How industrial policy and racial myths shape what you eat
In short: We often view health as a matter of personal willpower. However, your diet is frequently dictated by laws and policies that prioritize corporate profit over public well-being. From the export of unhealthy foods to the historical branding of dairy as a symbol of superiority, food is a site of systemic oppression.
In the United Kingdom, food-related conditions like heart disease, strokes, and cancer are the primary causes of preventable deaths. While the prevailing narrative suggests these outcomes are the result of individual choices, research indicates that law and policy are the true architects of access. Partnerships between governments and the food and agricultural industries often prioritize profit, creating systemic barriers that disproportionately harm marginalized communities and fuel racial disparities in health outcomes. These structural inequalities are rooted in the way the government collaborates with large-scale food producers. Such alliances often place the interests of the agricultural sector above the health of the general public.
This systemic oppression has a global reach, particularly through the export of unhealthy foods from the United States to support its own agricultural industries. Domestically, these policies have historically been used to reinforce racial hierarchies. For example, in the 1920s and 1930s, organizations like the National Dairy Council and the State of New York promoted milk as a marker of intellectual and physical superiority for white people, explicitly linking dairy consumption to the 'development' of the Aryan race. That milk consumers possessed the highest level of stamina globally was asserted by the State of New York's 1933 History of Agriculture. These publications explicitly linked the use of butter and cheese to the rapid development of specific human divisions.
These historical associations persist in modern culture. The 'alt-right' has recently co-opted milk as a symbol of white superiority, using it in social media handles and protests to oppose the 'vegan agenda.' Meanwhile, USDA policies continue to impact people of color, illustrating how the intersection of agricultural policy and racial mythology creates a framework of food oppression that shapes global health and identity. White nationalists have even used milk as a replacement for the Pepe the Frog emoji in their digital identities. This imagery was also featured prominently in the 2017 film Get Out to depict a white supremacist.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Food Oppression
- Also: Food Oppression
- Also: Gresham College — Food Oppression · YouTube (embedded player only)
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