1. Walsh, Bryan. "Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food." Time 31 Aug. 2009: 30-37. Time. Time, 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1917726-1,00.html.
This article was a cover story in Time Magazine that aimed at revealing the high costs of producing large amounts of meat at low prices. Walsh explains that the meat industry has improved since the time of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, yet it is beginning to take a turn for the worse. The animals are caged in close quarters in their own waste and injected with antibiotics that present many human health concerns. He mentions how industrialized CAFO's (concentrated-animal feeding operations) allow for lower meat prices, but they also contribute to air and water pollution from animal waste. The article focuses on the negative consequences from the increasing efficiency and speed of the meat industry; however, Walsh offers a few solutions, such as replacing the large scale industries with more small scale, sustainable production methods. Walsh compliments documentaries such as Food, Inc. and journalists Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan for their attempts at revealing the truth behind today's meat industry, just as Upton Sinclair did in 1906.
2. "Michael Pollan." Interview. PBS. PBS, Apr. 2002. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/interviews/pollan.html.
Frontline's Modern Meat interviewed investigative journalist Michael Pollan on his experience of buying a cow and tracking it's journey through the beef industry. In the interview, Michael Pollan discusses how the new cattle system is all about reducing the time it takes for a cow to grow by changing their diet to grain and corn rather than grass and injecting them with antibiotics. He claims that "In capitalism, time is money." The cow's rumen, usually not an acidic environment, becomes more acidic when the cow is fed grain, allowing for certain microbes such as E. coli to become tolerant of acidic pH levels. The pathogens spread from manure to the meat and into our stomachs; however, the acids in our digestive organs would not be able to kill of the pathogens because they have adapted to an acidic environment. Michael Pollan states that although the beef industry has made some improvements, the system is fragile because contaminated meat is still getting through.
Great summaries. Both of these articles seem to show (argue?) the same thing, which is good that you already have them grouped. The second source seems more detailed, whereas the first one situates the Meat industry in relation to Sinclair. Since you plan on using Sinclair, this article could be used along with that. These are connections you might want to point out
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