The Powerless Nature of Government Agencies, Essay Example

It is important to remember that even though most government agencies are there to help ordinary people, sometimes the individuals that work in these are powerless to enact change. Even when these agencies mean to help people, they do not have enough power or influence to fight against people with more power, which is problematic because these agencies are generally implemented to instill order among large agencies in a manner that helps to prevent them from doing harm. In the documentary Food Inc., a person named Eric Schlosser says that “it is amazing how toothless our regulatory agencies are when you look closely” and “that’s just how the industry wants it” (Schlosser). Because of the lack of ability that government agencies have to help fight against major food companies, these companies are becoming successful in their ability to take over other similar companies. This lack of choice has put the nation at risk in terms of health which is problematic because our government agencies are unable to put an end to this problem, which puts the health of Americans at risk.

Even though companies know that they are not helping improve the health of people that they sell their food products to, they will continue selling products with high salt and fat, all while disguising these health concerns. According to Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, “The spread of BSE [mad cow disease] in Europe has revealed how secret alliances between agribusiness and government can endanger the public health. It has shown how the desire for profit can overrule every other consideration. British agricultural officials were concerned as early as 1987 that eating meat from BSE-infected cattle might pose a risk to human beings” (Schlosser 15). Based on this description, it appears that important leaders of regulatory agencies are unable to prevent the BSE infections and are also often unable to prevent this dispersal of this food. While attempts are made to accomplish this and protect human health, they have been unable to because of a lack of staffing and resources. Government agencies are put in place to make sure all food is healthy and free of contamination. Schlosser’s quote shows that mad cow disease was able to spread even with regulatory agencies present. This shows that our government agencies are powerless to help with these problems. They are “toothless” organizations who intend to help, but do not have the power to be able to make realistic change.

It is also important to remember that government agencies are also powerless to stop some of the legislation that contributes to the food problem. In Food Inc., Michael Pollan explains, “It was in the 1980s when the Supreme Court determined you could patent life and this began the race to patent the most productive. When you genetically modify a crop, you own it” (Food Inc.). Because people in the Supreme Court decided that people can own other living things, big companies now think that they have the right to control everything. It is almost impossible to say people can own life, because this life is not possible to control. Saying that people can control life gives them too much power, and once this power is held, it could be used in the wrong place. It seems that big farms could work together with government agencies and even people working in Congress to take control over the food industry. However, the regulatory agencies which do not participate in these decisions and are required to simply carry out this legislation are powerless to put an end to this corruption that upholds the rights of food companies over the rights of people. While it is important for this type of power to not be had by once person because they will be able to control health in a negative way, this is unfortunately not the reality that is seen in the modern food industry.

In conclusion, government agencies and other government workers can be considered “toothless” because even though they have been put in place to help members of the public, they do not have the power to do so in reality. As long as these big companies are able to have power over politicians, government agencies will be required to enforce laws in a manner that may not be beneficial to the public. Furthermore, even when these agencies are given power, they do not have the people or resources available to help make change. As a result, it would be helpful to reform the regulatory agencies in a manner in which real change could be made. Every person has the right to access healthy food, but we need to take steps to make sure that this can become possible, promoting the best interest of everyone in the nation.

Works Cited

Food, Inc. (DVD video, 2009).

Schlosser, E. Fast Food Nation. Harper Perennial, 2001.