Taking Action on Food

Food seems awfully complicated nowadays. Lurking in it might be mad cow disease, E. coli, botulism, Salmonella, pesticides, and God knows what else. Genetically modified meats and vegetables are gobbled up every day, but nobody really seems to understand their long-term effects. The World Trade Organization and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture are at odds over the rules governing food importation. Even SARS, we learn, may have crossed into the human population from the eating of civets, a delicacy in China, although that is still speculative - like so much else!

National boundaries, species barriers, and biotechnological borders are all crumbling when it comes to food production. Not even our stomachs, evidently, are out of reach of the forces of globalization and human ingenuity.  

Americans now routinely eat foods shipped in from other countries and climates, since this is often the cheapest way, or the only way, to get the items we want. Need a tomato in winter? No problem. Need Chilean sea bass rather than catfish? Chicken with lots of white meat? Fungi-resistant melon? No problem.  

Meanwhile, new data cited by the International Society for Ecology and Culture show that one in five American meals are consumed in the family car. Not Chilean sea bass and melons, certainly, but probably cheeseburgers with ingredients hailing from at least 3 regional climates and assembled somewhere in the industrial Midwest. Can this be the best way we have evolved to nourish ourselves?  

No wonder people wonder about what they are feeding their children. And no wonder that the interest in "organic foods" is rising. But there's a lot of confusion about what "organic" means. What's a concerned consumer to do?  

First, what is organic food? Well, that depends on who you talk to. Here's how the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture defines it:

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too."

That sounds pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of wrinkles. First, the new USDA Organic seal may be displayed only on products that contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients by weight - which means that up to 5 percent of the product can be "non-organic." Only products labeled "100% Organic" are 100% organic. Products labeled "Made with Organic Ingredients," must contain at least 70% organic ingredients by weight. Also, the terms "natural," "free range," and "hormone free" are not certified organic by the USDA seal - so the phrase "all natural" might not quite meet your expectations.  

Moreover, some companies try to make certain products appear less artificial or less processed. This is a type of "greenwashing," or the effort (by certain corporations and their political allies) to come across as more environmentally friendly than they actually are. For example, two different boxes of rice pilaf sit on the shelf; one manufacturer doesn't use MSG (which has a bad reputation), but triples the amount of sodium to get the same taste and preservative effect. Which box is better? At the moment, the answer is largely up to you, your personal health priorities and philosophy. So it is still caveat emptor! Buyer beware!  

Fortunately, two recent developments signal that changes are coming to help make these choices easier. First, in April the Senate repealed an anti-organic rider passed in February which was designed to undermine the six-month-old national organic standards and labeling program administered by the Dept. of Agriculture.  

Secondly, new research released on April 1 shows that consumers are willing to "put their money where their mouths are," especially concerning global food safety, food supply, and the effect farming has on the environment. (See the complete study, "Food from our Changing World," or a brief summary.) Given sufficient pressure, the food industry giants who have opposed transparency and national standards can't ignore public demand forever.  

Therefore, while food producers complain about the supposed burdens of labeling and other regulations designed to serve the public good, concerned consumers should make sure to ask questions at the point of purchase. Try to shop at a farmer's market, join a local food co-op or farmer's association, or just become a familiar face to the clerks in your supermarket. Ask lots of questions; they will take notice. If they don't or can't answer your questions to your satisfaction, you can always take your business elsewhere. For business to change, there has to be feedback from the customer. Your fussy shopping habits can help ensure a better food supply for yourself and your community. Finally, you can simply grow your own food - herbs and vegetables from your back-yard garden can go much further than you might think. (OrganicGardening.com has lots of information about this).  

If you're interested in reading more about organic foods and food politics, check out the following sources:

Earthbound Farm, a national supplier of organic foods based in California whose mission is "to make the organic choice viable." The Earthbound Foods Fact Sheet describes in full in the USDA's national organic standards.  

The Rodale Institute, which "works with people worldwide to achieve a regenerative food system that renews and improves environmental and human health, working with the philosophy that "Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People."  

The Center for Rural Affairs, "a private, non-profit organization . . . working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities."  

The Whole Earth Policy Institute, "dedicated to providing a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy - an eco-economy - looks like, as well as a roadmap of how to get from here to there."  

Julia A. Moore's "Food Fights", an online review of Mark L. Winston's Travels in the Genetically Modified Zone (Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2002)  

Erik Millstone and Tim Lang's The Penguin Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where and Why (New York: Penguin, 2003)  

Marion Nestle's Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003).

The more that we as consumers know, and the more noise we make about safety and transparency, the better chance we have of making a difference. The giants of the food industry might want us to believe that their way is the only way - but that's only true if they get their way.

• Printer-friendly version