The Weblog
Food for Thought, Part 2; the Market is Open
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog titled “Food for Thought” that shared 10 reasons for supporting locally grown agriculture. Just in case you need more reasons to support our local producers, here is “Food for Thought, Part 2.”
I read an interesting opinion piece this week regarding the recent recall of avocados due to the discovery of listeria monocytogenes at a California packing facility during a routine governmental inspection. The editorial was written by Dr. Ford Vox, a brain injury specialist at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Dr. Vox is the medical analyst for Atlanta NPR’s station WABE 90.1. He writes about the practice of medicine, the health care industry, health care policy and medical science.
Here is the link, if you want to read the full article: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/opinions/avocado-recall-vox/index.html
Please note that the points that I am trying to emphasize for our Wednesday Market customers are in bold type.
In part, Dr. Vox writes, “Mass recalls of our wholesome fruits and vegetables like the avocado on Saturday [March 23] and romaine lettuce just months ago are a reminder, but also something of a wake-up call.”
Furthermore, he says, “The reminder is that we are all fundamentally reliant on good regulatory oversight (our well-used tax dollars at work) and good corporate management in the food sector. The wake-up call? Depending on a complex web of food production, delivery and mass retail sale — rather than well-stocked local sources — for what is on our plate every day is distinctly unnatural and makes us vulnerable.”
How many times have we heard news of a food recall in the last year? The food supply chain is susceptible to contamination by listeria, e. Coli, salmonella, and many other pathogens and contaminants. If you really want to dig deep, take a look at these links:
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/current-recalls-and-alertshttps://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm
“We should all hate that we’re vulnerable to mass infections spread by our food system rapidly delivering contaminated product across the country. But where to manifest our disgust is a thornier problem,” says Dr. Vox.
Furthermore, he writes, “A strong takeaway from bacterial outbreaks is this: We need a strong FDA, USDA and CDC out there working in our best interests, and those agencies all operate on tax dollars. With tax day around the corner, think about that fringe benefit the next time you miraculously avoid a bloody diarrhea attributable to your salad, trucked in from parts unknown.”
And, “Foodborne illness outbreaks remind us just how much we depend on commerce running well — and how little control we personally have over it all. At best they might spur us to shop locally a little more often, and that’s good for your health in many ways. Go to your local farmers market, meet your neighbors, learn about what’s going on in the city you live in. Re-connect, re-humanize, de-stress.”
Finally, Dr. Vox concludes, “Local produce isn’t risk-free either, but the lack of warehousing and cross-country distribution helps, and it might lower our modern existential anxieties a little to know something about where our food came from, as our ancestors did.”
Food for thought, indeed!
Let’s support our local farmers and producers. The Market is open. Please place your orders by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up between 3 and 6 p.m. See the website for this week’s product offerings. Here is the link:
https://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
We’ll see you on Wednesday!
Thanks,
Beverly