The 'Terrible 10': The Worst Aspects Of America's Food Scene

The first annual Food Day is October 24; it aims to bring Americans from all walks of life together to "push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way," according to the Food Day website. In anticipation of the day, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has released its "Terrible Ten," a list of the 10 worst aspects of American's food scene. Although the list is not necessarily a cohesive one -- there's no obvious connection between lobbyists and vending machines -- it does highlight some of the biggest threats to a healthy food system.

Check out the "Terrible Ten" slideshow below.

RATE IT!   |  

VOTE

Not so bad

Terrible

CURRENT TOP 5 PICK YOUR OWN TOP 5

USERS WHO VOTED

NEW! CREATE YOUR OWN SLIDESHOW

Comments

[DingoBuzzy]

01:34 AM on 10/26/2011

I think a lot of these problems could be alleviated by increasing our national focus on local food sources. If we didn't have to ship food cross-country, we wouldn't have to load it with so much salt and sugar and preservatives.

Obviously that won't work for all issues, but the reality is that we mass-produce food for consumption literally months after it would normally remain good.

[Sanity Always Prevails]

05:37 AM on 10/21/2011

You will take my salt shaker when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers, which will NOT be cold and dead because of sodium chloride: I've spread salt liberally on everything for over thirty years and have spot-on blood pressure.

[NHBill]

04:54 PM on 10/25/2011

yeah and you live next to the guy that smokes 3 packs a day since he was 15.

[jbad]

09:32 PM on 10/20/2011

Yes, everything is a personal choice. Oatmeal vs pizza, fresh ground organic beef vs hot dog (Chicago-style), good vs evil.... who wants to choose. All you can do is try to squeeze in some good choices. It takes time to eat right, to make things from scratch when you rather go out for a few drinks w the guys or go exercise or whatever. But when a corp. goes out of its way to hide the truth which could have long term harm to the user such as high fructose corn syrup causes your insulin to rise or that tar/nicotine is added to cigarettes, the treatment/feeding of cows/chick/pigs/fish can be harmful to humans (Food, Inc.).

[Ossit]

03:10 PM on 10/19/2011

“My mother is currently without insurance as well. And I grew up poor and spent pretty much my entire childhood without insurance. I'm not blaming the uninsured- I am stating how the medical industry is blaming the uninsured- and passing the cost to those who do have insurance. Its a basic fact.

It's not fact it's propaganda. Everyone needs a scapegoat.

The numbers show that the majority of the uninsured only go to the doctor when there is an emergency- and they go to the emergency room.

Of course they go to the ER. They can't afford a private doctor. And we poor go when we need to, not for every little sniffle. If you think going to the ER is pleasant, it's not fun, gemini68.

Those costs of treating through emergency care are passed on to the insured.

Bull! That's a great rationalization because people CAN pass it on. Hospitals don't appreciate it when we do pay. We just take a little longer.

I have insurance through my job and what I pay has gone up three times in five years. I work in the industry but I am a strong supporter of universal health care (I keep this to myself while at work!). I am a supported of it BECAUSE of my experience my Mom's experience and what I see done everyday within the industry.”

Well I won't be forced because people choose to pass it on because it's easier. Again we're blamed.

[Stephanie White]

12:16 PM on 10/19/2011

Seems like a lot of you assume anyone who would choose to eat these things occasionally actually do it all the time... which is wrong. You're not going to die from eating a 3 Musketeers once every two weeks unless you're allergic to chocolate. Most people don't choose to eat nothing but junk food and keep decent diets the majority of the time. Granted, there are some people who do but how few and far between are they? I'm pretty sure they know the "dangers" of the foods they are eating even when they consistently choose them, so who is this supposed to help exactly?

[Ossit]

03:15 PM on 10/19/2011

I don't care how much or what someone eats because it doesn't affect me personally. If people need nannies to tell them what to put in their mouths, Stephanie, then there's a serious problem. The "dangers" of certain foods are the paranoic "dangers" other people set. Today beef is dangerous, tomorrow it's fine. Oh drink wine it'll protect your heart while it screws up your liver. Transfats are evil. I bet transfats have been in our food for years and no one cared until others forced labelers to put it in. When people start paying for other peoples' food, then they can nanny. There's more cost of eating disorders than someone who eats junk food 24/7.

[bubs623]

11:30 AM on 10/19/2011

Seriously?! Coke is the elixir of the gods and chocolate is a close second. Get over it. I am not obese,(in fact, I am thin), I am healthy, I'm in my 40's and I eat sugar, carbs, lots of white bread, loads of meat and drink at least 4 sodas a day - and not the diet ones. This is all about personal choices. You eat what you want and be happy but leave others alone.

[Ossit]

03:16 PM on 10/19/2011

Amen, bubs623! I raise my flour and water bread pattie to you!

[tbeth1957]

11:27 AM on 10/26/2011

Oh, to have your genes!

[Wojo Walter John Deptuch]

06:00 AM on 10/19/2011

My problem with this article is that when they show you the list of foods they do not give you an alternative. If people are shown a good alternative or two most of the time they will take it after knowing it now. (for ex. instead of drinking side having a mix of orange juice and seltzer to make your own drink that would cut down on calorie intake)

[sentimentiques]

06:31 AM on 10/26/2011

Bingo! For us, it's cranberry/raspberry with seltzer. Low sodium and all natural as much as possible in food. But, we are allowed to indulge in cookies & cakes. I have to have my chocolate fix two or three times a week. Everything in moderation. If we all have to toe the line in politically correct diet 24/7, what is the sense? You've got to allow people to have some fun eating.

[onebluebrick]

09:29 PM on 10/18/2011

Oh, write that sentence again.

[visconti24]

08:08 PM on 10/18/2011

These stories are fun to read. But are not forced to eat this junk. My 14 year old son will go hungry (well, almost...) before he will succumb to a McDonalds. I have a bread machine and make bread with wholewheat flour and I make pasta twice a week at least with semolina. Ok, yes, I do have a privileged life. And I haven't eaten meat, chicken or pork in 22 years. I do eat fish
But I remember well how limited were the food choices in the early 70s. Now there is ample variety of foods available (at least in California) and even chain super markets have lots to choose from. American food, quality and variety, has improved tremendously in the last few years. Even the drinks; wine and beer from all over the world. It is quite wonderful, really. And the coffee, which used to be dreadful, now can be found in incredible variety, made or in bean form. So, one is not forced to go to McDonalds.

[plantbasedpunk]

06:50 PM on 10/18/2011

The white flour (and refined grains!) really need to be addressed. It's time for america to get on the whole grain train!

[Ossit]

03:19 PM on 10/19/2011

And in a few years, plantbasedpunk, someone would find something wrong with whole grain stuff just like everything else depending on the latest, new 'expert'.

[pancyan]

09:42 AM on 10/18/2011

The author missed the item in the American diet that in toxicity runs a close second to sugar and refined carbohydrates; polyunsaturated, high omega-6 vegetable oils. These oils did not exist in the human diet until the 1900's when the high pressure machinery was invented to extract them. These oils, and their evil hydrogenated twins and not saturated fats are the real culprits. Polyunsaturated oils have been shown to be inflammatory,carcinogenic, and immunosupressive. Try and find a processed food that does not contain soybean or partially hydrogenated soybean oil!!

[pancyan]

09:34 AM on 10/18/2011

The SCIENCE does not support the position that normal intakes of salt are harmful in the human diet. It is an urban legend. Clinical trials show that added salt reduction in the diet will only result in an aprox drop of 5mm in hypertensives and aprox 2mm in non hypertensives.

[jnjackman]

04:59 PM on 10/24/2011

Sounds right......eggs have shown this same volitility, in its bad....no its good....no its bad again......

[HerrMonk]

03:35 PM on 10/17/2011

The "powerful lobbying groups" matched with the picture makes it sound like it's just a bunch of corporate suits causing the problem.

The real problem is all food-interests lobbying for food policy and subsidies in Washington. Not just the Monsantos of the world, but everyone who put their $.02 to get the food pyramid made, and now that silly plate thing.

We've seen time and time again that nutrition advice and government money mix very poorly.

[JenniferWest]

02:55 PM on 10/17/2011

I won't eat anywhere with the word Corral in its name!

[raker]

01:44 PM on 10/17/2011

I can't imagine eating those junky convenience foods with names like Lunchables. Unconscionables is more like it.

[sonyfan13]

11:14 AM on 10/19/2011

It's only unconscionable if they force you to eat it, which they don't.

We still have a choice to have it or refuse it, so what's the problem, exactly?

The fact that bad choices are available is not a problem because the solution is simple enough: learn about your choices and don't make the bad ones.

[Ossit]

03:21 PM on 10/19/2011

Lunchables are good. Don't knock what you never had.