Food Is Power and the Powerful Are Poisoning Us

[Stretch]

Food Is Power and the Powerful Are Poisoning Us

By: poorrichard

Our most potent political weapon is food. If we take back our agriculture, if we buy and raise produce locally, we can begin to break the grip of corporations that control a food system as fragile, unsafe and destined for collapse as our financial system. If we continue to allow corporations to determine what we eat, as well as how food is harvested and distributed, then we will become captive to rising prices and shortages and increasingly dependent on cheap, mass-produced food filled with sugar and fat. Food, along with energy, will be the most pressing issue of our age. And if we do not build alternative food networks soon, the social and political ramifications of shortages and hunger will be devastating.
Truthdig - Reports - Food Is Power and the Powerful Are Poisoning Us

 

[talloola]

The regular person on the street is in charge of his/her food, if they want to be
lazy, and buy easy to eat/and easy to cook food, fast food, packaged food, precooked food,
they are falling right into the hands of others, but they can buy wisely, simply,
read all labels carefully, and control what the companies produce.
It's up to all of us, but I'm afraid there are too many who just want speedy and
convenient food, and never read labels, and really don't care about anything but
'taste', and when people cook and eat that way, their taste buds want 'salt, fat,
sugar, that becomes addictive, and they are then hooped.

 

[Cannuck]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090906_food_is_power_and_the_powerful_are_poisoning_us/ If we continue to allow corporations to determine what we eat, as well as how food is harvested and distributed, then we will become captive to rising prices and shortages and increasingly dependent on cheap, mass-produced food ....

When you contradict your own arguments, it's pretty obvious you're a f@#king idiot. Where do you find these guys?

 

[Stretch]

When you contradict your own arguments, it's pretty obvious you're a f@#king idiot. Where do you find these guys?

how quickly and how sad it is when one is reduced to name calling inplace of an argument

if you read it properly, its quite obvious that there is no contridiction.............

what it means is that as food prices rise and income drops off, we are governed by our wallet, and forced to eat junk, instead of healthy food.

here in Australia, the dairy industry was privatised, it was forced on the farmers, they were asked if they wanted privatisation with a bonus or privatisation without a bonus. those that wanted the bonus took it and those that didnt sold there farms, most were family farms, having been in the family for generations. "dairy farmers", (the company) took control of the industry saying it would be good for all concerned. The price at the gate dropped considerably for the farmer and the price in the shop jumped considerably.............obviously we, the consumer and the farmer, weren't part of the "all concerned".
Just recently, "national foods" bought out "dairy farmers" and straight away dropped the price by almost 60% at the gate for the farmer, down to .26c a ltr and the price of 3ltrs of milk in the shop is, in places, over $6.00...............................nothing to worry about, purely a coincedence.
When I was involved in politics a few yrs back I was privy to a document from the federal primary industries minister where he stated that they needed to get their hands on the family farm.

control the food supply and you control the people.
Its time were formed into small communities again and supported our local farmers/industries. It's going to mean bucking the system.....................you upto it?...nah, didnt think so. put head back in that sand mate, you'll be right, its a conspiracy........................till it becomes fact. oops, it already has

 

[Cannuck]

what it means is that as food prices rise and income drops off, we are governed by our wallet, and forced to eat junk, instead of healthy food.

Nope. Junk food is expensive. It's much cheaper to eat good food. In fact, our problem here is not expensive food. Food is nowhere close to being expensive. That's why we eat out so much. When we cease to have three restaurants on every corner and all you can eat buffets for $10, the nutters may have a point. Sorry, your buddy is a f@#king idiot.

 

[TenPenny]

The problem with eating decent food is that you have to do a minor amount of work, like, for example, cooking potatoes.

Whereas it's much simpler to go buy stuff and pay someone else to do the cooking.

 

[Cannuck]

put head back in that sand mate, you'll be right, its a conspiracy........................till it becomes fact.

Of course it's a conspiracy. World War II taught us about the importance of food production and control. North America has a cheap food policy. I like this conspiracy and will continue to do so until your nutter friends can give me a reason not to.

BTW - whining farmers is not a good reason. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a farmer whine while sitting in his brand new truck.

 

[Kreskin]

I did a complete 180 in my eating habits. I was on an almost exclusive Big Mac diet. I switched to the McChicken.

 

[AnnaG]

The regular person on the street is in charge of his/her food, if they want to be
lazy, and buy easy to eat/and easy to cook food, fast food, packaged food, precooked food,
they are falling right into the hands of others, but they can buy wisely, simply,
read all labels carefully, and control what the companies produce.
It's up to all of us, but I'm afraid there are too many who just want speedy and
convenient food, and never read labels, and really don't care about anything but
'taste', and when people cook and eat that way, their taste buds want 'salt, fat,
sugar, that becomes addictive, and they are then hooped.

Sheeeesh. All the flavor in a Big Mac is in the Thousand Island "secret sauce". lol The rest is like Minute Rice without spices, herbs, et al.

 

[AnnaG]

how quickly and how sad it is when one is reduced to name calling inplace of an argument

if you read it properly, its quite obvious that there is no contridiction.............

what it means is that as food prices rise and income drops off, we are governed by our wallet, and forced to eat junk, instead of healthy food.

Not this girl. I grow more of my own. That beats prices in restaurants, supermarkets, etc.

 

[AnnaG]

The problem with eating decent food is that you have to do a minor amount of work, like, for example, cooking potatoes.

Whereas it's much simpler to go buy stuff and pay someone else to do the cooking.

Unless you live kliks and kliks away from a restaurant. lol

 

[AnnaG]

Of course it's a conspiracy. World War II taught us about the importance of food production and control. North America has a cheap food policy. I like this conspiracy and will continue to do so until your nutter friends can give me a reason not to.

BTW - whining farmers is not a good reason. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a farmer whine while sitting in his brand new truck.

.... which is likely on payments. They tend to wear out more frequently for farmers than the rigs that town people use for going to work and back.
It's been show many times that the biggest money in the food industry doesn't go to farmers and markets. It goes to the big food companies like Kraft, Unilever, etc. and the pharma companies that are involved in seed, and speculators. The next largest chunk goes to market chains. Farmers don't get very much in comparison.

 

[AnnaG]

I did a complete 180 in my eating habits. I was on an almost exclusive Big Mac diet. I switched to the McChicken.

Super Size Me (2004)

Food, Inc. (2008)

 

[Cannuck]

.... which is likely on payments.

They are leased mostly. The farm supplies them with a new truck every two years.

They tend to wear out more frequently for farmers than the rigs that town people use for going to work and back.

You are mistaken. The new trucks aren't used for farm work.

It's been show many times that the biggest money in the food industry doesn't go to farmers and markets. It goes to the big food companies like Kraft, Unilever, etc. and the pharma companies that are involved in seed, and speculators. The next largest chunk goes to market chains. Farmers don't get very much in comparison.

You are fooling yourself. The small farms don't make much but they are fewer and fewer all the time.

 

[AnnaG]

They are leased mostly. The farm supplies them with a new truck every two years.

Still payments. Still have to be paid for.

You are mistaken. The new trucks aren't used for farm work.

How do you suppose farmers get to town and back, go to agri meetings, to auctions, and whatnot; in their combines?

You are fooling yourself. The small farms don't make much but they are fewer and fewer all the time.

Nope, I'm not. Agribusinesses are big food companies, too.
All you have to do is follow the money trail. Most of the money is made by the middlemen, not Joe Farmer.
If you think big food business isn't making the vast majority of the money, who does?

 

[talloola]

what it means is that as food prices rise and income drops off, we are governed by our wallet, and forced to eat junk, instead of healthy food.

No one is forced to eat anything, people make their own 'stupid' decisions
about eating, and it is more economical to eat simple whole foods, cook from
scratch than any packaged, or pre cooked food, or fast food.

People do that to themselves, and don't care.

 

[Cannuck]

How do you suppose farmers get to town and back, go to agri meetings, to auctions, and whatnot; in their combines?

In their farm trucks. You and I are obviously talking about two different sized farms. My father in law doesn't take his fancy truck to farm meetings. I don't think my mother in law's minivan has ever seen the farm despite having farm plates and being purchased through the farm.

They work six months a year and make obscene amounts of money.

 

[Unforgiven]

what it means is that as food prices rise and income drops off, we are governed by our wallet, and forced to eat junk, instead of healthy food.

No one is forced to eat anything, people make their own 'stupid' decisions
about eating, and it is more economical to eat simple whole foods, cook from
scratch than any packaged, or pre cooked food, or fast food.

People do that to themselves, and don't care.

Good food is more expensive than bad food.

 

[Unforgiven]

The problem with eating decent food is that you have to do a minor amount of work, like, for example, cooking potatoes.

Whereas it's much simpler to go buy stuff and pay someone else to do the cooking.

That's fine as long as you don't mind potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It doesn't sound like much, a minor amount of work, but once you toss that on the workload of many families with two working parents, it is a lot of work. Worse for a single working parent. There just isn't time to make a good family dinner every night and get the kids to bed even close to bed time.

Not to mention the cost of fruit and veggies in the winter when they have to be shipped up from the southern US or Mexico.

You can buy a big bag of processed breaded chicken that you can toss in the oven for 20 minutes for $10 or you can pay $15 for some free range chicken breast, and spend a hour preping and cooking it.

 

[TenPenny]

That's fine as long as you don't mind potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It doesn't sound like much, a minor amount of work, but once you toss that on the workload of many families with two working parents, it is a lot of work. Worse for a single working parent. There just isn't time to make a good family dinner every night and get the kids to bed even close to bed time.

There is if you work at it. I have two young kids, and my wife and I both work, and our kids are involved in extracurricular activities. Don't tell me how much work it is to cook supper, help with homework, make lunches, etc.

It's hard work, sure, but that's what being a parent is all about.

If you want to be poor, lazy, and have everyone in the family weigh 300lbs, well, that's the easy route. And it gives you the right to complain and blame everyone else for your troubles.