Part of the problem may go back further up the ‘food’ chain—to the growth of produce.
Many future food products (meat, vegetable and fruit) are treated with fast-growth hormones and chemicals. This helps get them to the market sooner.
Those fast-growth treatments may not be removed during the processing and cooking; thus, they transfer during consumption. Once consumed, they tell their new host to ‘grow’.
Cheap food + cheap labor = more taxable income for the goobermint.
No, they do not. - But a popular myth. Study your biochem.