Do the dangers derived from the use of chemicals in food production and preservation outweigh the advantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Chemical usage in the production and

preservation

of

food

has been a great concern for some individuals. In my opinion, while there are some benefits of

this

, the drawbacks

such

as the effect on the

health

of consumers and the

food

loosing its nutritional value cannot be ignored. Admittedly, one of the major benefits of

food

preservation

is longer shelf life. Which simply implies that the

food

is still consumable after six months to a year.

In addition

, it is

also

cost effective for the producers of the product as they can estimate their budget for the year.

For example

, the manufacturers of baked beans, put the expiring date of six months on their products.

Nevertheless

, one of the major drawbacks of chemical

preservation

in

food

is, it is harmful to the

health

of the consumers. Most of the chemicals used in preserving

food

for a long while have been noted to be harmful to the

health

of the consumers. Some of these chemicals have been associated with causing deadly diseases

such

as liver failure and cancer that has killed a lot of individuals.

For instance

, a research by Boston university showed that 50% of the

food

that is

consumed in the United States are chemically grown and has resulted in deteriorating

health

of her citizens.

In addition

, chemically laden

food

is observed to have lost its original nutritional value as compared to the freshly grown produce. To conclude, while a longer shelf life of a product is one of the benefits of

food

preservation

, the demerits

such

as the

health

of the consumers and the nutritional value of fresh produce cannot be overemphasized.