The government should also throw its support behind putting a second bar code on all food products that, when scanned either in the store or at home (or with a cellphone), brings up on a screen the whole story and pictures of how that product was produced: in the case of crops, images of the farm and lists of agrochemicals used in its production; in the case of meat and dairy, descriptions of the animals’ diet and drug regimen, as well as live video feeds of the CAFO where they live and, yes, the slaughterhouse where they die. The very length and complexity of the modern food chain breeds a culture of ignorance and indifference among eaters. Shortening the food chain is one way to create more conscious consumers, but deploying technology to pierce the veil is another.
The Food Issue - An Open Letter to the Next Farmer in Chief - Michael Pollan - NYTimes.com
The whole article goes beyond interesting. Personally I cannot find fault with a single idea or suggestion. This needs to happen. And as discouraging as it is to see how many pieces of our system are truly broken, it’s encouraging to know there are people thinking through viable solutions. There is hope.
I quoted this particular section because it reminds me of one of the strongest memories I have from traveling through Malaysia and Thailand 10 years ago. The name of the small town we spent the night at in Northern Malaysia eludes me, but the images of its open-air market, not to mention the smells, are very present. Particularly the stroll we took through the “fish gauntlet” where piles of dozens of different kinds of raw fresh fish lay out on slaps of concrete serving as display tables. While it smelled terrible, it certainly tasted good prepared by the local food vendors that night. Same for the live chickens and goats and fresh produce and everything else that was brought, caught, picked, or killed immediately before being presented to the consumer in the sweltering heat of the mid-morning market.
Very few Americans have any connection to what they eat, and it shows.
