When I laid down my dental drill in 1999 and went back to study nutrition, it was sugar that called me into action. My kids were gobbling fruit rollups and other candy in the school cafeteria and my inner dentist knew something had to be done about it.
The more I learned about nutrition and school food in particular, the more I learned about the food system and how dysfunctional it was. The deeper I dug, the more disturbing facts would come to light, namely the corporate control of our food supply. I remember back in the late 90’s trying to convince principals and school board members that childhood obesity and it associated costs would be front page news and would bankrupt our healthcare system. They thought I was crazy, but today they realize I was just a few years ahead of the truth.
If you care about what you eat, you should join your local Occupy group.
Many of us in the food movement have come to realize that the Occupy movement is in alignment with the fact that our current food system is broken beyond repair. I attended a number of Occupy Food events in NYC in the past year.My experiences with Occupy Wall Street protests did not include meeting large numbers of long haired unshowered anarchist leaning college kids as the mainstream media has portrayed it to be. I DID meet a lot of farmers and very sharp thinkers who care deeply about our food, our planet and our future.
The corporate control of our food system has led to decreased soil fertility, water pollution and is a major contributor to global warming. The massive increases in heart disease, diabetes and cancer can also be attributed to this disturbing trend of industrialization of food. When you think about it, doesn’t it seem insane that we live in a country where a Happy Meal cost less than a healthy one?
Right now, we have a big food fight going on in California, known as Proposition 37 which calls for the mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Click here to learn more facts about GMO food labeling.
“We Have a Right to Know What’s in Our Food: Fifty countries around the world—representing more than 40% of the world’s population—already require GMO labeling, including all of Europe, Japan, India and China. Polls show that more than 90% of Americans want to know if their food is genetically engineered. We are free to choose what we want to eat and feed our children. The free market is supposed to provide consumers with accurate information about products so we can make informed choices.”- http://www.carighttoknow.org/
Corporate food has poured millions and millions of dollars into fighting this campaign. Companies like Monsanto, DuPont, CocaCola and Pepsi are invested in you not knowing what you’re eating.
One way to break from the corporate control of food is to grow some of your own. Community gardens have sprung up across the country in recent years, I’m fortunate to be part of Intergenerate‘s community garden right here in Chappaqua. A Seed Swap is one way to highlight sustainable solutions that create food that is good, clean and fair. We’re holding our first annual seed swap this week on Wednesday October 24th at 7pm. It will be held at Chappaqua Local Ice Cream
If you’re not near here, you can easily set up your own swap and start to sever the ties for the broken corporate food system. Here’s a link on how to start your own seed swap: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/How-To-Organize-A-Community-Plant-And-Seed-Swap.aspx
