If Americans took a step back and looked at their food system they may learn somethings they would have ever imagined went into producing the food they eat everyday. From people dying from food contaminated with E. coli and salmonella. To genetically altered foods being sold to the consumer without their notice, farmers being run out of business by large companies, and the mistreatment of animals, which most people just turn their eyes away from.
"These companies fight, tooth and nail, against labeling. The fast food industry fought against giving you the calorie information. They fought against telling you if there is trans-fat in your food. The meat packing idustry for years prevented country-of-origin labeling. They fought not to label genetically modified foods; and now 70% of processed food in the supermarket has some genetically modified ingredient." Eric Schlosser
These companies like Tyson and Monsanto who control almost all of the products they sell, have more power in our government than anyone can imagine. Tyson which is the largest producer of meat in the nation and Monsanto who controls almost 90% of soy bean and corn production put their people into our government in high racking postions so they can manipulate laws that are passed. Swaying the laws towards themselves and the "regulations" that are suppost to control them.
Farmers that are producing the chicken for companies like Tyson dont even have control over their own farms. They must adhere to the guidelines the company sets for their farm. Than pay that same company to update their farm. So the company can and does set astronomically high prices for the updates, which if farmers dont do they lose their contract. These large companies like Tyson have small farmers up against a wall that and they know that farmers have to back down. Farmers just dont have a choice. The animals on these farmers are mistreated as well. Yes, many of the farmers try to make a better living for their animals but the amount of animals they are being forced to produce, forces them to hurt the very animals that give them an income.
"I'm always struck by how successful we have been at hitting the bull's-eye of the wrong target. I mean we have learned- for example, in cattle we have learned how to plant, fertilize and harvest corn using global positioning satellite technology, and nobody sits back and asks, "But should we be feeding cows corn?" We've become a culture of technicians. We're all into the how of it and nobody's stepping back and saying "But why?" Joel Salatin
Another issue that is is facing us is our unquestioning blind following of our current food system. We dont ask what and how our food is being produced. Its as if, if we dont look we think it might go away. The sick animals, our food being grown with commercial fertilizers and the genetically altered food going onto our store shelves. The only way change can occur is if we stand up for our food. If we say no to genetically altered produce and no to eating meat rised industrial parks.
Joel Salatin the owner of Polyface Farm is an excellent example of how an ideal farm should be run. Even though their food isnt labeled organic they are clearly a environmentally stable farm. Which emphasizes the quality of life for their animals. If more people buy from Polyface they our food system could change!
"There are no seasons in the American supermarket. Now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas. Although it looks like a tomato, it's kind of a notional tomato. I mean, it's the idea of a tomato." Michael Pollan
No comments:
Post a Comment