Salmonella outbreak linked to ground turkey. Again our industrial food paradigm has betrayed the trust of consumers. I guess I officially join the ranks of bloggers advocating against the industrial machine and the conditions mandated by a quantity over quality framework. I won’t say it is impossible to safely handle such enormous amounts of food without dangerous amounts of contamination. I will say it is increasingly unlikely that your food was handled safely before it arrived at the supermarket.
Even in a thoroughly mechanized industry people still ensure product safety and quality. Increasingly those people are paid less and less to care. And in this market everyone is easily replaced. And when your job is to tell the company that they aren’t doing theirs you might not if your job is at risk – whether any risk actually exists or is merely perceived.
Now this isn’t about labor versus management. That’s big concept stuff. I’m talking about something simple. Here is my two-pronged offensive on food safety.
Buy local. Is it expensive? You bet. But, no doubt you’ve heard by now, the US spends less per capita on food than any other developed nation. People get excited about blowing 60 bucks at the movie theater for two hours of entertainment and some stale popcorn. But heaven forbid that money be spent buying locally farmed and processed turkey burger.
Buying local meat and produce means that the food you're eating spend hours or maybe a day out of the field before you see it at the market. This is a far cry from food that is transported further than many of us will travel in our lifetimes. Lettuce and spinach and meat from some of the poorest countries in the world, imported to one of the wealthiest because it saves the corporation money. Money, not quality, is all they care about.
But if you buy locally the farmer has a vested interest in selling you the freshest, safest, tastiest food he or she can grow.
Buying local empowers the local economy. That in turn increases the producer’s capacity and lowers their overall cost. I assure you that a local family is more likely to pass on that savings than some giant mega-industrial poultry machine. In return you eat better and protect yourself and your family.
And really, isn't that worth the price of admission?
No comments:
Post a Comment