The Other Day: Bad news on food helps us wise up about fresh, local produce
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 8:28 AM PDT
By Brenda Blevens McCorkle, columnist
Printable version
E-mail this articleI've never been a picky eater. Unless you count my baby years. My mom will testify that the mere switch from green beans to carrots in mid-meal would send me into spasms (aka, vomiting).
Despite the rocky start, I grew up with a relatively accepting palate, ready to try different flavors and cooking methods.
Recent news reports have me reeling, however. Mystery chemicals in pet food and, now, pork and chicken feed. Rats run amok in chain restaurants. Salmonella and e.coli on every surface, including spinach and other good-for-you greens.
Perhaps the worst I've heard in this regard was testimony from a Food & Drug Administration official on e.coli and spinach. A legislator asked if washing spinach could remove the e.coli.
No, the official said. From what the FDA can tell, washing the greens won't remove this potentially deadly disease from Popeye's favorite food.
What can people eat safely? The choices are getting fewer. Even consuming water, one of the most basic of all human needs, is a questionable proposition in some parts of the country.
Recent recalls of food items highlight serious weaknesses in links of our food chain, including the FDA, the agency supported by nearly $2 billion of taxpayer dollars each year, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which controls tens of billions of dollars.
With resources like these, one might reason that the FDA and USDA could keep an eye on consumer products. I guess that isn't true.
I could point the finger at corporate America. The "root of all evil," the love of money, is driving food companies to play a game of Russian roulette with the well-being of Americans.
So a couple of folks die from chemicals being added to food or a new manufacturing procedure implemented at processing plants. No biggee. Keep your eyes on the prize that will line your stockholders' pockets.
Instead, I'd like to give these money-grubbing companies and bumbling government agencies a pat on the back.
They've done us a big favor: We're afraid. Now it's time to use fear to our advantage.
The next time visions of crispy chicken strips entices you, picture the rat hairs that may be floating in the batter that coated them.
Love those foot-long hot dogs or greasy sausages? Go ahead --think about what's in them.
The less a food has been processed, the fewer chances for contamination. Fresh fish, poultry and meat are better choices than anything that's been passed through miles of machinery or a hundred hands before it reaches our tables.
If you have the means, buy meat that has been organically grown or has no added hormones.
Beans are a healthy, cheap, tasty alternative to meat.
If you buy your produce in supermarkets, go organic as often as you can afford. Meat that's labeled organic must be produced without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic produce has not been bioengineered or irradiated, grown with pesticides, or coated with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge. (Carefully wash all produce, whatever it's labeled.)
Our local farmers market is in full swing. Soon fresh vegetables and fruits will be offered, and the closer you live to the food you buy, the fresher and healthier it is.
All of us don't have acres to grow fruit and vegetables, but it's possible to garden on a small scale. Pots of lettuce -- and spinach! --- can contribute to your family's health and pocketbook. Strawberries also do well in pots. New mechanisms for hanging baskets of tomatoes are on the market, or if you have a little more space, muck buckets, lined whiskey barrels and large pots can house tomato plants and cages.
Nothing is finer in the depths of summer than a sweet-as-sugar cherry tomato plucked from the green leaves.
Many cities --- including Longview --- offer community gardens with plots for rent. (See related story.)
In addition, several small farms in our area allow customers to order vegetables and fruits from them, which can either be picked up or delivered weekly. A feature story on the farm-to-table movement will run in The Daily News in June.
There are plenty of opportunities to take back the fruits of our Earth and use them wisely, to nourish our bodies and build healthy futures of our children.
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