Covalschi 1

Angeline S. Covalschi
Professor D. Hanvey
STACC English 1
20 November 2014
Feeding American Children and its Aftermath
For decades now, American meat packing companies supply the vilest quality of meat to
our children. Why would our government allow such a horrid thing, especially when it affects
our own children? The answer is simple, money will always play a huge role in the quality of
food being served to our people. The well-being of our people come last when money presents
itself on any issue. After reading Eric Schlossers book and paying quite detailed attention to
chapter nine in Fast Food Nation, I have found a subject that intrigues me. I felt the need to take
a stance on the subject- what kids eat, because the children living in this country should always
be put ahead before any other problem. According to Eric Schlosser, the USDA chose meat
suppliers for its National School Lunch Program on the basis of the lowest price, without
imposing additional food safety requirements (218). In this specific section of the book,
Schlosser strips down the image of what really goes into the meat being packaged for children in
public schools. I believe that the food given to our children should be of the highest quality and
have a high nutritional standard. The government today has a large budget for children in school,
yet millions of dollars are being used elsewhere. You would think that the money used for
children would entirely be used for the goodwill of our kids, but the government will do
everything in its power to save money on the side. Therefore as a result, the cheapest quality of
meat being distributed to our schools across the country, have been bought solely to save money

Covalschi 2

for the pockets of government officials. The proper food being served to our children would fix a
drastic list of issues. People may not see this as a crisis, but I will prove to you that changing the
food we have in our schools will tremendously fix a vast and long list of problems in our
country.
First and foremost, in order to convince you that the food being served to children across
our nation is of the uttermost horrid quality, I must explain to you the major key points of
chapter nine in Eric Schlossers book. In chapter nine called Whats in the meat, Schlosser
investigates the meat being packed and distributed across the country. As a result, Schlosser
becomes aware of fecal matter and the contamination of meat while being slaughtered. In this
chapter, readers becomes aware of deadly pathogens found in cow meat, such as the E. coli
strand 0157:H7. How does this meat infected with a foodborne pathogen create illness and
death? Well, Schlosser explains how food safety practices have always been opposed for
regulation by major companies, while our own government cannot order these companies to stop
selling contaminated meat. Therefore, according to Schlosser the animals who carries these
pathogens has most likely come in contact with an infected animals stomach contents or
manure, during slaughter or subsequent processing (197). This example of the lack of food
safety regulations is the perfect indication of why eating a hamburger can now make you
seriously ill: There is shit in the meat (Schlosser 197). Throughout this chapter, Schlosser goes
into depth of how meat packing companies are aware of these pathogens found in their meat, yet
they dont feel the need to fix this problem. As a result, children under the age of five are most
likely to suffer from these pathogens, and is now the leading cause of kidney failure among
children in the United States (Schlosser 200).

Covalschi 3

In continuation of the following matter, meat that has been cited for food safety
violations by the USDA should not be given a second chance. Companies which have been cited
and given the 171 critical violation, should automatically be stopped from distributing food to
school cafeterias. The reason for this, is because companies such as the Bauer Meat Company
according to Schlosser confirmed presence of E. coli in their facilities, yet after numerous
violations they still did not fix the problem. Companies selling cheap and easy meat to the
federal government, have on almost every occasion sold horrible quality standard meat. Eric
Schlosser states, that the cheapest ground beef was not only the most likely to be contaminated
with pathogens, but also the most likely to contain pieces of spinal cord, bone, and gristle left
behind by Automated Meat Recovery Systems (contraptions that squeeze the last shreds of meat
off bones) (218). Whether meat given to school lunches are merely scraps put together,
Schlosser explains that old rotten meat, and diseased cattle are being packaged into hamburger
patties for children. Companies such as Cattle King, Bauer Meat, Northern States Beef, and
Supreme Beef, have all been linked by Schlosser to have given tainted meat to schools across the
country. Children are being served unsatisfactory meals which have already been unapproved by
fast food eateries, and then served to about 40 million students across the country. The general
public doesnt even touch this quality of meat, yet our own children are being served at least one
meal a day from this quality. Schlosser stresses out the alarming numbers of Salmonella tainted
beef, which according to him causes about 1.4 million illnesses and 500 deaths (219). The
crazy thing by far, is that tests done on meat which have found high levels of Salmonella was
purchased by the USDA and distributed across the nation to our childrens schools. According to
Schlosser, one company known as Supreme Beef Processors had high levels of fecal
contamination in their meat, and their beef was tainted with Salmonella containing as much as

Covalschi 4

47%. Schlosser states, Supreme Beef Processors was one of the nations largest suppliers to the
school meals program, annually providing as much as 45% of its ground beef (220).
The American government today is always in search for easy and cheap meals which can
be served to children in school. For that reason said, the meals funded by the government is
being produced by companies with very low general standards. The food being served in todays
schools have progressed in some areas, but schools which lack funding are hit with the poorest
quality of meals for their children. The government feeds children in public schools with
stomach fillers, but makes sure the meals are even cheaper than a person buying from a fast food
restaurant. This becomes a problem, because children are not being fed healthy meals. As a
result, three main issues arise from the foundation of bad quality meals which are being
distributed to our schools. First and foremost, the quality of food given in school can be harmful.
Also, the rise of overweight children and diabetes have been linked to the poor un-healthy
quality of meals eaten in school. Second of all, meals found today in school have been in directly
associated with the low grades of students. Last but not least, a large portion of people have been
turned away from military recruitment because of serious health conditions imposed since
adolescence (during primary school years specifically).
Undoubtedly, the meals found in todays lunch across a vast majority of schools are
considered unhealthy. According to US Today, McDonald's, Burger King and Costco, for
instance, are far more rigorous in checking for bacteria and dangerous pathogens. They test the
ground beef they buy five to 10 times more often than the USDA tests beef made for schools
during a typical production day. With that being said, the quality of food being given to children
in school are dangerously un-healthy. The main problem is the standards of which the U.S
department of Agriculture follows. This departments standards are out dated and should have

Covalschi 5

been relooked at a long time ago. If even the fast food industry has better food safety inspections
than the USDA, that clearly should ring a bell. There has to be a new law enforcement on
pathogens found in food. Especially food processing plants. One great idea was scientist David
Theno. Theno according to Schlosser states, Slaughterhouses that produced consistently clean
meat would receive a grade A Microbial testing would determine the grades Plants that
earned only a C or a D would have to do better- or stick to making dog food (209). The current
meat processing factories would certainly need to do better in order to have contracts with the
government. The government should never have a contract with a company that should
considerably be making dog food, not children food. The risk of foodborne illness is so high
because of these major meat packing companies, so why should our government make business
with them. Clearly there has been thousands of incidences by now, all linked to lunch given by
schools. I for one, remember the only time I had gotten food poisoning. I can remember it so
clearly, yet I was only in second grade. I had decided to get a burger for lunch, and everything
seemed fine. By the time recess was over, I had ran to the bathroom to puke. Thank goodness for
my best friend, I was lucky see ran to the nurses office to grab the school nurse. I was
automatically sent home, and still remember how dreadful that day was. I was so thirsty, yet
every time I drank water it would come back up. Till this day I am certain I had gotten food
poisoning from that burger, and since that point on I never ate in school.
The meals found in school doesnt always have to been infested with bacterial pathogens
to be considered un-healthy. The general meal eaten by students in school lacks some nutritional
value. Schools with a straining budget, depend on their budget in order to purchase the meals for
students. Some schools can have very low budgets, and have students that are from low income
households. There is a great chance for foodborne illness to be found in their cafeteria food than

Covalschi 6

other schools because the price of a meal is cut even lower. Also where there is poor quality
meals which lack in good nutrition, there will be overweight/ diabetic children. I was lucky to
watch the documentary Food Inc., where I watched a low income family explain the health
complications they have gotten from eating cheap food. All of them were overweight because the
food they ate was full of saturated fats, and empty calories. The father in the family had become
diabetic and his children were also at great risk of becoming diabetic. When people eat food
which lacks proper nutrients, they are more susceptible to have health complications. According
to Schlosser, The rate of obesity among American children is twice as high as it was in the late
1970s (240).
Furthermore, cheap and easy meal plans made by schools have been a risk to a students
academic health. The lack of proper nutrients, and fake horrid quality of food has shown to
decrease a students grades. A student who does not eat the proper food, is less likely to do better
in school. We always hear that a sugary breakfast makes a person crash and burn very shortly
after their hyper point. This is certainly true as well with regular meals that are pure empty
calories. Meats for example that have been so over processed and even mixed with chemicals are
definitely not nutritious in the right matter. Have you ever eaten something which lacked
nutritious qualities? I definitely have experienced this in school. Eating a cheap meal in school
certainly made me feel slow and tired. The low quality food given by schools drench a students
energy and it can actually affect their grades. Eating a heavy burger in school definitely made me
feel unsteady and honestly I became so tired to the point I would lose all focus. Children are the
future, and I believe they should be given the best and healthiest food. The government should
not supply our schools with meals that will destroy our students health. Instead, they need to
properly feed students the way they would feed their own family. The cost for funding proper

Covalschi 7

and healthy meals for children in school might become more expensive if they government acts
upon the issue. If the government will not to fix this problem soon, the cost of ignoring todays
youth with create many more problems. According to the article The Wellness Impact, The
brain is malleable when responding to biological and environmental factors, which proves an
important attribute for learning. Research indicates the quality of foods children eat impacts
cognition with poor nutrition linked with absenteeism, hunger symptoms and psychosocial
problems (5).
Last of all, the affect meals have on a student can ultimately follow them past their
primary years of school. Eating unhealthy food, which lacks the proper nutrition for ones body
can have some damaging effects in the long run. Our military and workforce are prepared by
schools. Therefore schools should be able to distribute the healthiest food in order to promote
health and wellness from a young age. We would have a rapid decrease in chronic diseases and
sorts of problems if we start with the food children are eating. How can soldiers protect our
country if they do not have the strength and stamina for it? Food has become a serious subject for
chronic disease, therefore the government should we aware that poor quality from the start of our
childrens lives will have a horrible end result for the future. According to the article The
Wellness Impact, U.S. military report that obesity has already reduced their pool of potential
recruits for the armed forces (18). All in all, America seems to be getting weaker, and one way
to stop this problem is from its leading source. The quality of food given to students has a long
term effect on our entire country. Our government has to realize the importance of good quality
meats, as well as vegetables and fruits. We can build a stronger country if we pay attention to
what food is being given to our children in school.

Covalschi 8

In conclusion, the quality of food given to our children is of vital importance. The poor
quality of meat being distributed by meatpacking companies and bought by our own government
has become a serious problem. Spread of bacterial foodborne pathogens have been found in the
meat of school lunch meals. Many people may not even be aware of what is being given to our
children, therefore I decided to take a stance on the quality of food being given to our children. It
is definitely wrong to buy the cheapest food out there for the new generation of our country.
With a high rise in chronic diseases, diabetes and overweight children, our country is having
huge health complications. In order to stop this problem, the source is clear. The government has
to realize the importance of food given to students across the nation. Children need healthy and
nutritional meals, not food that should be given to dogs and cats. If our country does not realize
the damage being done, soon everybody in this country will become sick with some kind of
complication. We will become weak, and easy targets for other countries if we cant defend
ourselves. Americas become one of the unhealthiest countries, therefore changing the meals in
our school is one step forward. We can start by not making business with companies who are
known to be unsanitary and unhealthy for consuming food. Afterwards, we will finally take a
step forward into making our country healthy and fit once again.

Covalschi 9

Works Cited
Eisler, Peter, Blake Morrison, and Anthony DeBarros DeBarros. "Education."Fast-food
Standards for Meat Top Those for School Lunches. USA TODAY, a Division of Gannett
Co. Inc., 9 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All- American Meal. New York.
Perennial, 2002. Print
Wellness Impact, the: Enhancing Academic Success through Health School Environments. The
Wellness Impact: (n.d.): n. pag. GENYOUthFoundation, Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.