Rotten to the Core: We need to be more mindful of what goes on behind the foods that are trending

Every month there’s a new food trend that I somehow end up spending all of my summer lifeguarding money on. First Watch’s avocado toast is my go-to and I’m guilty of spending $15 on an acai bowl that I could easily make at home with ingredients in my fridge. We eat whatever is trendy — but we need to be aware of what is going on behind the scenes of the latest “healthy” food phenomenons.

Thousands of items in the United States can be traced back to some sort of crime and corruption, whether it’s organic honey or a 100% chocolate bar from Whole Foods. Production of honey is causing bees to go extinct and bottled water is hurting the environment and creating water shortages in the nations where they are being packaged. One third of citizens in Fiji lack access to clean water while corporations ship out millions of bottles a year. 

This makes it even more important that we try to stay updated and educated about where our food comes from and how it is produced. Even though you may think your Evian water tastes better than a glass from your fridge, you need to factor in that it costs 10,000 times more to produce bottled water and burns massive amounts of fossil fuels. 

One of America’s biggest craze foods is one of the most corrupt industries in Mexico — avocados. Cartels go after avocado farmers in Mexico, kidnapping them and forcing them to pay ransoms to be freed in order to take some of their profits. If farmers refuse to pay, their farms are burned to the ground. Meanwhile we’re picking up a four pack of guac before our “Bachelor” watch party, not giving it any thought. Educate yourself on where your food is coming from so you don’t blindly support problematic industries. Always check for fair-trade labels on your food and keep up with where they’re being produced. 

While we’re picking up a bag of kale at Hen House or ordering a quinoa bowl at T. Loft, it’s easy to not think twice about what’s happening behind the scenes. People assume when they’re buying “organic” foods that they are helping the environment, not hurting it. But in reality, the food industry is filled corruption. Cocoa farmers live in extreme poverty and harvesting sugar causes irreversible issues in ecosystems. 

In the wake of wildfires and every other Tik Tok mentioning World War 3, it seems impossible to keep up with something as seemingly minuscule as what’s behind the food we’re eating. But with every superfood, there are people buying into trends without realizing the morally wrong processes that are occurring. 

It’s unrealistic to avoid every item that was produced in questionable circumstances, especially when we’re not the ones dealing with the consequences. But there’s a difference between not being able to avoid something and throwing it into every meal that you can. 

And this shouldn’t just be the job of the consumer. Companies need to let people know where their goods are coming from, and stop hiding information. The “Avocados from Mexico” jingle doesn’t exactly include the hundreds of kidnappings that are a result of their production. Even if it doesn’t stop people from buying the foods, the consequences coming from food production will no longer be pushed away from the spotlight. 

One of the best ways to combat food industry corruption is to be educated on it from knowledgeable sources. A Netflix documentary, “Rotten,” showcases the corruptions in the food supplying industry. Prior to watching it, my knowledge of the food only went about as far as the label on the bag from Trader Joe’s. 

I watched laborers being forced to work in poor conditions that often ended in consequences like kidnappings, meat shortages and droughts

And I had never heard of any of it. 

When foods become a trend, no one thinks to stop and run a background check, myself included. But since this documentary, I’ve been educating myself on what I’m putting in my grocery cart. Paying more for locally grown fruits is a small price to pay to not support the produce causing uproars in Mexico.

Companies aren’t transparent about their goods and the processes behind them, and we are too busy hopping on trends to care. So next time you stop by the Mixx for a Thai salmon salad, think about where the ingredients are coming from — and maybe consider buying local products.