DATELINE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 – ConAgra Refuses to Recall Potpies. Is this what our food is coming to? Why should I place my health in the hands of a large corporate conglomerate who's only interest is profit? What about the other large food conglomerates? Do they care more about the safety of their food or profit?
Even after Oregon and Minnesota health officials pleaded to have these items recalled, ConAgra refused. According to the food conglomerate, only the poultry products were contaminated with salmonella.
Over the last several years there has been an outcry to make business and government more opaque, letting the public see through the morass of red tape and piles of reports to see through to the truth. Perhaps it is time for food processors to do the same thing. Maybe they need to let the pubic see behind their curtains.
There is a wonderful organization called SlowFood USA. Here is a snip from their website:
“Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Ultimately, it is about pleasure and taste, knowledge and choice. Once we begin to take an interest in the enjoyment of food, and in finding out where our food comes from, we can begin to see the effects of these choices. When we shorten the distance—both literal and figurative—that our food travels to get to us, we are participating in the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is about coming together as a food community—connecting producers and co-producers, coming together on the farm, in the market, and at the table—to create and enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.”
This means Farmer's Markets. This means CSAs. This means removing the curtains of food processing conglomerates. This means increased safety and security of the national food supply.
If I go to a farmers market in the midwest, there is a good chance I can speak with the person who actually grew the produce. Can I trace back the food items in a pot pie and speak with those farmers? Probably not.
On a related topic, there is a strong link between food and sex. No, I am not making this up. Food anthropologist Margaret Visser describes a meal as a ritual in which "desires are aroused and fulfilled." How can one be aroused with a pot pie from ConAgra? Maybe its just me, but it's a turnoff.
Maybe that's why I am newly divorced. She likes fast food. I like it slow and sensual.
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