Love are far from it when it

Love this quote:” A true free market assumes equal access to information. We are far from it when it comes to our food.

” — Michele SimonLove this quote:” A true free market assumes equal access to information. We are far from it when it comes to our food.” — Michele SimonMost of us have a narrow view of our food system.  We rarely stop and question what’s on our plate and where it came from.  When was the last time you wondered ‘” when was this tomato harvested”?  This is the result of a purposefully opaque food system.

As things stand, we consumers cannot make informed decisions regarding the food we eat.  Major food manufactures- Monsanto, Nestle, Tyson- will fight against food supply transparency because they know that consumers will not purchase their products if they know they are factory-produced, chemically ripened, dyed, etc. But consumers WANT authentic transparency and are starting to demand it. Awareness is growing about the harmful effects our current food supply has on our health.    In order to undo the damage these companies have inflicted upon themselves and restore consumer confidence, they food industry suppliers must alter their business models.

But, these food companies can’t merely report facts. We need to trust the companies we are buying from, and in order to rebuild that trust, the company’s values need to be demonstrated in their actions. We need full disclosure on product labels, how it’s harvested and distributed, etc.  We have a right to know.  We need to develop a best-practices standard- beyond just organic.

Most European countries have already removed all GMO’s from their products.  We can improve our state-funded nutritional programs- both supplemental subsidies and within our schools – to ensure that all Americans have access to healthful foods.  We need to educate our children early on healthy food choices perhaps with regular farm visits for school-aged children to educate them about where their food comes from, and even a slaughterhouse tour for high school children?  Maybe that’s too much for some of you?  I’d like to see less advertising of non-healthy foods marketed as healthy and more promotion of healthful foods. And labels, labels, labels.  With more transparency, the most significant impact would be healthier people. Lesser cases of food-related illnesses.

When we are diagnosed with these feed-related illnesses our doctors tell us “ you are what you eat”, except we don’t know what we are eating!