The debate about the health of the American agro-food system has been a topic of interest in recent years. The “Western diet,” consisting of processed and ultra-processed foods, is not beneficial to health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 42% of adults are obese, and one in three adults is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The CDC states that the excessive consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods is the leading cause of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and strokes. During the last U.S. presidential campaign, one of the major political parties raised questions about the possibility of a new American health system, emphasizing that the entire agro-food and health system is dominated by Big Agriculture, Big Food Processing Companies, Big Pharmaceutical Companies, and the agencies that regulate food and health.
Some argue that the American agro-food system is beneficial because it is vital to the country’s economy. In contrast, others contend that it is unhealthy due to the processed and ultra-processed foods that are the leading cause of chronic diseases. I agree with this affirmation. The American agro-food system is unhealthy because it is the leading cause of chronic illnesses that undermine the health of the American people.
One reason I believe the American agro-food system is unhealthy is its role in chronic diseases that negatively affect the population’s health. According to a report by the CDC, approximately one in three adults in the United States—98 million people—have diabetes, and 81% of them are unaware of their condition. Overweight and obesity are linked to an increased risk of 13 types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, gallbladder cancer, liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer (CDC). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) warns that processed or ultra-processed foods high in fat are not satiating and can lead to weight gain. Fatty foods, such as high-fat meats, full-fat cheeses, fried foods, and dairy products, can disrupt diets and increase calorie intake. Sweetened beverages like fruit juices, energy drinks, and energy bars are also high in calories (NIH). The American agro-food system, mainly processed and ultra-processed foods, is not beneficial to health as they are high in calories and fats but low in nutritional value. This excess of energy and low-nutritional fats contributes to chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and the likelihood of developing certain types of cancer (CDC). For this reason, the American agro-food system is considered unhealthy, especially its processed and ultra-processed foods, which are the primary source of the chronic illnesses we face.
Another reason I believe the American agro-food system is unhealthy is its domination by Big Agriculture, major food processing corporations, Big Pharmaceutical Companies, and federal agencies that regulate food and health in the U.S. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) endorsed Donald J. Trump, accusing the American agro-food system of being controlled by Big Agriculture, major Food Industry Corporations, Pharmaceutical Companies, and federal agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which regulate food and health. Kennedy claims that the current U.S. agricultural policy is ruined by adding chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides used by Big Agriculture for crops grown in fields, as toxic residues end up in the food consumed.
Additionally, RFK Jr. argues that the current U.S. agricultural policy is destroying health on all levels. It not only undermines the economic health of small farming businesses, forcing them to either become large agricultural enterprises or go out of business, but it is also destroying soil and water health, leading the agricultural system to rely on more pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, monocultures, and concentrated feedlots. These chemicals pollute our bodies just as they pollute the soil. Corporate interests have hijacked the USDA dietary guidelines, relegating natural, unprocessed foods to an afterthought. This is one of the reasons why 70% of the American diet consists of ultra-processed foods (Kennedy). RFK Jr. is promoting the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, which aims to transform the nation’s food, health, air, water, soil, and medicine. His top priority will be to rid public health of agencies like the FDA, CDC, NIH, and USDA. These agencies have become puppets of the industries they are supposed to regulate.
For this reason, the U.S. Agro-Food and Health System is not good. It is captured by large corporations and corrupt federal agencies that benefit these big companies and industries they are supposed to regulate. These corporations harm food and consumer health and promote the chronic diseases we suffer from.
While it’s true that the American Food Supply Chain generates thousands of jobs and contributes approximately 1% of the national GDP, agriculture, food, and related industries together account for 5.5% of the United States’ GDP and provide 10.4% of the country’s employment (USDA). This means the food supply chain (from farm to table), which includes food supplies from agricultural farms, food processing plants, transportation, distribution, storage, and final consumers, contributes 1% of the national GDP and, in total, accounts for 5.5% of the GDP, creating 10.4% of national employment.
However, Charlie Kirk, a political commentator, conservative author, and CEO of Turning Point USA, claims that 50% of American youth are chronically obese or overweight by the age of 15, compared to Japan, where only 3% of young people are obese by age 15. Kirk argues that this isn’t due to lack of physical activity but because we are poisoning our children with what we put in their cereal and food, and corporations are poisoning us (Kirk).
Similarly, Farm Aid, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a vibrant, family-farm-centered agricultural system in the United States, states that “a handful of corporations control our food from field to table. Their unchecked power increases political influence over our food system’s rules, allowing them to manipulate the market, lower prices paid to family farmers, and drive them out of business. Policies written by corporations are raising concerns about food security and decreasing market transparency” (Farm Aid). RFK Jr., MAHA movement promoter, says, “We are the sickest country in the world. This is the first problem we must solve to be a resilient, prosperous, and happy nation.” To do this, we must start by fixing the agro-food and pharmaceutical systems and eliminating corruption in the USDA, NIH, FDA, and CDC, refocusing on public health instead of the profit aspirations of pharmaceutical companies, Big Agriculture, and major food processing companies (Kennedy).
Some argue that the American Agro-Food System is good because it contributes to the country’s economy, generating thousands of jobs in the food supply chain. This may be true, but only if the goal was to create jobs and contribute to the national economy. However, at this point, the problem goes beyond job creation and contributing to the national GDP. The key consideration is that the American Agro-Food System is unhealthy because it is the leading cause of chronic diseases and cancer that harm our health, mainly processed and ultra-processed foods, which are the main culprits of these illnesses.
For these reasons, the American Agro-Food System is unhealthy because it is the leading cause of chronic diseases and cancer we face today. We must oust the large corporations controlling the U.S. food market from farm to table. These corporations dictate how our farmers should grow crops and what we should eat. These organizations harm our rural communities, local economies, health, and the soil and water necessary for food production. If we want to have a resilient nation and be a healthy and prosperous country, we need to fix the Agro-Food System.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Luis Henry Contreras Del Aguila
Food Industries Engineer Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva- Tingo Maria- Peru
Master in Agribusiness Administration ESAN University – Lima-Peru
CEO, Country Agribusiness
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “More than one in three people in the United States are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, but changing the outcome is possible”. www.cdc.gov, November 14, 2023,
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National Institutes of Health. “Foods that ruin diets”. medlineplus.gov, September 4, 2024, https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/patientinstructions/000812.htm
Farm.Aid. “Corporate Control in Agriculture”. www.farmaid.org, https://www.farmaid.org/issues/corporate-power/corporate-power-in-ag/
Kennedy, Robert F. Jr. “Make America Healthy Again”. www.facebook.com, November 4, 2024, https://www.facebook.com/rfkjr/videos/1095363625534969
MAHA. “We Have to Fix the Food System”. www.mahanow.org, September 24, 2024, https://www.mahanow.org/fix-food-video
MAHA. “Charlie Kirk on why 50% of America is obese”. www.mahanow.org, November 12, 2024, https://www.mahanow.org/kirk-obesity-video
USDA. “Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy”. www.ers.usda.gov, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy/