The Big Cheese

My favorite snack of all time is Cheez-Its! I could eat those everyday for break lunch and dinner if it were healthy enough to do so. But because it doesn’t give me all the nutrition that I need I try to only eat them for snacks! I used to buy the individually wrapped quick packs, but since I started going to school and work with them, I just buy the big box and separate them myself.
They are made by the Kellogg’s company and the headquarters is in Battle Creek, Michigan, also known as “cereal city.” According to Google Maps, it is approximately 1,265 miles from Battle Creek to Port Charlotte, where I usually shop for my food.

The Ingredients are: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, SKIM MILK CHEESE (SKIM MILK, WHEY PROTEIN, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO EXTRACT FOR COLOR), SALT, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF PAPRIKA, YEAST, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN FOR COLOR, SOY LECITHIN.

I have a feeling after reading the ingredients that most of them are genetically altered in one way or another. I couldn’t find where my ingredients where grown at either. I can assume since Kelloggs is such a big company they grow it, or pay it to be grown close. I believe that because Kelloggs is such a big company, they keep a lot of secrets and stuff like this kept secret so they can stay popular. I think that is why I am having such a hard time finding information about my snack.

I couldn’t find information about how many fossil fuels are involved in creating my favorite snack, but I did find out some information about their new building and how it is a “green” building. David McKay, Kellogg’s CEO and President, said, “"The WKKI expansion also demonstrates Kellogg Company’s continued commitment to support environmental sustainability. The expansion we are dedicating today is by being certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Environmental sustainability is increasingly driving more of our customers’ and consumers’ decisions.”
According to Kellogg’s Company, they “are committed to optimizing our processes and designs to reduce overall packaging and maximize the use of recycled content and recyclable materials.” They have also created a list related to principles of packaging which are helping them track the impacts their designs have on the environment. They state, “in both our manufacturing operations and in the transportation of our finished goods to market – represents our most significant environmental impact. Our energy use contributes to resource depletion and the emission of greenhouse gases, which are contributing to the pressing issue of anthropogenic climate change.” They also mention that they are reducing the use of energy. I have included two charts that I found directly on the Kellogg’s website.

I think that it is nice to hear a company say that they are worried about the environment, but I wonder how much of it we can believe. I believe my current thinking is coming from the video I watched earlier in the semester, Food,Inc. Since that movie I have definitely been reading my labels and thinking about all the elements that are involved in making my food. Now I eat free range, cage free, no steroids added organic chicken and I buy other organic products. I do wonder however, if the organic companies are anything like the USDA and the FDA and if my food is really organic or if they are just labeling it that way. http://www.kelloggcompany.com/corporateresponsibility.aspx?id=1516http://www.kelloggcompany.com/corporateresponsibility.aspx?id=1532