Pro (food) Choice

 

Before I went to Charleston for Common Ground, I will admit that I considered organic or non-conventional farmers to be my enemy.

But I realized, while I was there, that we are not enemies.  We are on the same team.  A farmer is a farmer…and having both types is important so that we can offer the world choices in their food.

Neither type of farm is better or worse, but they offer consumers different options when purchasing food.

I want to have those choices available.  Personally, I want to be able to purchase food that is less expensive, but still healthy and safe.  And I want to be able to raise that food for others who want to make that choice.

But when people attack modern farming, those opportunities are put into jeopardy.  When policies are made based on consumer opinion, instead of science, that less expensive alternative is put at risk.

For example, many grocery stores have decided to quit selling meat containing “lean finely textured beef.”  And in this article, it says more than once that Safeway believes the meat to be safe, but has decided to quit selling it due to customer demand. 

Again, like the McDonalds gestation crates issue, a policy related to food production has been decided by consumers, instead of by experts.  And because of that, food production costs will rise, and your food prices will rise.

For many of us, rising food prices aren’t THAT big of a deal.  Yeah, it kind of sucks, but we won’t go hungry.  But there ARE people who WILL go hungry.  As Jen Hatmaker said in 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess:

The working poor are one missed shift from homelessness, one lost paycheck from hunger, one overdue bill from repossession.  However, they learn to camouflage nicely into society.  They laugh at the right jokes and deflect questions with sarcasm or silence.  The children are ashamed to admit they haven’t eaten all weekend or can’t afford to play soccer, so you’d never know.  In many ways they are invisible.

 

People, those are AMERICANS that she is talking about.  Those are your neighbors…your kids’ classmates…the guy down the road who lost his job with the latest factory closing. 

I support food choice and you are free to choose whatever you want for your family.  But keep in mind that as soon as you start attacking modern farming, or supporting policies or regulations that are based on myths, misconceptions, or misrepresentations, you put food security at risk. 

I will be writing to my local grocery store, encouraging them to continue offering the safe, sustainable, less expensive lean finely textured beef, and I would love if you would do the same.

You can also use this button (just copy the html below the picture and paste it to your blog) to show people that you also support food choice.

 

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We're all in this together! #HighSchoolMusical #farming #organic #CGconvo

— Katie Olthoff (@katieolthoff) February 2, 2012