need workers, and if they really can not find any in the local area, then I think it’s fine for them to bring foreign workers in. The problem is the treatment of the workers and their legal status in the country.
If they need an alternative, they may have to outsource the slaughterhouses. That would be bad because it would most likely have even worse conditions and worse food contamination. If we had to ship our meat across the ocean, there is a very good chance that the food would become contaminated along the way. It is probably very unlikely that this would ever happen, but if it did, it could have a serious effect on our lives. We need to find ways to keep our food being made here. If it ever came to down to that, we would be in trouble.
I think that “They have the same mentality toward workers
as they do toward the hogs.”is true. The workers are like ants under the boot of the corporations. Smithfield doesn’t care about their workers, and they care about the hogs even less. If Smithfield really cared about the workers, wouldn’t they give them better working conditions? Wouldn’t they at least try to help out their illegal employees with becoming legal immigrants. They treat the hogs and the employees the same because all they see them as is a source of money.
It depends on how you see it when it comes to wages. How is this work compared to say a cashier job. I would demand higher pay than what the majority of the workers are getting. This is tough, laborious, and dangerous, but still not high paying. I would demand at least 10 to 15 an hour.
Illegal immigrants make up a large portion of the meatpacking industry workforce. It is them who prepare, package, and even distribute our food. Since the American food industry was a big detriment to the farmers down in Mexico, many of the workers have illegally migrated up here to work in our factory farms.
nathaniel d. eda per 4 mrs.carr
ReplyDelete1.I do agree i think that we shouldn't have to pay the price that we have to pay now for healthy food and that the unhealthy food that is killing us is cheap.
2.I do not think that companies should be able to recruit foreign workers because its almost like having sweatshops.
3.They could not have huge factories for food but instead they could have natural farms .
4.The repercussions of this is that we are putting people in work that do not live here and we are taking people that live here locally out of business.
5.I think that is true because they do not care about their workers and they do not care about their hogs and their foreign workers get caught and deported.
6.I would charge more than 8 for an hour i would charge like 50 and i would demand meals and insurance.
7.They could handle the cost i wanna get paid they are a huge industry.
8.The animals the companies the workers are affected.
9.They could only eat grass fed natural meat.
10.Everyone could stop eating fast food and promote healthy food.
11.The illegal workers make our food and they get deported we pay them bad they work all day for nothing.
Bailey C, Period 4, Mrs.Carr
ReplyDeleteI disagree, because they always advertise their food and saying they just want to the pay the cheapest price is just bringing you in, I mean yeah you're paying a cheap price, but you’re getting a big price afterwards when you eat it all the time and you end up having health problems and if he says that he doesn't understand that it comes with price some evidence would be look around at everyone in the world look how many are obese and have health problems from his “cheap” fast food. I would compare this by saying that of course Polyface farms slaughters their chicken in a more sanitized, take your time, manner while the Smithfield hogs is more of a who cares, I want to leave work manner. Polyface is quick but careful they check and know their chickens I mean just look at their customers all happy none of them have gotten sick or complained about the chicken and people drive hundreds of miles just to eat his chicken, so there’s the evidence right there. I mean yes, the Smithfield Hogs may have like a million companies and a million customers, but do you think if most of those customers saw what us students saw they’d still buy their hog products.
Pat. H EDA 4. Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eduardo, McDonalds and other big companies hide their nutrition labels and they advertise the food so well. Big companies such as Tyson and other big meat suppliers only want to make you food better, cheaper, and faster. They don’t care about our health, all their care about is the money. The Polyface farms slaughters chickens by hand and are in the open, the chickens are not hormoned up to grow faster. In the factories or the chicken growers, hormone the chicken to grow faster. The Smithfield hogs are in a pen getting pushed to be slaughtered on a conveyor belt. The workers conditions at the Polyface Farm are they are working on their own time. In the factories, workers are like machines, working insane hours, doing one task over and over again. The animals are covered in feces and may have some diseases that can spread to the workers. Workers from foreign places should not be able to work in the factories because some people from other countries can carry a sickness to the job and infect some of the other workers and food. Although, some workers are looking for jobs because our food system from Mexico are getting sold out. Some of the workers are looking for jobs to send money to their families back home to help support them. If they are illegal immigrants, then the company should get shut down or on a suspension not the workers getting fired because their illegal. The workers are treated like the hogs . . . crap. They don't’ respect the workers at all and they only see them as money makers. The workers work under very bad conditions, they spread diseases the hogs or the workers had and the smell must be hoarded. If I worked at a slaughterhouse I would want at least $15 an hour, good hours, and a safe, clean environment to work in. I would ask for days off when I need them, if I got sick somehow from working on the job, I would want some health care wages/benifits. The only way the company would meet my demands if they put a safe work place, treat the animals right, like giving them walking room and not make them stand in their own crap, and feed the cows grass and not corn so the E. Coli bacteria They have a chance of getting the e coli bacteria or having their fooding being infected at the plant or the restaurant.
Bailey C, Period 4, Mrs.Carr
ReplyDeleteSecond Part
I think it’s actually not a bad idea to bring in foreign workers, you're giving them jobs, and not to be mean, but from what I have examined on the news and family from foreign countries, these companies are giving them a better life. One thing I disagree on with the foreign workers is how they always get caught by the police and they get the blame for most of it when these companies are asking them to illegally come into the country so this is something I disagree on. The companies should be getting the blame for their doings not the workers because they’re just trying to make a living while the companies are trying to make all the money in the world. Well you can’t pull people from other places in the country that live almost two or three hundred miles away, so in my opinion I would say they would just go out of business, or move their businesses to other places in the world. Well actually since the economy is so bad right now, I actually think that people would just go for the job anyways. I don’t necessarily think that it’s okay for them to pull people illegally from foreign countries, but to make a compromise on this like if they want these workers to come and help them and work for them and then just let the Immigration Police come and take them away like nothing and the food companies are the ones who did as much as they could to get these people to come from their country illegally into ours just so that the companies would make money. In all though I think it’s a good idea that they are bringing these people here and giving them jobs but I don’t think its okay for them to just get taken away by the police like nothing and they get no blame. I think this statement is true, because really take a good look at the workers, they all have messed up fingernails, and most of them just hate it there. It’s almost the same as the hogs, the workers go there do work and then leave. Like the hogs the workers just come in all the time different shapes and sizes, get slaughtered up by all the gross nasty hog guts, feces, urines, fluids of all such sorts. For what these workers do, I believe they should at least be making 15-25 dollars an hour. One because look at the conditions they are in, and two look at all the different things they deal with, and all the cutting and hard work, that’s pretty insane they should be getting paid, a lot more than they do now. If I were a worker there, I would demand way more money for what I did there. They would meet my demand by giving me the money I asked for. They would cover additional cost by giving me good slaughter equipment so no infections or cuts or fingers are off and if so any of this happened I would ask them to pay for at least 30% of any medical costs. They could supply me with free food as an alternative or a car or something. This could affect workers, companies, families, and friends also themselves to, because they could die or get sick from diseases or bacteria in the meat and the workers and companies could get sewed or get in trouble or even be taking out of the food corporation. To make sure that the eating meat does not harm anyone they should look at the label and read carefully about who and where it was made and came from, and also check the beef for any funny colors, any sort of disfigured thing on there, and things like that. Yes, but we would all have to get together and do this and some may not agree with others. It is because companies in the U.S.A advertise for work in their country making them want to come here but its illegal so then they caught but some make it here and then they process are food.
Corinn C. EDA Period 4, Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eduardo because in the film the family that did not have a lot of money so they went to fast food instead of getting healthy foods. I think a lot of people think that its cheaper to get fast food but its really not. I don’t think the conditions compare because it’s more sanitary at the Polyface Farms than in the Smithfield factories. Also they tested their chicken and it was better than the factories. I think the Polyface Farms do not get infections and are safer and treat the animals the best. I think Smithfield is not safe for the workers and in the film it said that the workers get infections under their fingernails and they would fall off. They also treat the animals very bad.I don’t think the companies get the right to recruit foreign workers because it could not be safe and then the locals will not be able to support their families because in the places where there are factories there are not many other jobs. The alternative the companies might have i the can not find locals to do the work is to recruit people from other states or countries. If the companies recruit foreign workers then the people who live there will not have jobs and then they won’t be able to buy their meats anymore or support their families.When Keith Ludlum says, “They have the same mentality toward workers as they do toward the hogs,” I think its true because when the illegal workers get caught the companies just go and get more and leave them to get in trouble. If I were to work there would want to be payed $14 or more an hour and i would demand for a better work environment and cleaner stations. Also to make sure the meat is fine to eat. I am pretty sure they have enough money to pay the amount I would ask for and if they couldn’t then i would not work there.When somebody chooses to eat meat the decision affects the animal that is that meat. To be conservative and to not go out and kill every animal you can eat. Also to have them grow the population more every time you take. We could not buy the type of meat that is bad and to buy organic meat instead. I think illegal immigration is connected to the food we eat because we have no idea who is handling our meat and we can’t trust the companies.
Brilliana G. EDA Per 4, Ms. Carr
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2012/08/22/us/california-slaughterhouse-video
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/21/721771/usda-slaughterhouse-shutdown/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/us/politics/30raid.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Jacob F. EDA Period 6, Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree that we always want to pay the cheapest price for our food. Because in my life my parents are always looking for the best deals and I know when I see something for cheap I always want to buy it.
I think the slaughtering of polyface farms is more humane than smithfield’s slaughtering of the hogs because the hogs are forced into a slide thing and dropped into the slaughter machine. But at polyface farms they kill them one by one and take time cleaning them. The workers at polyface farms are treated better than at smithfield. At polyface farms they’re treated with care but at smithfield they are just told what to do and at smithfield they’re fingernails fall off.
I don't think that the companies have the right to recruit foreign workers, because there are more than enough people in the united states to do that job. I think that it is wrong that they bring in foreign workers who don't know their rights and who will be deported after the government finds them.
They can get more workers by advertising around the country that they need work and pay to fly people out to work there and make their working conditions better. Also they could pay people more to work for them.I don't think that its right for them to recruit workers from out of the county. They should have to pay fines at the very least for doing this, Or they would have to take the people in charge of recruiting workers and fire them and hire new people to find workers.
’ I think that the statement they treat their hogs like their workers is true. It might make people realize how bad it is for the hogs and workers in the companies slaughterhouses, and it may help people to do something to improve their situation, and help them get better working conditions so the workers could be kinder to the hogs.
I would want at least $65 per hour, and benefits, plus a pension. Also i would demand that if i got infected while i was working they would fit the medical bill. Also if i were to die because of the infection they would have to pay for my funeral and pay to support my family.
’They would have to charge a tiny bit more for their product to meet my demands, And they would have to spend less maybe take part of their own salaries away. Because they probably make more than 1 Million each per year.
It would affect the companies for the better and the workers in those companies for the worse. We could buy meat from a farmers market. So that we support farmers who don't mistreat animals.
’ Yes there is a way that we could influence the situation. We could all write a letter to the companies telling them that we don't want to have meat that could possibly be contaminated. We could also boycott meat produced by the companies that don't treat workers and animals right.
’It is connected by the meat packing companies and other companies and our food is packed by people who were misled into coming into this country. Because they don't have any other job they can take.
Danyella T.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 1.
Mrs. Carr
When paying for and buying food, we do want the least expensive items, so we can get the most from our money. The underlying cost of our food are what we do not see. As Eduardo Peña said in the movie ‘Food Inc.’ there is more to the situation than people actually know. For an example, in the movie there were immigrant workers hired to the company to work, and in the middle of the night police took them away. It was not their fault, but they got the blame.The company should have had consequences also, but of course they did not. Its also not fair, or right that the companies have the choice to hire foreign workers, when it is against the law for them to work here. Now if they were ‘legal’ foreigners, than that is fine, but as the movie showed almost all the workers were foreign. Foreigners also take the opportunity to work here, because their farms in their homeland are failing, and they need money, and food to support their families.
It's also, about the animals and that is something no one really sees, or even knows about. Animals do not get treated with the respect, and kindness that I feel that they should. On the Polyface farm, the naturally grow their chickens, and feed them the correct foods, and vitamins needed to be healthy. also to properly to grow. When they slaughter them, at is a simple process, that does not give the chance for bacterias and diseases to get on to the food. But, as a counterexample, the hogs at the Smithfield factory, are treated horribly. When it comes time for the hogs to be slaughtered, the workers gather a certain amount of hogs, into a pin-shaped holder. From there a machine literally pushes the hogs against a wall until it breaks their skulls and kills them. Then conveyed to a chopping block, with workers who have infections on their hands, that continue to touch and process food, cut and “process” the hogs. If you think about it, that could quite possibly be pork that you eat.
The way factories treat hogs is terrible, and they do not treat their workers much different. The conditions of the factories are terrible, most workers are foreigners, so their lives are at risk, and the companies do not show any sign that they care. They do not care past making money and keeping their dirty secrets, a secret. Also the workers at the factories only get paid minimum wage. I think they deserve more than that because, not only are they handling food for the lives of Americans, but they are in unfavorable conditions, and work hard extremely laborious days. If i were told to work in a factory, I would personally want more, than minimum wage. Also, complete total health care, and other needed benefits.
When people eat meat, there are many people behind that meat that they eat. If at any chance something is wrong with that meat it would effect, the company that sold it, the worker who processed it and possibly the store or restaurant that bought it. To ensure that the meat that you are eating, will not effect, or harm another person of animal, you could buy grass grown meat. Or just organic, and actually organic made meat. Also, to do research of meat packaging companies, to know if the companies you are buying meat from has ever had a meat recall. Just so you can insure your safety, the safety of others and the safety of the animals.
Very insightful thoughts, Danyella! Did you get a chance to talk about the costs to the abiotic environment, including any groundwater underneath the factory? Animal feces in farms and factories have a lot of nutrients that may leach through soils that may contaminate ground water. Or, contamination to the air in the area that may be unpleasant or even harmful to people and animals who live there? -Ms. H
DeleteRachel W.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 1
Mrs. Carr
Eduardo Peña says, “We want to pay the cheapest price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” I agree with his statement because we only see the price of the food when we want to buy it, but there is so much more behind the food than we can imagine. A product can go through treatment, machines, processing, packaging, fertilizing, genetic engineering, and much more outsiders hardly know about. The food we buy is cheap, but the people who work for the food companies aren’t paid well, and many of them are illegal immigrants recruited to make the process faster. Some of the food itself has been previously alive, and there are packages of meat that can have the meat from over one hundred cows. It takes a lot of money to run these corporations, but they limit the maintenance and so they don’t have to spend more money than what they take in. When I go to the store, the food labels are highly misleading and people buy whatever looks appetizing.
’ At Polyface Farms, the chickens are grown naturally with vitamins and organic feed and clean conditions they need to survive healthy. They can actually see the light and aren’t dosed with heavy hormones to get so big they can’t even walk and slowly die. They have room to strut around in uncrowded and feces-free areas. They are slaughtered and cooked quickly so they don’t grow bacteria and are very clean.
Companies do not have the right to recruit foreign workers to come into this country because it is illegal and the workers always get punished for that, not the company. If there aren’t local people to work these factories, they will just have to do it themselves, or create more machines to do the job (as horrible as it sounds). It is their fault in the first place that the foreigners can’t work on their own farms because the companies are so large. I think a better alternative is to create more farms, rather than factories for the industries in the U.S. and buy the passport for the immigrants so they can work on those farms. I’m guessing the immigrants like to work at farms far better than disgusting factories anyway.
’ The repercussions of recruiting the workers are arresting the workers, and they do nothing to stop the source of the immigration. Not only do the industries take their jobs and enable them to be arrested once they are recruited, they only pay the workers eight dollars an hour! The workers are treated horribly, trying their best to speed up the process but not having time to wash their hands, getting disease under their fingernails. If I worked at one of these factories, I would demand 20 dollars an hour and fair treatment, mainly because ’I wouldn’t even want to be there in the first place.
The company would meet my demand by having some humanity and care about what is being done. They would cover the additional cost by using the money they earn. All they want to do is make money; shouldn’t they already have a bounty of it?
When a person chooses to eat meat, that decision affects the industries, the workers, and the person’s body. What people do to make sure their eating meat does not harm other people is cooking the meat fully so the people being served don’t acquire a disease. For animals, people might buy organic meat.
’ Michael Pollan says, “Vote with Your Fork,” meaning what you choose to eat has an effect upon food industries. As a town, a speaker can go to schools and speak of this situation so the children have more knowledge about it . Also, a group of people can split up and put informational pamphlets on each doorstep in town. Maybe they can put information in the newspaper so people really know what goes on beyond the food they eat.
Illegal immigration can be connected to the food we eat because some may not be careful about handling our food and leave in all sorts of diseases. Also, most of them probably processed much of the packages of meat we see at the grocery store. Many of us had eaten meat processed by a foreign worker last night.
Jessica P.
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Ms. Carr
In the film, union organizer Eduardo Peña says, “We want to pay the cheapest price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” I agree with Eduardo Pena. Fast food appears to be cheap, when really it cost way more than we think it does. For example, if the unhealthy cheap food leads to a sickness, the medical cost will cost way more than if you were to have just bought healthy food, just like in the film a little boy got really sick and then died from bad meat in a hamburger. Also, since the food is cheap it is more likely that you will buy large amounts of the food often(like it showed in the video), which can add up to losing a lot of money over time.
The slaughtering of the chickens by Polyface Farms have been proven to be more sanitary than the ones from a factory. The chickens from the Polyface Farms are slaughtered outside and then washed right on the spot, and are also treated nicely. While the slaughtering of the Smithfield hogs are cruel. The hogs there are all put into a crowded room, which eventually gets filled up with the pig’s urine and other unhealthy/dirty things. After a while, the pigs are all pulled into a floor that drops down and squish the pigs to death, without the workers feeling any remorse. The workers’ conditions at the Polyface Farms are way healthier than those at the Smithfield hogs, which have to be near all the animal fluids, which can harm the workers health.
’ The production of some of the meat we eat affects the workers involved in the production, making them get sick and quit. But we have no choice but continue getting people to work there because farmers can no longer farm due to the conditions of our food system. This is leading to the lack of workers, causing companies to bring foreign workers. I do not think that companies have the right to recruit foreign workers into the country because they are just causing the immigrants to get arrested without the company itself getting into any problem. For example, in the film it showed that immigrant workers were being taken away from their homes by immigration, and the company didn't get in trouble, even though the company are the ones that brought them over here in the first place. It is illegal to bring immigrants over here, and so i think that this isn't right, since the company is breaking the law without getting any consequences.
If the companies can’t find local people to do the work, instead of bringing foreign workers they can try other methods. For example, maybe they can get people interested to work there by making commercials. Or they might also be able to get workers by making the work/jobs more safe and better so that that way people will actually enjoy working there without having to get sick/hurt and quit.
If companies really need to recruit foreign workers, they should at least get permission to bring them here so that they won't be treated as criminals for coming here. Or maybe even at least take the blame for bringing them over here, instead of just letting the foreign workers get taken away while the company pretends that nothing ever happened.
Mary Lou W.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 1
Mrs. Carr
Part 1
I do believe that the price of food comes with a cost. The price of food, although can be maybe a little more than a dollar at any fast food restaurant, and be costly in others ways, such as your health. It’s a know fact that fast food and unsanitary packed food can cause health problems. in 2012. 36% of Americans had heart disease from obesity and its estimated, if we don't do anything about it, that by 2030, 70% of americans will have some type of heart disease due to high amounts of fat and salt in fast food.
The Polyface farms are more clean when it comes to the way the kill their chickens. It is in an open environment, and they do it one-by-one in a more sanitary, and morally decent way. Their chickens are not put in ay stress by hoarding them all into a single trash compactor to kill them. Harmful pheromones are not released into their bodies. Therefore, the workers are not exposed to harmful conditions.
Smithfield hogs are killed in a very harmful, and immoral way. Hundreds are being packed into a small area and literally compacted until death. The stress that the hogs go through, causes them to bite off each others tails and release feces. So they are killed in their own poop. So the workers that are apart of this assembly line are cutting open the hogs, straight from when they are killed. the feces still on the hog then gets under their nails, and into their skin, causing the nails to fall off and for them to get very sick.
The only reason that the companies are recruiting foreign workers is because that they are cheaper. They don't have to pay them minimum wage because they are not part of the country. The fact that it is illegal, is what sets off the alarms. The companies are recruiting illegal immigrants only for them to get deported back in a couple months. They have also made a deal with the border patrol, that they can keep catching the immigrants as long as they can keep recruiting. this is very illegal and our government isn't doing anything about this. My question is, why aren't they arresting the officials that allow this to happen?
Mary Lou W.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 1
Mrs. Carr
Part 2
One thing that they can do, if they cant find local work, to get new people to come, is offer them health insurance. It is something that nearly everyone would want for their family. Maybe by also building onsite homes for the families, the company wouldn't have to constantly drive out to pick them up. The health insurance from the company can also help with the bacteria that will get into their system so they can at least offer them that.
It’s not good for the companies to be recruiting people like this, one it is illegal, and two they are not offering them any good benefits for working in such horrible environments. Plus, it is hurting our economy because the money that they are paying these foreign workers isn't even being spent in America, but in Mexico.
What they mean by ‘They have the same mentality toward workers
as they do toward the hogs’ is that the workers are given jobs that are a single movement, and slash of the knife, and the simple job is done. They aren't treated like humans, they are treated like machines. The same hospitality that they are giving he hogs is being given to the workers. The hogs are being treated like crap, the workers are being treated like crap. They don’t even care that their workers are constantly being arrested and being deported back to Mexico. They don’t care.
To work at the slaughterhouses, I would demand an large increase in salary. The jobs that these workers are performing are dangerous to their health, and 8 dollars an hour isn't going to help pay for the medical bills when they are hospitalized from E. coli and other bacterial infections. I would want to be paid no less than 15 dollars and hour with benefits. With the type of work they will be doing, they will need the benefits.
When someone chooses to eat meat they are affecting the companies they are buying from, by giving them money to continue the process of importing workers from mexico. The consumer is also affecting the workers, who are still get deported back to Mexico.
Danyella T.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 1
Mrs. Carr
http://www.healthytheory.com/corn-fed-vs-grass-fed-beef
http://www.foodispower.org/slaughterhouse_workers.php
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/10/23/multi-state-beef-recall-tied-to-potential-e-coli-contamination/
Marshall H. EDA 3 Pelfrey Part One
ReplyDeleteWell, when you are paying the cheapest price for food, you have to realize that it's not the best food for you.Things that you buy for one dollar cost less than half of that to make that product, you are basically saying that you only think your health is worth fifty cents. So yes I agree with Eduardo Peña.
Well at Polyface Farms, the people are all friends and are treated with more respect than the people at Smithfield. They get to be in the sun and get to be around people and animals that are treated with respect. The chickens at Polyface are care free up until they are put in that contraption where their throats get cut, but at Smithfield the hogs are screaming and crying until they are killed and i'm sure that puts a lot of stress on the workers too.
I think they have the right to come here to work as long as they have the correct documentation. If they are illegal immigrants that don’t have a work visa I do not think that they should be allowed to work here. There are thousands of people without work in America and if we are handing out jobs to people that aren't from america then we have a problem. Some people may argue that Americans shouldn't have to do those jobs but If you’re paying for someone to do the job don’t you want it to be someone that is from this country?
They may have a problem finding people that WANT to do the work but some people need jobs and if the companies spent more time looking than finding illegal aliens to do the work i’m sure they could find someone to do the job.
When you find people that only care about making money and not about being helpful you get problems with the food. People come in sick trying to make a few dollars and they are touching your food, things get contaminated. I think companies should be punished for hiring people that are here illegally because they are funding someone who is breaking the law. It is considered aiding and abetting. some people would argue that the big corporations don’t have time to interview everyone and run background checks, but don’t you want to be eating food that is being processed by people that are from this country.
Well when you have a job that is forcing you to be cruel to animals that must mean that someone enjoys that kind of thing and that most likely is the owner of the company. The people that are making the decisions don’t know all of the people that work at their company and don’t care what happens to them.
Marshall H. EDA 3 Pelfrey Part Two
ReplyDeleteWell seeing that every day would be pretty scarring so I would want enough money to see a shrink too. The people there are being treated like the animals they are packing and don’t get any care from the people that hire them and the corporations don’t take any of the blame when the workers get deported, so I would also want to be recognized for doing such a horrible job.
The people that do the work are machines, so if they cut the pay of people that just started working there and invested the money in machines that could do the work for free and not have people getting as sick and the people working there wouldn't be in so much danger of getting hurt on the job.
It does not affect anyone's decisions. One person to start or stop eating meat is not going to drastically affect the whole meat packing companies or people. People decide to be vegetarian and that is a choice that they make. The meat corporations aren't going to shut down a feedlot when one person stops. But when the population of a major city stops eating meat they may have to change some things.
They could buy local food and ask the people who owned the animals how they were treated and the types of food the animal was eating and the “housing” the animal was given. When animals are in feedlots they are walking around in their own poop and that can get into the meat and infect hundreds of people.
Well if people started buying things that were grown locally or organically and not shipped halfway around the world we could influence large companies to start growing things close to big cities so they don’t have to be shipped as far or not use pesticides. Sure it would take longer to grow food but people would be healthier and would probably feel better about eating something that is grown locally.
The influx of illegal immigration has a lot to do with the food we eat. The corporations that make process the food don't care about how they get the people that do the work, they care that the work is getting done so that they can have their big pay checks in their pockets. People come to america because it is a “Free country” but when they go to work at these meat processing plants they are treated like the animals they were packing.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/chlorine-chicken-55063002
ReplyDeleteArticle about chemicals in meat.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=red-meat-diabtetes
Article about red meat causing diabetes
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/slaughter/slaughterhouse.html
The following articles describe what is like in a meat packing plant.
Ashley I. EDA Period 2
ReplyDeletePart 1
I agree with Eduardo’s opinion about us not understanding that cheap food comes with a price. One evidence from the film that led me to this conclusion was when it was showing immigrant workers being arrested for illegally living here. They’ve been making our food for about 10 to 15 years, but they still get arrested. The food companies don’t even take responsibility for it. Furthermore, from personal experience, I’ve seen my family gain more weight from eating and buying cheap, fast food.
I think the slaughtering of the chickens by Polyface Farms is much less torturing than the slaughtering of the Smithfield hods. In Polyface Farms, I like how they raise the chickens in a healthy manner and treat them with respect. However, in Smithfield, since it’s more of a factory than a farm that grows outside in nature, I’m really disgusted by the way they treat the animals and workers. The way Smithfield’s system works and how they run everything is completely unhealthy and unsafe. The workers’ conditions in Polyface Farms get to work at their own pace and get to work out in the fresh air, but at Smithfield, the workers’ need to keep up with the machines and during that process, they can also get injured, or maybe even die.
Based on the film about the immigrant workers, no, I do not think that farmers have the right to recruit foreign workers to come into our country. I think that if food companies really do choose to recruit foreign workers, then they should at least give them a legal way to be able to work in the United States. The food companies in the film were being completely irresponsible towards the immigrant workers. I’m disgusted by the way that the companies don’t even care whether the immigrants are caught or not. When they lose one immigrant worker, they just start hiring more, which proves that the food industry is really reckless and heartless.
One alternative that the companies might have if they can’t find local people to do the work is to hire people from other countries or states. If the food industry does decide to hire people from other countries, I think that they should be at least half responsible for the worker’s papers and injuries. Another alternative would be that the food industries could think of a way to build more machines for their factories and bring in new updated machines that can work at a steady and safe speed for the workers. Thirdly, food industries might also make their machines work faster and pay the employees to do more work hours, so that the rate of money coming in can become higher.
The repercussions might be that the foreign workers could be arrested and place their family in great danger. This could also result in many financial problems because the foreign workers won’t have a place to work or live, anymore. Not only would it put the foreign workers in danger, but it would also give the food companies a bad reputation. They could be seen as irresponsible or heartless, and many people would stop buying from that food industry. I think that the companies should be responsible for the foreign workers, especially if one does become arrested for living illegally in the state.
I think Keith Ludlum’s statement is true. Judging by what I’ve seen on the film, both workers and hogs aren’t taken into consideration for their health. Workers have gotten infections, cuts, and bruises, but the food industry doesn’t care about how their own employees are being treated. The food industry only cares about their business and the money coming in. Even the hogs are treated much more worse than the workers.
Ashley I. EDA Period 2
ReplyDeletePart 2
If I had to be a slaughterhouse worker, I would demand that my salary should be at least $15 an hour. I say this because from what I’ve seen in the film, the slaughter house workers are in the factories working at least 8 hrs a day, cutting up the meat and trying to keep up with the machines. Some other things that I would demand if I had to work in a slaughterhouse is the safety and sanitation of the factory. I would demand that as workers, we deserve to be cared for and respected. I would also demand that the machines be slowed down, so that every worker would be able to keep up with the machines and not get infections or cuts.
The company would meet my demand of having a high salary by sponsoring their food. They could advertise on TV in movies and shows. They could shift the sales of food by making it cheaper so that it will make more people want to buy more. For example, having a buy one get one free sale or having a special discounted price sale. The company could also add value-added products. Like if you buy “this”, then you’ll also get “this”.
When a person chooses to eat meat, that decision affects themselves, the food companies, the animals being used to make that meat, and the workers. It affects themselves because they’re choosing to eat meat that might have E. Coli or some kind of bacteria in it that might be harmful to their bodies. It affects the food companies because they’re having more money coming in and their company is making more business. It affects the animals being used to make that meat because then the food companies will have to kill more animals, make them more fat, and kill more, so that the meat industry will keep its business running. Lastly, it affects the workers because they’ll have to work more hours, while trying to keep up with the machines. Some workers might eventually get too tired and might accidentally cut themselves and contaminate the meat.
Ashley I. EDA Period 2
ReplyDeletePart 3
Some ways that people can make sure that their eating meat does not harm other people or animals, is by buying meat from farmers like Polyface, limiting their meat intake, and avoid buying fast food meat. If more people were to buy meat from farmers like Polyface, then the people and animals of companies, like Smithfield, won’t have to kill as much animals to meet the demands of customers. Those companies could slow down their machines, so that the workers can keep up with them and they won’t have to get cuts or contaminate the meat, anymore. If more people were to limit their meat intake, then less animals would be used to make meat. Also, if more people were to avoid buying fast food meat, then fast food restaurants, like McDonalds, won’t be able to use as much beef or chicken for their food because less customers would be coming in to buy them.
Schools, groups, and towns can influence the situation of consumers having the ability to influence companies by making schools buy more vegetables and fruits, making towns have special sales for their organic food, and by making groups consume more healthy food. If schools were to buy more healthy foods, like vegetables and fruits, and make yummy recipes out of them, then I think it would make students want to eat more of those delicious, healthy recipes, causing the schools to buy more healthy ingredients and cause the companies to produce more healthy, cheaper food. If towns made special sales for their organic food, then it would influence customers to buy them and influence the food industry to make less fast food and more organic food. Also, the same situation would happen if groups were to consume more healthy, organic food.
Illegal immigration is connected to the food we eat because food industries, especially the meat packing ones, have been recruiting other people from different countries to work in their factories. The food industry has been posting advertisements in places like Mexico to make their people work in our food industries. They do this because they know that people from that country have no rights. Therefore, food companies can give them low salary because they know that they don’t have the rights to speak up. As said in the film, illegal immigrants have been working for our food industries for over 10-15 years, but when they get arrested for illegally living here, the food the companies don’t even take responsibility for it.
Mary Hensley
ReplyDeleteMrs. Carr
EDA Period 1
14 February 2013
How much do we really care about the workers processing our food?
“We want to pay the cheapest price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” Says Eduardo Pena. Workers have to pay a price, or take risks when they are doing those dangerous factory jobs. In one of the factories when the hogs had infections, the workers who were processing them got infected to the point where their nails were separating from their skin. And unfortunately for the workers, they also may have to pay the price of having a simple job like that just to gain freedom. And just because the food is cheap it does not mean that it is healthy.
If you were to discuss the slaughtering of the polyface farms chickens, to the Smithfield hogs, it would be like comparing night and day. Even the workers conditions are very far apart. The chickens get to run around free in the grass all their lives, and live happier and then they are slaughtered. Unlike the hogs, which are in constant stress, and are literally” knee deep” in their own fecal matter. The employees at polyface work outside in the fresh air and their method of killing are more humane, at Smithfield the workers are dressed as if they were in a toxic waste plant, and they are handling the infected animals. When it comes to killing the animals they have a giant machine wipe the hogs of the floor. And into the shredder they go.
Just like how the undocumented have the rights to come here, the companies have the right to recruit illegals to work for them, as long as the company and the employee are responsible, in my opinion. If the people go to work, and are willing to accept the conditions and amount of money they will get it is ok to recruit them. But if they are going to complain, or be irresponsible they need to get out. If the company can’t find any locals that are willing to work, then they can go and get the homeless’, who are sitting around doing nothing but ask for money and drugs and are not paying taxes. The consequences for hiring the undocumented are that if they disobey the law or are irresponsible they could get arrested or deported and the company won’t have as many employees as before.
In the factories the workers are treated almost as bad as the animals, the animal gets an infection; the worker gets it. The workers get paid as little as 8 dollars an hour, if I were willing to do this job I wouldn’t ask for anymore. Since most of those people are undocumented and probably aren’t paying taxes, and most likely did not go to college to get a degree the cant expect more than 10 dollars max. When I decide that I want to eat meat it will not really affect anybody except maybe the hippies, or vegetarians. To make sure that the meat does not harm anybody or the animals, double check the conditions, quality control, and the animals should be living in healthy living conditions, not like the factories. Illegal immigrants are connected to the food we eat because they are the people who are picking, processing, and transporting our food.
Audrey Franada EDA #2 Pelfrey Topic Group 5 Articles
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/now/shows/250/meat-packing.html Somewhat vague, but it compares the conditions in the meatpacking industry from the time of The Jungle to today.
http://www.eatwild.com/animals.html A little biased, see the site name, but addresses the benfits of traditional farming versus the feedlots.
Noah G. EDA 4 Pelfrey Topic 5:In the Grass
ReplyDeleteI agree, because all of America just wants cheaper food. Some don’t have the time to actually stay home and cook or actually afford the expensive vegetables healthy food so they go to drive thru and get unhealthy food. Like when the family that doesn’t have time and their dad has diabetes and they can afford healthy food.
I compare the two very different because in the polyfaces farm everything was free and not crowded and all of the animals had fresh air. In the Smithfield the hogs were electrocuted and some of the pigs weren’t even dead when they got electrocuted. I think the working conditions were very different because one your in a factory kill pigs without even caring and the other one is you have fresh air and it is much more comfortable.
’ I don’t think companies have a right to import foreign workers to their company because its their right if they want to work there and be responsible for other peoples food that they might not even eat.
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I think the companies should maybe raise the pay for other workers that need jobs would come more. Also that they raise the prices because the workers are risking them getting infected when they are doing their job.
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If the foreign workers get caught and the company is not getting blamed and they are handling the transport of the foreign workers. I think it is very unfair because company is getting absolutely no blame for this and think that it is very wrong.
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I think of this statement that is true but it matters on who it is. If it is a company that uses electric voltage then it is just wrong because every animal should be killed humanely. If it is the workers that let the pigs in the grass and fresh air I think it is true because those pigs are more fresh and free.
If I was doing this kind of work i would ask about 17 dollars an hour because you have the risk of being infected and some workers lose their fingernails and it is just not sanitary. I would also demand a waiver on if i get sick or infected all of the responsibility would be blamed on the cow that happen to infect me and the company would get a fine.
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’ I think it would affected the family because if that meat was contaminated with like a disease it will devastate the family if that person have passed because of that disease and it would be horrible.
People will go to farmers market to get their meat because at farmers markets it would be more fresh.Also they will check on the back to see the ingredients and think of it and see if the ingredient is safe.
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Yes there is a way because I have seen school programs on eat healthy and go to farmers market. Also there is signs of saying “organic” around the food that is organic.
Well I think illegal immigration is very wrong and the way it connects to the food because some companys are giving transportation so illegal immigrants can work at the factorys and I thnk it is really not fair because the companys should be blamed for that.
Jennifer R. EDA Period 1, Mrs. Carr
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eduardo Peña because in the film they experiment with corn because it is the cheapest crop and then they try feeding it to a cow, but the cheap corn made the cow have E. Coli. It looked pretty disgusting and I actually felt bad for the cow. Eduardo’s quote is also proven in everyday life. For example, soda and chips are cheap but even that comes with a price of health risks such as diabetes or obesity.Polyface’s Farms are much more sanitary than Smithfield’s and they also treat the animals right. Smithfield doesn’t care about how dirty their animals are even if they’re covered with feces. When Polyface slaughters their chickens they are clean and at least the chicken died happy. However when Smithfield slaughters their hogs, they take them to a kill floor and they squish them down and they die filthy and unhappy. The hogs are so filthy that when the workers are cutting them, the bacteria that was on the hog goes on to the workers fingernails and has caused some of the workers fingernails to fall off.
Well yes and no. You see I say yes because when they recruit foreign workers they pay them money and give them a job and so the foreigners can build a life here. I also say no because when the foreigners are arrested they take away everything that they worked for and the police treats them like criminals and the companies don’t even get in any trouble!
Usually if they can’t find local people to do the work then they recruit foreign workers.
Some repercussions of recruiting foreign workers are deportations, the workers are the ones who get in legal trouble and not the companies, and not being paid fairly such as a low amount of salary for dangerous labor.This statement is very true because they actually do have the same mentality towards workers as the do towards the hogs which is they treat them like they are nothing and the abuse both of them. In the case of the pigs, they crush them mercilessly and they are covered in feces! They feed them with corn to fatten them up. In the case of the workers, the companies pay them very little to do dangerous work. The working conditions are terrible. It is so unsanitary that their nails get infected and their nails come right off.
I would not be willing to do that type of work at all. Even if they offered to pay me a million dollars an hour I would still not accept it. I have a soft spot for animals so if I killed one if would torture my conscious for life. Besides, I help animals. NOT kill them. As I have said before, there is no way on earth that I will do this type of work.
When a person decides to eat meat that benefits the companies because they make profit. When the companies make profit, the slaughtering continues. When the slaughtering continues, the animals are being mistreated and the workers are being abused.
Well if they do eat meat, they could put it properly in the trash can so the meat won’t rot and then there won’t be flies everywhere and stray dogs getting sick and so.
Perhaps going to your local supermarket and demanding locally grown fresh produce.
When immigration deports the foreigners that pick & process our food, there is less production and the food takes longer to get to us.
Audrey F. EDA #2 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic Group 5 Written Reflection Part 1
I agree with Peña. The film shows obvious reasons to do so. The environment that the workers are in extremely unsanitary: There’s blood and bodily waste from the animals everywhere and there’s no real ventilation. This makes the factory a gigantic Petri dish, and since it’s so ideal for bacterial growth, the workers may become infected or ill. As stated in the film, sometimes, their fingernails will completely separate from their fingers due to infection. They’re treated like machines, doing the same thing over and over again. But they’re working with knives, and those knives go from dangerous to deadly as their muscles tire from repetition. They also have no choice in the matter because they’re so poor. They could obtain very serious injuries or even die, and if they do, no one really knows because the companies can find replacements in a snap.
Polyface, to me, has a more humane way of slaughtering. The chickens are free-range and basically happy; they’re only kept in a crate for a short amount of time before slaughter-less stress. When slaughtered, the chickens are pulled through a cone-like structure that holds them upside-down, and because this greatly disorients the chicken, they don’t feel the knife slitting their necks. The working environment is very pleasant: It’s out in the fresh open air, and though outdoors, it’s very clean. In Smithfield, the pigs are all kept in pens and standing ankle high in their own waste and other pigs. Then, they’re put on this death-drop device-which, I suppose, frightens them into having heart attacks, but even then, some are still alive when they go to get sawed open. These pigs are basically put through Hell before and during slaughter. The workers are kept in a relatively similar environment-minus the heart-stopping death-drop, of course.
I don’t think these companies have the right to recruit foreign workers. They’re just making the problems-due to OUR food system- in other countries even worse because once those workers leave, whether they’re farmers or not, that country loses part of its workforce or farming industry. After that happens, they have less people to work the fields and grow food, so they’ll bring in more “cheap American corn”-which puts even more farmers out of business. There are plenty of people in America, never mind other countries, that do not have jobs. Some citizens are crying, “Buy American! Buy American!”, but do they know that the very food they eat is being produced by illegal immigrants? I find this cycle stupid and silly. Before you show the world just how awesome you are at providing “cheap American” products and putting farmers out of business, take care of the Americans first.
Audrey Franada EDA#2 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic Group 5 Written Reflection Part 2
When the need for an alternative work force arises, it would probably be best to start a program for the unemployed or those mooching off of government money. The meat companies could provide the necessities and pay a high enough wage so that paying off such debts is actually possible.
Both species are treated as easily consumable things. The companies don’t care what happens to them as long as they are making money. Because they have come to the conclusion that everything has to meet its end, they don’t care about what happens in between.
If I had to do a job like this, I would ask for money if I were injured, a statement of responsibility and compensation to my family if I died, and a better working environment.
If they won’t meet my demands, I would write about it and get the word out. Once that’s happened and the inner workings of this disgusting corporation are out in the open, it should shed some light on how horrible this job is and how the companies don’t care about how horrible these jobs are. If they do happen to lose workers because of this, they could improve the system first and start hiring Americans, no matter how far away they may be.
When a person eats meat, their decision affects the farmers who raise the meat, the workers who transport and prepare the meat, and the big meat-packing companies that package it.
People could raise their own animals or pay a personal visit to the farm where the animals are raised in to observe the conditions there and make sure that they are treated humanely and with care to make sure that the food they eat is treated humanely before slaughter.
The first plan of action would be to educate people about where their food comes from and, once they know, have them oversee the working environment and animal conditions in a feedlot and a traditional farm. Let the people choose where their meat comes from. Boycott any meat that is provided by a large company or has been recalled in the past. Write to the Representative for the respective region and Congressmen for the state about the American food system and ways to fix it.
Illegal immigration provides a working force that meat-packing companies can easily exploit and replace time and time again.
I disagree because the food may be cheaper but later on when you get the health bill it may cost much more than the food.You can spend a few dollars more on organics or healthier food instead of fast food.The Smithfield hogs were treated horribly and still slaughtered afterwards.The Polyface farms chickens actually treat their animals well.They kill the animals by hand not by industrial machines.I think companies shouldn’t recruit foreign workers because after the companies don’t need them they probably get deported back again.The companies might not do anything to get them back.They can’t really get local people because if they do, they would have to pay the i workers more than the illegal immigrants.Illegal immigrants shouldn’t be working for factories not only do they work hard but they also get sick easily and get paid as little as 8$ an hour. The animals get treated horribly,they’re thrown , in tight spaces and live in their own fetus.I wouldn’t work in a slaughterhouse, I wouldn’t l like to kill my food and than eat it.
ReplyDeleteFaith Reeves EDA#3 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic 5: In the Grass Written Reflection
I agree with him because in the video it showed how most unhealthy, fattening, food is a lot cheaper. Yet, because of subsidy the bad food is cheaper. The unhealthy food has more chemicals and preservatives. On the other hand organic, healthy food is way more expensive but it’s better for you. They’re using cheap labor, keeping poor people poor, and exploiting them for profit. Allowing police to pick undocumented workers/citizens up, but not going after the companies that bring them here to work. After ten years of cutting our meat and putting them at risk, they get rewarded by being deported. Do they even get paid?
The workers aren’t treated as well as they could be and the animals aren’t treated well at all. The chickens from day one grow up in dark chicken coops where they don’t ever see sunlight. They are all crammed into very small space where it is never cleaned. The cattle are kept in very poor conditions before slaughtered as well. People are risking their health every day they are at work. Their fingernails are separating from their nails beds due to poor conditions. The companies treat their workers with the same amount of respect as they have to the animals, which is deplorable.
Using undocumented citizens is against the law and shouldn’t be allowed. Instead of arresting desperate workers who are brought here by the companies, the companies should be fined. The companies are aware of what they are doing and are willingly bringing the people against the law. Rather than using local workers or getting work permits and visas for not citizens they keep allowing their own workers to be arrested.
Purchase visas and give clean and stable housing for the legal aliens. They would be able to save money by paying the workers less still.
Families establish themselves and are torn apart when the police come to deport them. They live in squalor like the animals they prepare for us. Diseases are brought with them and they haven’t been vaccinated like our citizens have. Tuberculosis and other disease can be spread if they can’t get medical attention or refuse to get help out of fear or poverty.
I think it is true, that the companies have the same mentality towards the workers as they do towards hogs because they don’t respect the workers much. Again, the company has them
Faith Reeves EDA#3 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic 5: In the Grass Written Reflection Part 2
I think it is true, that the companies have the same mentality towards the workers as they do towards hogs because they don’t respect the workers much. Again, the company has them working with disease, salmonella, manure and chemicals all around them. The working conditions put them at risk of accidents and health problems. Then they are rewarded by getting kicked out of the country but the companies aren't affected by a few lost workers.
I would think they should be payed at least $40 an hour and should have contracts that if they get sick from the unsanitary meat the company should pay for it. Also, I think if a worker gets injured at work the company should help them with that as well.
There will always be people who are more desperate than others, willing to work for less. Until we all see that we can band together to make change, change won’t be possible. How do you educate people from another country? How do you give them the resources? Our history has shown that Unions have been successful in winning rights. We have to find balance between producing and consuming that will be successful.
The decision affects the person’s health, what type of meat they are eating and how it is being produced. It affects the worker who is supplying, the animal that has been killed and the profit that will be made for the company.
Read your labels, know who is producing and supplying your meat. If it is a company that practices you don’t agree with vote by not buying their food. The law of supply and demand will do the rest. If we don’t consume it they won’t produce it. We can vote three times a day every time we eat.
Absolutely, we can ask our school district to serve fresh local grown food helping out our community and local farmers. We can talk to our parents and try to see if we can make small changes that can add up to big ones when we work together. Making healthy
choices for ourselves we can choose not to by junk food.
Meatpacking companies are able to employ, “unskilled, low-wage laborers for many tasks” simply because it’s cheaper. The workers are paid small salaries and have to work very quickly. They are not protected by the companies in any way. If they get hurt or sick the company does not assist the workers whatsoever.
Miles R. EDA P2 2/13/2013
ReplyDeleteI think these products are geared towards large audiences of consumers, big companies want to sell to the majority of people.
I think consumers could be positive towards a large company making organic products, instead of being mass produced. The implications of a large company buying out a smaller company could be a larger company continuing to make products the same way the smaller company made them, with the large and small company coming to an agreement where the larger company is supporting the smaller one. It could also mean that the larger company simply wants the smaller companies name in order to mass produce and sell more products.
’ Companies may be using a small companies original label to show that it is still the same product being made by the larger company, or that the smaller company is still making the product for the larger company. I think this is a good practice that allows customers to continue and purchase the same kind of product, and to let customers know that the product is still the same.
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Individual purchases can show how many dairy products one person buys, what kind, and what company the dairy products are from. From these statistics Walmart can see what dairy brands are more popular, and Walmart can put them on sales or promotions. A situation where companies should not provide what the customers want, could be where customers are buying food products that have been recalled and be considered harmful because it is cheap. Companies should work to take all potentially harmful goods off it’s shelves even if people are requesting it.
I think farmer Joel Salatin is trying to say there is more to the cost of cheap produced food than what’s on the price tag. The food can be expensive because of all the other costs it can cause, like if it causes disease or illness which can cost a customer. It is also expensive to mass produce food that companies make.
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I think price shouldn’t be the most important force in an industry but it should definitely be a factor. The price is important because the producers of the food should receive enough money and customers should be able to buy a product at a reasonable price. If food was grown with something like health in mind though, the system could change. If all food was made organic and healthy than it would grow in demand and would in turn lower in price, what stops most customers from usually buying organic and healthy food. The problem is large companies that want to mass produce food, in cheap ways. This makes the food large companies produce cheap and makes them more popular.
’
Some people have a religion, that requires avoiding certain types of food. Some people don’t want food that was made in a factory, so they only buy organically grown food.
I think economics is important to when companies make changes that affect our society, but I think a company's main goal is to the customer so that the customer will continue to purchase their products. Companies should produce their products in a safe and lawful way to make the best kind of product for the customer, cost should come after that. In the statement that a sale of another million dollars to Walmart helps to save the world, I wonder in what way? If Walmart is using this money to promote or participate in helping in worldly issues like hunger and environmental issues, than they would be helping the world. I think Walmart can at least use its profit to change the way it sells its products, may be by promoting healthy and organic foods, or by supporting smaller farmers and companies.
Miles R. EDA P2 2/13/2013
ReplyDeleteI think these products are geared towards large audiences of consumers, big companies want to sell to the majority of people.
I think consumers could be positive towards a large company making organic products, instead of being mass produced. The implications of a large company buying out a smaller company could be a larger company continuing to make products the same way the smaller company made them, with the large and small company coming to an agreement where the larger company is supporting the smaller one. It could also mean that the larger company simply wants the smaller companies name in order to mass produce and sell more products.
’ Companies may be using a small companies original label to show that it is still the same product being made by the larger company, or that the smaller company is still making the product for the larger company. I think this is a good practice that allows customers to continue and purchase the same kind of product, and to let customers know that the product is still the same.
’
Individual purchases can show how many dairy products one person buys, what kind, and what company the dairy products are from. From these statistics Walmart can see what dairy brands are more popular, and Walmart can put them on sales or promotions. A situation where companies should not provide what the customers want, could be where customers are buying food products that have been recalled and be considered harmful because it is cheap. Companies should work to take all potentially harmful goods off it’s shelves even if people are requesting it.
I think farmer Joel Salatin is trying to say there is more to the cost of cheap produced food than what’s on the price tag. The food can be expensive because of all the other costs it can cause, like if it causes disease or illness which can cost a customer. It is also expensive to mass produce food that companies make.
’
I think price shouldn’t be the most important force in an industry but it should definitely be a factor. The price is important because the producers of the food should receive enough money and customers should be able to buy a product at a reasonable price. If food was grown with something like health in mind though, the system could change. If all food was made organic and healthy than it would grow in demand and would in turn lower in price, what stops most customers from usually buying organic and healthy food. The problem is large companies that want to mass produce food, in cheap ways. This makes the food large companies produce cheap and makes them more popular.
’
Some people have a religion, that requires avoiding certain types of food. Some people don’t want food that was made in a factory, so they only buy organically grown food.
I think economics is important to when companies make changes that affect our society, but I think a company's main goal is to the customer so that the customer will continue to purchase their products. Companies should produce their products in a safe and lawful way to make the best kind of product for the customer, cost should come after that. In the statement that a sale of another million dollars to Walmart helps to save the world, I wonder in what way? If Walmart is using this money to promote or participate in helping in worldly issues like hunger and environmental issues, than they would be helping the world. I think Walmart can at least use its profit to change the way it sells its products, may be by promoting healthy and organic foods, or by supporting smaller farmers and companies.
Audrey F. EDA #2 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteI agree with Peña. The film shows obvious reasons to do so. The environment that the workers are in extremely unsanitary: There’s blood and bodily waste from the animals everywhere and there’s no real ventilation. This makes the factory a gigantic Petri dish, and since it’s so ideal for bacterial growth, the workers may become infected or ill. As stated in the film, sometimes, their fingernails will completely separate from their fingers due to infection. They’re treated like machines, doing the same thing over and over again. But they’re working with knives, and those knives go from dangerous to deadly as their muscles tire from repetition. They also have no choice in the matter because they’re so poor. They could obtain very serious injuries or even die, and if they do, no one really knows because the companies can find replacements in a snap.
Polyface, to me, has a more humane way of slaughtering. The chickens are free-range and basically happy; they’re only kept in a crate for a short amount of time before slaughter-less stress. When slaughtered, the chickens are pulled through a cone-like structure that holds them upside-down, and because this greatly disorients the chicken, they don’t feel the knife slitting their necks. The working environment is very pleasant: It’s out in the fresh open air, and though outdoors, it’s very clean. In Smithfield, the pigs are all kept in pens and standing ankle high in their own waste and other pigs. Then, they’re put on this death-drop device-which, I suppose, frightens them into having heart attacks, but even then, some are still alive when they go to get sawed open. These pigs are basically put through Hell before and during slaughter. The workers are kept in a relatively similar environment-minus the heart-stopping death-drop, of course.
I don’t think these companies have the right to recruit foreign workers. They’re just making the problems-due to OUR food system- in other countries even worse because once those workers leave, whether they’re farmers or not, that country loses part of its workforce or farming industry. After that happens, they have less people to work the fields and grow food, so they’ll bring in more “cheap American corn”-which puts even more farmers out of business. There are plenty of people in America, never mind other countries, that do not have jobs. Some citizens are crying, “Buy American! Buy American!”, but do they know that the very food they eat is being produced by illegal immigrants? I find this cycle stupid and silly. Before you show the world just how awesome you are at providing “cheap American” products and putting farmers out of business, take care of the Americans first.
Miles R. EDA P2 2/13/2013
ReplyDeleteI think these products are geared towards large audiences of consumers, big companies want to sell to the majority of people.
I think consumers could be positive towards a large company making organic products, instead of being mass produced. The implications of a large company buying out a smaller company could be a larger company continuing to make products the same way the smaller company made them, with the large and small company coming to an agreement where the larger company is supporting the smaller one. It could also mean that the larger company simply wants the smaller companies name in order to mass produce and sell more products.
’ Companies may be using a small companies original label to show that it is still the same product being made by the larger company, or that the smaller company is still making the product for the larger company. I think this is a good practice that allows customers to continue and purchase the same kind of product, and to let customers know that the product is still the same.
’
Individual purchases can show how many dairy products one person buys, what kind, and what company the dairy products are from. From these statistics Walmart can see what dairy brands are more popular, and Walmart can put them on sales or promotions. A situation where companies should not provide what the customers want, could be where customers are buying food products that have been recalled and be considered harmful because it is cheap. Companies should work to take all potentially harmful goods off it’s shelves even if people are requesting it.
I think farmer Joel Salatin is trying to say there is more to the cost of cheap produced food than what’s on the price tag. The food can be expensive because of all the other costs it can cause, like if it causes disease or illness which can cost a customer. It is also expensive to mass produce food that companies make.
’
I think price shouldn’t be the most important force in an industry but it should definitely be a factor. The price is important because the producers of the food should receive enough money and customers should be able to buy a product at a reasonable price. If food was grown with something like health in mind though, the system could change. If all food was made organic and healthy than it would grow in demand and would in turn lower in price, what stops most customers from usually buying organic and healthy food. The problem is large companies that want to mass produce food, in cheap ways. This makes the food large companies produce cheap and makes them more popular.
’
Some people have a religion, that requires avoiding certain types of food. Some people don’t want food that was made in a factory, so they only buy organically grown food.
I think economics is important to when companies make changes that affect our society, but I think a company's main goal is to the customer so that the customer will continue to purchase their products. Companies should produce their products in a safe and lawful way to make the best kind of product for the customer, cost should come after that. In the statement that a sale of another million dollars to Walmart helps to save the world, I wonder in what way? If Walmart is using this money to promote or participate in helping in worldly issues like hunger and environmental issues, than they would be helping the world. I think Walmart can at least use its profit to change the way it sells its products, may be by promoting healthy and organic foods, or by supporting smaller farmers and companies.
Miles R. EDA P2 2/13/2013
ReplyDeleteI think these products are geared towards large audiences of consumers, big companies want to sell to the majority of people.
I think consumers could be positive towards a large company making organic products, instead of being mass produced. The implications of a large company buying out a smaller company could be a larger company continuing to make products the same way the smaller company made them, with the large and small company coming to an agreement where the larger company is supporting the smaller one. It could also mean that the larger company simply wants the smaller companies name in order to mass produce and sell more products.
’ Companies may be using a small companies original label to show that it is still the same product being made by the larger company, or that the smaller company is still making the product for the larger company. I think this is a good practice that allows customers to continue and purchase the same kind of product, and to let customers know that the product is still the same.
’
Individual purchases can show how many dairy products one person buys, what kind, and what company the dairy products are from. From these statistics Walmart can see what dairy brands are more popular, and Walmart can put them on sales or promotions. A situation where companies should not provide what the customers want, could be where customers are buying food products that have been recalled and be considered harmful because it is cheap. Companies should work to take all potentially harmful goods off it’s shelves even if people are requesting it.
I think farmer Joel Salatin is trying to say there is more to the cost of cheap produced food than what’s on the price tag. The food can be expensive because of all the other costs it can cause, like if it causes disease or illness which can cost a customer. It is also expensive to mass produce food that companies make.
’
I think price shouldn’t be the most important force in an industry but it should definitely be a factor. The price is important because the producers of the food should receive enough money and customers should be able to buy a product at a reasonable price. If food was grown with something like health in mind though, the system could change. If all food was made organic and healthy than it would grow in demand and would in turn lower in price, what stops most customers from usually buying organic and healthy food. The problem is large companies that want to mass produce food, in cheap ways. This makes the food large companies produce cheap and makes them more popular.
’
Some people have a religion, that requires avoiding certain types of food. Some people don’t want food that was made in a factory, so they only buy organically grown food.
I think economics is important to when companies make changes that affect our society, but I think a company's main goal is to the customer so that the customer will continue to purchase their products. Companies should produce their products in a safe and lawful way to make the best kind of product for the customer, cost should come after that. In the statement that a sale of another million dollars to Walmart helps to save the world, I wonder in what way? If Walmart is using this money to promote or participate in helping in worldly issues like hunger and environmental issues, than they would be helping the world. I think Walmart can at least use its profit to change the way it sells its products, may be by promoting healthy and organic foods, or by supporting smaller farmers and companies.
Audrey F. EDA #2 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic Group 5 Written Reflection Part 1
I agree with Peña. The film shows obvious reasons to do so. The environment that the workers are in extremely unsanitary: There’s blood and bodily waste from the animals everywhere and there’s no real ventilation. This makes the factory a gigantic Petri dish, and since it’s so ideal for bacterial growth, the workers may become infected or ill. As stated in the film, sometimes, their fingernails will completely separate from their fingers due to infection. They’re treated like machines, doing the same thing over and over again. But they’re working with knives, and those knives go from dangerous to deadly as their muscles tire from repetition. They also have no choice in the matter because they’re so poor. They could obtain very serious injuries or even die, and if they do, no one really knows because the companies can find replacements in a snap.
Polyface, to me, has a more humane way of slaughtering. The chickens are free-range and basically happy; they’re only kept in a crate for a short amount of time before slaughter-less stress. When slaughtered, the chickens are pulled through a cone-like structure that holds them upside-down, and because this greatly disorients the chicken, they don’t feel the knife slitting their necks. The working environment is very pleasant: It’s out in the fresh open air, and though outdoors, it’s very clean. In Smithfield, the pigs are all kept in pens and standing ankle high in their own waste and other pigs. Then, they’re put on this death-drop device-which, I suppose, frightens them into having heart attacks, but even then, some are still alive when they go to get sawed open. These pigs are basically put through Hell before and during slaughter. The workers are kept in a relatively similar environment-minus the heart-stopping death-drop, of course.
I don’t think these companies have the right to recruit foreign workers. They’re just making the problems-due to OUR food system- in other countries even worse because once those workers leave, whether they’re farmers or not, that country loses part of its workforce or farming industry. After that happens, they have less people to work the fields and grow food, so they’ll bring in more “cheap American corn”-which puts even more farmers out of business. There are plenty of people in America, never mind other countries, that do not have jobs. Some citizens are crying, “Buy American! Buy American!”, but do they know that the very food they eat is being produced by illegal immigrants? I find this cycle stupid and silly. Before you show the world just how awesome you are at providing “cheap American” products and putting farmers out of business, take care of the Americans first.
Audrey Franada EDA #2 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteTopic Group 5 Written Reflection Part 2
When the need for an alternative work force arises, it would probably be best to start a program for the unemployed or those mooching off of government money. The meat companies could provide the necessities and pay a high enough wage so that paying off such debts is actually possible.
Both species are treated as easily consumable things. The companies don’t care what happens to them as long as they are making money. Because they have come to the conclusion that everything has to meet its end, they don’t care about what happens in between.
If I had to do a job like this, I would ask for money if I were injured, a statement of responsibility and compensation to my family if I died, and a better working environment.
If they won’t meet my demands, I would write about it and get the word out. Once that’s happened and the inner workings of this disgusting corporation are out in the open, it should shed some light on how horrible this job is and how the companies don’t care about how horrible these jobs are. If they do happen to lose workers because of this, they could improve the system first and start hiring Americans, no matter how far away they may be.
When a person eats meat, their decision affects the farmers who raise the meat, the workers who transport and prepare the meat, and the big meat-packing companies that package it.
People could raise their own animals or pay a personal visit to the farm where the animals are raised in to observe the conditions there and make sure that they are treated humanely and with care to make sure that the food they eat is treated humanely before slaughter.
The first plan of action would be to educate people about where their food comes from and, once they know, have them oversee the working environment and animal conditions in a feedlot and a traditional farm. Let the people choose where their meat comes from. Boycott any meat that is provided by a large company or has been recalled in the past. Write to the Representative for the respective region and Congressmen for the state about the American food system and ways to fix it.
Illegal immigration provides a working force that meat-packing companies can easily exploit and replace time and time again.
Miles R. EDA P2 2/13/2013
ReplyDeleteI think these products are geared towards large audiences of consumers, big companies want to sell to the majority of people.
I think consumers could be positive towards a large company making organic products, instead of being mass produced. The implications of a large company buying out a smaller company could be a larger company continuing to make products the same way the smaller company made them, with the large and small company coming to an agreement where the larger company is supporting the smaller one. It could also mean that the larger company simply wants the smaller companies name in order to mass produce and sell more products.
’ Companies may be using a small companies original label to show that it is still the same product being made by the larger company, or that the smaller company is still making the product for the larger company. I think this is a good practice that allows customers to continue and purchase the same kind of product, and to let customers know that the product is still the same.
’
Individual purchases can show how many dairy products one person buys, what kind, and what company the dairy products are from. From these statistics Walmart can see what dairy brands are more popular, and Walmart can put them on sales or promotions. A situation where companies should not provide what the customers want, could be where customers are buying food products that have been recalled and be considered harmful because it is cheap. Companies should work to take all potentially harmful goods off it’s shelves even if people are requesting it.
I think farmer Joel Salatin is trying to say there is more to the cost of cheap produced food than what’s on the price tag. The food can be expensive because of all the other costs it can cause, like if it causes disease or illness which can cost a customer. It is also expensive to mass produce food that companies make.
’
I think price shouldn’t be the most important force in an industry but it should definitely be a factor. The price is important because the producers of the food should receive enough money and customers should be able to buy a product at a reasonable price. If food was grown with something like health in mind though, the system could change. If all food was made organic and healthy than it would grow in demand and would in turn lower in price, what stops most customers from usually buying organic and healthy food. The problem is large companies that want to mass produce food, in cheap ways. This makes the food large companies produce cheap and makes them more popular.
’
Some people have a religion, that requires avoiding certain types of food. Some people don’t want food that was made in a factory, so they only buy organically grown food.
I think economics is important to when companies make changes that affect our society, but I think a company's main goal is to the customer so that the customer will continue to purchase their products. Companies should produce their products in a safe and lawful way to make the best kind of product for the customer, cost should come after that. In the statement that a sale of another million dollars to Walmart helps to save the world, I wonder in what way? If Walmart is using this money to promote or participate in helping in worldly issues like hunger and environmental issues, than they would be helping the world. I think Walmart can at least use its profit to change the way it sells its products, may be by promoting healthy and organic foods, or by supporting smaller farmers and companies.
Cody C. EDA#4 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteI agree because that's basically all that people care about, cheap food. Barely anybody actually cares about where it comes from or how it was made. In the film there was a family that was living off the dollar menu. The father of the family had Diabetes and to be able to pay for his medication, they had to eat cheaply. In my family we also try to eat cheaper but we also eat healthy. We try to find a balance in between cheap fast food, and expensive fruits and vegetables.
I would say that the Polyface Farms chickens slaughtering was way more humane than the Smithfield hogs. The workers at Polyface are way happier and they can switch positions with other people when they want to. It isn't dangerous for them as well. However the workers at Smithfield were treated terribly and they had to work in dangerous conditions. They also had to stay in the same position, doing the same thing, all day long. Its just not healthy for the human body or the pigs.
I do think they have the right to recruit foreign workers, however before they start working they need to become legal US citizens. Another thing they need to do is make sure they are being sanitary. Another thing they need to do with not just foreign workers but all workers is get them moving. Its not healthy for them to constantly be doing the same movements.
It can hurt our economy and it can take away jobs locally. It will take away jobs because we will be importing workers. Therefore local workers wont be employed for that position. I think that if we are going to be importing workers, we need to have the local people get them first and give the rest to foreigners.
I think this statement is very true. They treat their workers like crap. The working conditions are completely unsanitary, enough to make their fingernails fall off and to make them sick. It influences the treatment of the workers and hogs because when the workers are treated bad, its going to forward to the animals. Its already bad enough for the pigs but this just makes it worse. If i had to do this job I would do it for $18 an hour. I would also want to not be stuck in the same position all day and have sanitary conditions. I feel that my health is more important than getting paid a lot.
I honestly don't think they would try to meet my demand. They would find another person that would do it for a smaller amount of money. If there were people like me that wouldn't do work they would just get rid of us. After all, most slaughterhouses have an average turnover rate of every 90 days. That is crazy, there is hardly enough time to even train their workers. To make sure eating meat doesn't harm themselves or animals they could cook it to the required temperature and make sure they eat it before the expiration date.
Yes. Our schools and towns can buy food from companies that are organic, dont carry genetically modified ingredients, and that slaughter their animals humanely. This would influence the situation because the companies that do all of these bad things will realize they aren't getting business and have to change to accommodate our needs.
It is connected to the food we eat because they are the ones growing, picking, slaughtering, and transporting all of it. They are all doing these jobs because they get paid less than what an american worker would make, often below minimum wage.This is how the food business thrives. If it weren't for the immigrant workers then maybe we wouldn't have food on our plates, maybe we would have to go get it on our own.
Melanie B Period #4 EDA Mrs carr
ReplyDeleteNo i do not agree with him because he should want food that has good quality and is not too expensive because in the film the factories are spending great amounts of money and they have said that the polyface farms has better quality and they are located outdoors and they a better for you with not diseases.
They are very opposite because at smithfields they treat the animals very bad and never give them a chance to eat right or be outside,with the chickens at polyface farms they have then outdoors and and kill them when they are ready and they are killed by hand and not killed by big machines that kill animals over and over all day everyday like at smithfields. The workers conditions are very bad they have not protection against viruses and diseases,in the film they said that worker fingernails even fall off.
I think that the companies have no right to recruit immigrant workers because they are taking jobs away from people who are american and need the money to live off of. its not right to have them come all this way and do all the dirty work for the companies to just to end up getting in trouble with the police,if companies are going to do this they should at least take responsibility and and help the immigrant workers they brought over and not deny that they ever had anything to do with them.
If the companies can not find local people to work for them then they should be doing more of the work themselves or give people that work for them longer shifts.
I do not think it is ok for the to recruit foreign workers to do all the work for them, its their company and they need to take responsibility.
Naivi B. EDA#4 Mrs. Carr
ReplyDelete1. I kind of agree because the conditions the food is in and by the way everything is being transported obviously everything is done cheap, so it’s going to sold for cheap. Like if you go to a fast food restaurant you will get food for cheap, unlike a fancy restaurant where food takes time to be done then it will be more expensive.
2. The chickens from Polyface Farms are slaughtered outdoors much more freely and the hogs from Smithfield are being tortured. The workers from Smithfield are in risk of getting infections from all the horrible work they do and they are not getting rights.
3. I don’t think they should recruit foreign workers because it’s not the workers responsibility to run something that is falling and them not be getting any rights.
4. If the companies can’t find local people to work then they should just shut down.
5. Well if it is “okay” then the results should be that the workers should be getting a little bit or rights at least, or the workers should be taken care of because then they will just get immigrated.
Jessi Pacheco
ReplyDeleteEDA 4
Carr
i agree with Eduardo Pena because we should consider the people working to process our food and give us nice clean meat vegetables and fruits. these workers work under harsh conditions. just because something is cheap doesn’t mean is good.
polyface farms is more sanitary the the smithfield hogs slaughter house. polyface kills chickens outdoors one by one not altogether at the same time. creating a big bloody mess. at polyface the chickens are rinsed and washed off manually with water. at smithfield the pigs go through a bunch of chemicals. polyface workers are more clean and don’t work under harsh unsanitary conditions. while a smithfield workers encounter unsanitary conditions. they catch infections on their hands and fingertips.
i think companies should have the right to recruit foreigners illegally. i don’t think they should take advantage of immigrants. because after the do all that work at the end there the ones that get in trouble. they get deported simply for working hard, trying to get some money to maintain themselves.
to do this kind of job i would say they had to pay me 10$ or more. they would have to give me insurance and additional costs.
illegal immigrants do a lot in this country. even if some people say they come to take American jobs away. which is not true at all. undocumented workers do the work that the usual American don’t do. they work on the fields for hours picking up strawberries lettuce tomatoes etc. they also work in factories slaughterhouses etc. they don’t even get paid good or they don’t get paid at all. they come to this country for economic opportunities that they don’t have in their countries. so next time you're eating a hamburger or a salad. think about the people that processed that for you. because without them this country would be nothing at all.
Parker L. E.D.A. Period 4 Mrs. Pelfrey Part 2
DeleteIf people like me would refuse to work for this company, then I would think that the only alternatives that they would have would be people who are in desperate need of a job to support themselves (and possibly their family, if they have any).
This decision would affect slaughterhouse workers, because they’re forced to continue carrying out their exhausting, torturous, and stressful routine in order to supply more meat. The fate of corn-fed livestock will also be strongly affected, since they will most definitely be slaughtered to supply the meat. Regarding the supervisors of the workers, an impact would be made on them as well, for the reason that they would be tasked with getting the workers to slaughter more animals for meat.
They could boycott certain brands, like Smithfield, and support more natural companies, such as Polyfield Farms.
To influence this situation, we can boycott certain brands, like Smithfield, support companies that use more Earth-friendly ways of producing food, like Polyfield, raise awareness of what certain unhealthy food companies, such as McDonalds, doesn’t want the public to know (for example, how unhealthy their food products are), vs. gardening at home, to be self-sustaining..
Illegal immigrants are hired to work in many slaughterhouses, despite dangerous, unhealthy, and stressful work conditions, low wage, and abusive supervisors. To add on to this, because of an overwhelming pace, the unsanitary environment, and unsafe surroundings, they suffer many injuries and infections, which can lead to contaminated meat products.
Parker L. E.D.A. Period 4 Mrs. Pelfrey Part 1
ReplyDeleteI consider this statement to be true, because both the workers and hogs are treated with very little respect or compassion, forced to endure a cramped, unhealthy, and unsafe environment, and they’re seen as having very little value, aside from being a key part of the food industry.
In the film, union organizer Eduardo Peña says, “We want to pay the cheapest
price for our food. We don’t understand that it comes at a price.” Do you
agree or disagree with him? What evidence do you see in the film that led you
to agree or disagree? What evidence do you see in your life that informs your
position as well?
I agree with this statement, because I noticed in the film that many unhealthy food products have been sold at cheap prices, because this goes back to the food industry only keeping efficiency in mind to gain as much profit as possible. I have also become aware of similar examples in reality while grocery shopping, and when I frequent fast food restaurants on special occasions.
I consider the slaughtering procedures practiced by Polyface Farms to be more humane, safer, and healthier than those of Smithfield. I also noticed that Polyface has much more relaxing, open working conditions than Smithfield, as well as supervisors who treat workers fairly and animals in a natural, spacious environment.
I believe that these companies do not have the right to recruit these workers, if they will be forced to endure countless hardships to support themselves, and possibly their families, with only a little money to earn, because this concept strikes me as being extremely unfair, as well as immoral and illegal.
Possibly, the companies could try hiring people from other countries in desperate need of work.
Parker L. E.D.A. Period 4 Mrs. Pelfrey
ReplyDelete1.Nature’s Variety Issues Voluntary Recall of One Batch of Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula for Dogs & Cats Due to Possible Health Risk
F.D.A. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm340075.htm
2.The Most Dangerous Job in America
Eric Schlosser
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm340075.htm
3.Slaughterhouse in Iowa takes advantage of child labor
National Consumers League
http://www.nclnet.org/worker-rights/82-child-labor/151-slaughterhouse-in-iowa-takes-advantage-of-child-labor