To regard food as a part of foreign policy, it must be understood that it is considered to be “soft power.” Soft power is a concept used to describe the use of persuasion in internal relationships, often through the use of economic or cultural influence (“Oxford Dictionary Definition of Soft …show more content…
First, inflation has taken a major toll; as prices increase, the overall cost of living goes with it, yet wages aren’t inflating as rapidly to correlate with these new costs, so for some, that means an inescapable debt trap, and for others, it means mass starvation. Neither of the two is satisfactory living standards for anyone, and in the attempt to decrease costs, dangerous chemicals have been added to the food in one way or another. Pesticides, preservatives, and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) are relatively new chemicals in the food industry, so long-term effects haven’t quite been established beyond the conclusion that they are, indeed, toxic. HFCS, for example, contains traces of mercury which can be highly toxic when accumulated in the body (Hawthorne, Gucciardi). Other factors regarding food and U.S. foreign policy is the impact of agriculture and the