Walking into a grocery store or market usually creates an overload on the senses. There are lots of people milling about, scanner noises, various scents coming from the ever-popular free samples, and of course you have all your choices. Whatever your heart and tummy desires, you can find and you have the power to pick whatever brand from whatever company you want. Or do you?

Most people know when you buy a Sprite, you’re actually purchasing a product from the Coca-Cola Company. But did you know when you buy a L’Oréal makeup or Purina dog food you’re actually contributing to Nestlé? The company that brought us our favorite powdered chocolate milk mix from our childhood makes dog food as well as a myriad of other products, which raises the question, how well do we really know the companies that produce the food we put on our tables every day?

After watching a documentary by Robert Kenner entitled Food, Inc., I learned a thing or two about exactly where the importance lies in terms of how our food is produced. I’ll tell you right now it isn’t the health of the animals or the people consuming the end product, but instead the almighty dollar.

Let’s take a gander at Tyson for a moment. A popular frozen food brand that is advertised as the remedy to afternoon snack cravings and the simplest solution for families that don’t have time to spend on lengthy dinner preparation. Sounds on level, but that’s only when you look at it on the surface. The truth about Tyson exists in the slaughter houses where the animals are mistreated and contaminated on their way to becoming our dinner.

PETA has done a few different investigations into the slaughter houses that produce chicken for Tyson, which results in using the product for companies like KFC, and it doesn’t matter which case you look at, the findings are all horrible. Not only do workers throw live birds against rails and slice their bodies for a quick death — which PETA caught on film — but they were also caught urinating on the animals as they made their way down conveyer belts. Think about that the next time you’re gnawing on a drumstick.

A lot of people are not a huge fan of the work performed by PETA, thinking it’s too extreme. However, I support what they have set out to do in terms of ending animal cruelty and I believe animal cruelty extends beyond animals that are house pets, but also to the animals from which we get our food. To validate my point for non-PETA supporters, I came across an investigative report written by Christopher Leonard that delves deep into the inner workings of Tyson and where the meat comes from.

Tyson is known for its contracting — individual farms sign a contract with Tyson saying they will produce a product for the company. However, this partnership comes at a cost because agreeing to work with Tyson is agreeing to do every thing by Tyson’s book. The farmers have no say on the feed or the chicken houses or even the chicks themselves. This situation has been equated to serfdom that existed centuries ago but has long since died. Perhaps Tyson should see that particular connection.

Tyson also has complete control over how the farmers raise the chickens and believes the best way is the fastest way. This method helps raise full grown chickens in roughly 50 days as opposed to the natural three months with the use of antibiotics.

Addressing all companies that raise and create our food without thinking about health would constitute a book not a column, but I assure you Tyson is not the only company guilty of putting our food at risk. The question is, what can we as consumers do about it? I suggest organic food as an alternative.

Large corporations are aware of the fact that consumers know chemicals are used to grow their food. And this knowledge can also explain why there has been a shift in organic and inorganic purchases. In 2010, the U.S. made roughly $23 billion from organic food purchases and $35 billion in 2014, according to the USDA.

It used to be that you could only find organic food at health food stores, but now regular supermarkets have a section completely dedicated to the distribution of organic products. I suggest organic products not only because it will send an even clearer message to the large corporations that have let health violations and the abuse of animals hide under the rug, but organic food is simply healthier for us. Organic means the product was grown without the use of pesticides in exchange for a more natural approach, which also means we don’t ingest harmful chemicals, or if you’re eating KFC, human urine.

So the next time you go to your local supermarket, don’t let the myriad of options and labels fool you into thinking everything is made with you in mind because as most things are done in this country, it’s all about the bottom line.