Regrettably the money and political influence of industrial agriculture is holding up any changes. When it comes to obvious labeling and production requirements that should be enforced, what is the reason for such deregulation? "Greed, certainly, but also an arrogant view that greed has no consequences. That we are separate from nature and the universe, above the laws of it, not part of it(Rodale 124). The U.S. Government should be obligated to improve policies for consumer benefits, and not allow giant industrial companies to buy their way out of trouble, responsibility, and the strict regulations needed. .
Consumers need to better understand the background of industrial farming. The foundation of industrial agriculture is spraying chemicals in large amounts onto crops, about 850 million pounds a year (Cooper). Different types are used to combat natural problems that occur when growing food. A pesticide is defined as a substance or mixture of chemicals with the intent to prevent or destroy a pest. Each type falls into a specific group of insecticides, herbicides or fungicides. Insecticides used to kill bugs, herbicides to kill unwanted plants or weeds, and fungicides to kill fungus of any kind. Pesticide manufacturers will deny any unsafe findings of their products, and reassure the public that extensive test are completed before any new chemical is released and used on crops. Stating that concerns for toxic levels of residue in food are blown way out of proportion, and they present no serious risk to public health, again kee.
Pesticide residue on fruits and vegetable are regularly tested and are found with carcinogenic chemicals. A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers and laborers using industrial pesticides are six times more likely than non-farmers to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer (Kimbrell 52). At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, the pesticide DDT was used from the 1950's until 1972, being a major factor in the rise of breast cancer in women.
