Kathleen
Cupcake
Once upon a time, I never thought of what I ate or worried from where it came. Over the years, I've seen several friends come down with sickness and have buried a few too early. I suppose that is the way it goes as years pass. I've also been more in-tune with the news and become increasingly concerned by what I see.
I was fortunate to spend summers with grandparents who had gardens and some livestock. We knew where our food came from because we grew it, raised it, or collected it. (Of course, I had no idea how fortunate I was at the time...especially when I was sent to muck a stall or collect eggs at the crack of dawn.)
Now it seems that I hear of food being tainted whenever I turn on the news. What has disturbed me most is that I have felt that most of the "food tainted outbreaks" could have been avoided by safer practices. I mean, really....how do cantaloupes get tainted? Due to the fuel savings, etc., I've started buying more locally. I can also fool myself into thinking that, when I buy locally, people care more about their "neighbors."
I'm happy when the products are from sustainable sources. I'd rather grow it myself, but time, space, and ability just is not feasible. Besides: I love my job, which would not give me time to mill the wheat I grew. Then, this past week, I saw something that made me want to pack up and run away to whatever equivalent of Green Acres would be in this day and age.
It was the video made by the Mercy for Animals organization of a huge egg-production plant. After the video was released, major clients of the Sparboe Facilities company, which included McDonalds, Target and major grocery chains, dumped the company as a supplier. [YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO, BUT DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK UNLESS YOU HAVE A STRONG STOMACH AND CAN TURN OFF YOUR EMOTIONS. IT HAS HAUNTED ME FOR DAYS.] The information from the video can be read HERE.
Several things bother me about this story:
First, how can anyone treat any creature like this? Yes, I've seen pockets of all kinds of abuse with both people and animals, but how can this happen on such a wide-scale without anyone knowing?
Secondly, I can totally see how outbreaks of things like Samonella can occur in these conditions. In fact, I now wonder why anyone is still alive after seeing that video. I've always wanted my own chickens - now more than ever.
Third, I know the Mercy for Animals organization has an agenda other than just helping animals. Due to the fact that Target and McDonalds immediately stopped doing business with the supplier when this was seen, did MfA really need to name their link "McDonald's Cruelty?" I shop at large grocery chains at times, and likely bought eggs from a source such as this. *shudders* Unless they can prove that McDonalds knew of such conditions for the egg source, it really is not okay.
I'm not completely sure of the purpose of this post. I suppose it is that I want safe, sustainable food. I am willing to pay more for it. And I know that I will never stop eating meat, but I want ETHICAL treatment of animals and, again, I'm willing to pay for it even if it means that I will eat less of it.
Is healthy, sustainable food really too much to ask for?
~Kathleen
I was fortunate to spend summers with grandparents who had gardens and some livestock. We knew where our food came from because we grew it, raised it, or collected it. (Of course, I had no idea how fortunate I was at the time...especially when I was sent to muck a stall or collect eggs at the crack of dawn.)
Now it seems that I hear of food being tainted whenever I turn on the news. What has disturbed me most is that I have felt that most of the "food tainted outbreaks" could have been avoided by safer practices. I mean, really....how do cantaloupes get tainted? Due to the fuel savings, etc., I've started buying more locally. I can also fool myself into thinking that, when I buy locally, people care more about their "neighbors."
I'm happy when the products are from sustainable sources. I'd rather grow it myself, but time, space, and ability just is not feasible. Besides: I love my job, which would not give me time to mill the wheat I grew. Then, this past week, I saw something that made me want to pack up and run away to whatever equivalent of Green Acres would be in this day and age.
It was the video made by the Mercy for Animals organization of a huge egg-production plant. After the video was released, major clients of the Sparboe Facilities company, which included McDonalds, Target and major grocery chains, dumped the company as a supplier. [YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO, BUT DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK UNLESS YOU HAVE A STRONG STOMACH AND CAN TURN OFF YOUR EMOTIONS. IT HAS HAUNTED ME FOR DAYS.] The information from the video can be read HERE.
Several things bother me about this story:
First, how can anyone treat any creature like this? Yes, I've seen pockets of all kinds of abuse with both people and animals, but how can this happen on such a wide-scale without anyone knowing?
Secondly, I can totally see how outbreaks of things like Samonella can occur in these conditions. In fact, I now wonder why anyone is still alive after seeing that video. I've always wanted my own chickens - now more than ever.
Third, I know the Mercy for Animals organization has an agenda other than just helping animals. Due to the fact that Target and McDonalds immediately stopped doing business with the supplier when this was seen, did MfA really need to name their link "McDonald's Cruelty?" I shop at large grocery chains at times, and likely bought eggs from a source such as this. *shudders* Unless they can prove that McDonalds knew of such conditions for the egg source, it really is not okay.
I'm not completely sure of the purpose of this post. I suppose it is that I want safe, sustainable food. I am willing to pay more for it. And I know that I will never stop eating meat, but I want ETHICAL treatment of animals and, again, I'm willing to pay for it even if it means that I will eat less of it.
Is healthy, sustainable food really too much to ask for?
~Kathleen
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