Cheyenne Buckingham & Mike Giorgi

Final Paper
NUTR 1100
The Lack of Diversity in Food Products
When walking down the aisles of big chain supermarkets such as, Wal-Mart, Kroger,
Giant Eagle, etc., you notice that thousands of different food products fill the shelves. Take
the breakfast aisle for example where hundreds of cereal boxes are aligned one-by-one. As
you make your way down the aisle, your eyes scan across the various brands and you
mindlessly absorb all of the images, taglines, and nutritional facts that each one promotes.
They all say seem to brand themselves so differently, due to the variety of flavors, textures
and shapes that each piece of cereal has, and you feel overwhelmed with the wide variety
that lies before you. Little do you know, however, the immense selections offered have
much more in common than you are led to believe. There is a lack of diversity in food
selections throughout the shelves in a large supermarket, because corn and soybeans make
up the base of nearly every single processed and/or boxed product that is offered.
Diversity within our food supply is truly limited because most products consist of
ingredients that are derived from corn and soybeans such as, soybean oil and cornstarch.
According to Oran B. Hesterman, author of Fair Food (2011), In 2008, more than 50
percent of all harvested cropland grew only two crops, corn and soybeans (p.77). To think
that out of all of the acres of farmland in the United States, half of them are purely devoted
to harvesting just corn and soybeans is just sickening. Hesterman believes that having a
more diverse system in nature is not only more resilient, but it also generates a more
sustainable future, and I could not agree more with this statement. Not only does limiting

the variety of crops harvested hinder the diversity of our food supply, it also severs the
array of microorganisms in the soil, which in part, can affect the quality of our earths soil
(Hesterman, 2011, p. 78).
As mentioned above, products that are made primarily from corn and soybean
components are processed and most have been genetically modified, as well. Dr. Mercola of
Mercola.com has found that more than 90 percent of soybeans are genetically engineered
(2014). And because soy is the second largest food crop grown in the United States, it is
hard to avoid consumption of it. In his article, Mercola found Soybean oil accounts for
more than 60 percent of all the vegetable oil consumed in the US. Our meat supply even
contains soy product. Conventionally raised livestock ingest genetically engineered soy
because that is what comprises most of their feed (Mercola, 2014). This shows that our
livestocks food supply also lacks in diversity, which in a sense, creates a domino effect
because we then consume the meat that has that singular crop in its system.
We can avoid corn and soybean consumption altogether by shifting our diets, and
most importantly, our buying habits. Consuming a diet high in fish and green plants can not
only decrease our reliance on corn and soybeans, but also improve our overall health.
While it may be a drastic shift for many people, it can be done by very minimal research
and awareness.
Fish has been a staple in the human diet for many centuries, due its availability,
taste and positive health benefits. Not only can fish be prepared the same way as meat, but
it also contains Omega-3 fatty acids. From a population based study of Norwegian women
published in 2014, lean fish consumption of 75-100 g/d had a beneficial effect on T2DM
(Rylander, Sandanger, Engeset and Lund p. 1). From the study, g/d represents the unit

gram per one day. T2DM is an abbreviation for type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and it is a very
threatening global disease. The authors described T2DM as closely linked to overweight
and obesity (p. 1). The study had positive results, as the risk of T2DM was reduced by
around 30 percent (p. 7).
In addition to the positive health benefits of consuming fish, commercial fish are fed
with fishmeal. Fishmeal is primarily cooked and dried fish from harvesting stocks (What
are Marine Ingredients? p. 1). From the IFFO website, these type of fish do not involve any
sort of human demand (p. 1). This further proves that the consumption of fish is a great
alternative to corn and soybean based foods.
We can find diversity in our foods by simply using our eyes to browse for
alternatives. Green plants, like spinach for example, are delicious foods that can decrease
our reliance on corn and soybean crops. It is a great way to avoid the boxed food lifestyle
and liven up our dishes. This can only be accomplished by making a conscious decision to
avoid processed foods and purchase healthy alternatives.
In conclusion, the United States consumes only a few crops, most prominently corn
and soybeans, in their daily diets. This lack of diversity in our food supply has become
apparent over the years as a result from the rise of industrial farming. Unfortunately, most
Americans are ignorant of how harmful these processed products are to their bodies when
consumed over long periods of time. Luckily, a select few food options that are both
nutritious and unprocessed have remained as staples over the years, fish being one of those
top staples. We see that with a lack of crop diversity, our health is not the only thing that
suffers but the quality of the soil diminishes, as well. It is our job to fight for the production
of a wider variety of fresh produce in order to ensure our health and the environments.

Works Cited
Hesterman, O. (2011). Fair Food: Growing a Healthy Sustainable Food System for All. New
York, NY: PublicAffairs.
Mercola, J. (2014, May 6). GMO Update- Vermont Passes GMO Labeling Bill and Stands Up to
Industry Bullying as New Research Confirms Safety of Concerns. Retrieved from
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/06/vermont-gmo-labelingbill.aspx
Rylander, Charlotta, et al. "Consumption Of Lean Fish Reduces The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus: A Prospective Population Based Cohort Study Of Norwegian Women." Plos
ONE 9.2 (2014): 1-10. Food Science Source. Web. 25 June 2014.
"What Are Marine Ingredients?" Welcome to IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organisation.
Web. 24 June 2014. http://www.iffo.net/what-are-marine-ingredients