Food science journal 2

Unit 2 Journal Question 1 Before reading the two opposing viewpoints, I was more apt to agree with the title of Robert Paarlberg’s article, “Food Is Safer than It Has Ever Been.” I was more inclined to agree with this title because I believed America was constantly improving the quality and safety of its food products. With technology ever advancing, I thought that responsible agencies, as well as food producers, have robust systems in place to ensure the safety of food products. However, after reading the articles, my opinion has changed. Although Ken Foskett’s article focuses mainly on the Peanut Corporation Scandal, he managed to convince me that America’s food system is substandard. Foskett's claim that FDA inspectors visit food processors about once in 10 years convinced me that our food system is not as safe as I had perceived before. Question 2 Paarlberg’s strongest argument is that surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown decades of steady increase in safety. This argument is strong in the sense that it is supported by CDC. Nonetheless, the author could have provided statistical results of the survey to help convince the reader further that safety had actually been increasing. I think Paarlberg's weakest argument is the comparison of deaths from food-borne illness to deaths from smoking and obe...