• Recipes
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy

Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

  • Start Here!
    • Contact
  • Easy Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Drinks
    • Easy Baking
    • For the Grill
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Bake Desserts
    • One-Pot Recipes
    • Salads and Cold Dishes
    • Sheet Pan Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Videos
    • From Scratch
    • Recipe Videos
    • Techniques
    • Tools
  • How-To
    • How to Cook From Scratch
    • How to Get Organized
    • How to Make Ahead and Meal Prep
    • How to Use Tools and Techniques

The Gospel of Local Food, Part Two: To Label or Not to Label?

May 21, 2012

A while back I published a post about “pink slime“. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten pink slime just yet…it’s also know as “lean finely textured beef” and it’s pretty much a by-product of the beef processing industry that is mixed into ground beef and sold in some grocery stores as well as used in the school food program. I’m not a fan, but if you don’t mind to eat it, I support your right to do so.

Back when I published my post, I was an advocate of forced labeling to let the consumer know whether or not the product contains lean finely textured beef. After that post, however, I finished reading Joel Salatin’s Folks, This Ain’t Normal. Salatin is a farmer who raises a variety of livestock at Polyface Farms in Virginia. He uses traditional, sustainable methods and he and his family and staff have restored a once nearly ruined farm to rich, beautiful, and productive. His voice in the book is honest and frank, and he makes no bones about his feelings about matters of food and farming. His ideas and discussion brought me from my obsession with “organic” food to a realization that local food-even if it isn’t always 100% organic-needs to be our focus (it also was my inspiration to write my first Gospel of Local Food post).

Salatin points out the prohibitive cost of labeling of all sorts for small farmers and producers. For an industrial farming or meat production operation, the cost of the actual labeling process is pocket change; their concern is the loss of business that they risk when their products are exposed for what they really are. For small farmers, however, labeling could effectively cost enough to put them out of business-even though it would no doubt bring more customers their way. Interesting dilemma.

So, what’s the solution? I like Salatin’s answer.

“When foodies say, ‘Demand this food [product, service, label] at your supermarket,’ I want to respond, ‘Quit going to the supermarket. Go find your farmer instead. Thousands and thousands of farmers are out there to serve you….We’re here and we’re ready to serve you outside this abnormal system.”

Abnormal system. Have you ever thought of it that way? Think of it like this: when your grandparents were children, supermarkets were a new thing. People had their own gardens, their own chickens, their own cows. That was normal. Now, you mention backyard chickens or baking your own bread or making your own cheese, and everyone looks at you like you have two heads. I have to laugh when people talk about the “growing local food movement”. Back in the day that was the only food movement. I say we just get back to the old normal…who’s with me?

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

You might also like...

  • Farmers Market RevelationsFarmers Market Revelations
  • The Gospel of Local FoodThe Gospel of Local Food
  • A Night Out With Chattavore at AllSouthA Night Out With Chattavore at AllSouth
  • Eating Mindfully: A Learning ProcessEating Mindfully: A Learning Process
  • Eating In: Lessons from a Month-long Restaurant FastEating In: Lessons from a Month-long Restaurant Fast
  • Top Kitchen Tools in My HouseTop Kitchen Tools in My House

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: local food, writing By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

Public House-May 12, 2012

A Friday List: Ten Weird Food Things About Me

Comments

  1. Beth says

    May 21, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    I love this! Excellent post. Exactly. I've always seen it as a return to what human beings have done for the majority of history. This "abnormal" system is a very recent thing; I hope/wish that one day (probably not in our lifetimes) it will be regarded as merely a historical curiosity, a result of world wars and a technology boom in the early 20th century.
    Reply
    • Mary says

      May 21, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      If you haven't read this book, you should. I love his rhetoric. So practical....so true.
      Reply

Thanks for your comments, but remember that Chattavore is a positive site. I reserve the right to delete any comments that contain unnecessary negativity! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

Follow Chattavore!

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • RSS

Categories


Copyright © 2022 | All content property of Chattavore and may not be reproduced without permission | Cha Creative Clique

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.