Do you ever stop to think where your food comes from? Do you picture green pastures and where animals roam free? Plenty of water and food for them to eat and tons of space for them to rest. I would like to think so. However most of our products come from factory farming. Factory farming is replacing family farmers at an alarming rate. The condition of these farms are so horrific and so detrimental to not only the animals, but to water as well. The waste from factory farms leaks into water streams, such as lake, oceans and ground water. Which is a combination of bacteria, antibiotic waste, pesticides and chemical fertilizer. This can cause massive destruction in out aquatic ecosystems and contamination of our drinking water.

Another fact about the waste from factory farms that it is collected into large pools, these companies are not required to clean up the waste. They just spread it over farms fields, where it runs right into the water system. We wonder how ecoli has contaminated our food.

The slaughterhouses produced the most meat in US meat packing industry. The USDA has lax laws with these corporations that provide unsanitary environment. Therefore producing bacteria in our food. This in turns shows right up to at your local grocery store or fast food restaurant.

The pesticides are sprayed on the food that the animals consume. In turn pesticides have been linked to medical problems. Many are fighting for sustainable food practices. This method of farming promotes healthy fats. However the policy and legislation promotes industrial farming. Our taxpayer dollars goes to operating costs and research for large produing facilities.

Europe has banned the use of artificial hormones. Which the US continually pumps into our animals. Which the US government claims is safe. Europe on the other hand believes this is linked to certain types of cancer.

The animal’s feed is the cheapest waste and grain products, to fatten them up quickly. Industrial farming batted this particular problem with antibiotics. Which is unhealthy for the animals and us. The economic factor is that factory farming is thought to be the cheapest way to produce mass amounts of food. The true cost comes at a price. The practice of industrial farming also takes tons of energy. Which is the use of fossil fuels. (Oil, coal, and natural gas.) We used to create energy it produces carbon dioxide, green house gases and nitrous oxide. Which are major factors in our fight in global warming. Also a nitrogen oxide irritates the lungs, from the soot and respiratory problems including arrhythmias and heart attacks.

The dairy industry is a billion dollar earner, within only a few hands of corporations. This has produced mass amounts of milk loaded with pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. The cows are injected by rgbh. Or Bovine Growth Hormone. This increases milk production into cows about 10-15 percent, sometimes 40 percent.

The safety of our food is not heavily regulated, as it should be. The imports of our food products are tested at about 1.3% (70 billion dollar market). Which is why we have seen rates in salmonella in our fruits and vegetables. In 2003 600 people were contaminated in the Pittsburgh area with the largest outbreak of Hepatitis-A. Traced back to Chi-Chis salsa green onions. It was a Mexican farm that grew the green onions yet never inspected. The waste ran off from the farmer’s houses. The irrigation contained human and anima wastes. As well as dirty diapers in close proximity. China also has been the focus of food imports, (dog feed) toys and toothpaste recalls.

While this is information presented in alarming and some of the videos disturbing. There are things you can to do help.

Here is just some of the much resources:

Food & Water Watch –non-profit organizations that challenges clean water and safe food.

Center for Food Safety- promotes other forms of sustainable agriculture

http://www.foodsafety.gov/ - lists of current news, outbreaks, recalls and general advice.

This is not to promote vegetarianism only for you to see the atrocities that has been happening behind the scenes for so long.