FOOD VIGILANTE

Ok, I have realized the wisdom in the old adage “careful what you wish for”.

I have had many a conversation about the pitfalls of the big box stores, particularly everyone’s favorite small business crusher, Wal-Mart. This behemoth of roll back prices has stores seemingly everywhere, employing many small business owners whose livelihoods have been stolen away by a happy yellow smiley face and ridiculous buying power.

With this said, I have also pined that if Wal-Mart would just commit to only selling organic produce and meats that the farmers world wide would step in line and stop using all the chemicals and unhealthy growing practices with the promise of selling to the number one retailer on the planet. Wouldn’t that be great? Well, at a first glance it seems to benefit everyone. Then images come to mind of a futuristic thriller movie where one giant corporation controls the entire world. Ugh, not even Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Jet Li combined could save us. Maybe Chuck Norris. (Insert your own Chuck Norris joke here)

Well, lo and behold, I open the paper a couple of weeks ago and chills crawl over my body as I read this headline…

“WAL-MART TO BUY FOOD FROM LOCAL FARMS GLOBALLY”

This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on October 15, 2010 and was written by Ylan Q. Mui from the Washington Post. It starts out explaining that the industry of the small farmers is “riddled with inefficiency and waste”. Right off the bat Walmart tries to put the small farmers on the defensive and then goes on to explain how they can step in and improve the current farming practices and “begin holding farms accountable for the amount of water, energy, fertilizer and pesticides used to grow food”. Wal-Mart Chief Executive, Mike Duke,  jumps in the conversation and drops some big buzz words. He says “Our size and scale have been big tools for change” and “there is an opportunity to lead in this area of sustainable agriculture”. I’d bet he uses phrases all the time like “It is what it is” or “that’s the bottom line” or my least favorite, “at the end of the day”. Come on Mr. Duke, “change”, “opportunity”, “sustainable”?!  The article goes on to explain Wal-Mart’s commitment to the environment all they’re doing to use less fuel, reduce packaging and recycle plastic water bottles into dog beds. That’s all well and good, but in the process small town America is losing it’s ass to buying power and cheap overseas manufacturing. No, Wal-Mart isn’t the direct cause of the massive decline of manufacturing in the US, but they certainly love capitalizing on it.

Back to the food, this gets scarier. Wal-Mart is working closely with and has the support of the National Resources Defense Council, the Enviromental Defense Fund and the World Wildlife Fund! AHHH! No more jokes, somebody call Chuck Norris!

The retailer plans to boost sales of local produce, help large farms expand their operations closer to Wal-Mart supply centers, buy more from female-owned farms, reduce the distance food must travel and lower energy use and costs. Phew. Sounds very altruistic and good for the planet. But, are we ready to see quaint, hand built farm gates replaced with steel frame and stucco, sporting a neon sign? “FriendlyWal-Mart Farms”.

The new potential world farmer also plans to train 1 million workers world wide in sustainable-farming practices, (there’s those catch phrases again) expecting to raise their income by 10 percent to 15 percent. So, an international farmer could stand to get a raise from 5$ a day all the way up to $5.75 a day. Wow, then they could afford to shop at Target.

I implore all of you to buy directly from your local farmers. Search your area for farm fresh eggs, meats and produce. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and bond with others to help local farmers and help yourselves to wonderful, fresh, local products.

Be careful what you wish for,

FV

I am completely plastragamized!

It was brought to my attention that my youngest son had to be taken for a doctor’s visit. This is an all too often occurrence. I have three boys ages 12, 8 and 5; they all seem to be at the doctor’s office more than the doctor. This is evident by being seen by Nurse Practitioners or Physician’s Assistants at times and everybody in the office knowing my kid’s names.

My children are not always sick and I am in no way, shape or form looking for someone to blame. The boys’ Mom is quick to call the Doc at the rise of a degree in temperature. She is no anomaly in today’s world. The problem is much deeper, broader and more serious than anyone can imagine. All of America is so quick to medicate, alleviate and predicate what the body is actaully capable of doing on it’s own; healing.

Look, I know the pain of holding your child and knowing that he is in pain. I have felt like I would rather be tourtured for a year than have one of my sons feel another minute of ache. I get it. But we are SO quick to reach for an antibiotic or OTC meds rather than letting the body learn how to heal. We don’t give our kids the answers to math problems every time they need to learn, why do we give their bodies easy-outs and never a chance to learn how to fight a cold or flu or infection. Comfort is one thing: a blanket, ice chips, cool towel or hot water bottle. Hell, I remember ice cube baths when I was a kid and had a fever.

I know all illness can’t be ignored and that antibiotics have had a very important role in the health of humans. But when my five year old son is sitting on an exam table and the Doctor walks in and he says, (and I quote) “Hi, I have had a cough for about two days, my throat is a little bit sore and my ear, this one, (he points) had some stuff come out of it, momma put drops in it and I am allergy to penncillan”

I sat dumfounded. We struggle everyday with counting, the alphabet and shapes, but he knows all this?

I don’t think he would know what I meant though, if I mentioned the produce department or a fruit stand. Parents spend a lot of time and effort obtaining vitamins, minerals and remedies at the Doctor’s office instead of at the grocery store.

We are failing. Generation X is going to raise Generation Sick.

If you are putting processed foods in your children’s mouths, you are failing. If you are letting your children consume foods laden with added sugars, you are failing. If you are comfortable with what our schools are feeding our kids at lunch time, you are failing. If your kid doesn’t know how to peel an orange or recognize green vegetables or identify chicken when it is not shaped square and obtained at a drive-thru, you are failing.

The world has changed drastically since the 70′s. Corporations have gotten involved and our food supply is driven by profit, convenience and mass production. If Nature intended for us to live this way, a tomato would only take ten minutes to grow. We are trying to fool Nature and we are failing.

I call on all of you to take action. I call on myself to take action. Examine what is in your home. Read about the ingredients. The information out there on HFCS, hydrogenated oils, sugar in all forms (dextrose, maltodextrin, glucose, sucralose, HFCS, sorn syrup, the list goes on), and preservatives is not crazy conspiracy propaganda! You can follow the dollar from the food corporations right to the medical system where that same dollar muffles an awful lot of cries about the detriment that the ignorance of greed is doing to our health.

It’s time to wise up,

FV