This past weekend, a movie called, Food, Inc. was released. If you have the proverbial "stomach" to go see it, perhaps it may entice you once again to take garden hoe in hand, canning jar to task, and 5 gallon bucket to fill...with whole grains and cereals. Here are a few comments about this lastest release:
New film exposes unsavoury side of US food industry
By Leonard Doyle in Washington
Published: 7:05PM BST 14 Jun 2009
The much-anticipated documentary Food, Inc. opens this week, many may find themselves unable to finish their snacks as the film exposes some unsavoury realities about how food reaches the dinner table.
Major food producers would not agree to be interviewed for the movie and they tried to ban the filmmakers from their stock yards, pig farms and chicken barns.
The documentary claims cows are fattened up on heavily subsidised corn, even though they cannot digest the grain properly and their guts become breeding grounds for deadly E. coli strains as a result.
It also says chickens with oversized breasts are grown to maturity and are ready to be slaughtered twice as quickly as they would be naturally, thanks to chemicals in their feed.
There is also stomach-churning footage of conveyer belts packed with little yellow chicks being pushed around like mechanical parts; a cow, barely alive, being dragged around by a forklift; and herds of squealing pigs being forced onto a factory "kill floor".
Food Inc is being released as America is finally starting to wake up to the public health crisis fuelled by its eating habits and food industry
In the film, the best-selling food writer Michael Pollan says: "The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. You go into the supermarket and you see pictures of farmers, the picket fence and the 1930s farmhouse. The reality is, it's not a farm, it's a factory. That meat is being processed by huge multinational corporations that have very little to do with ranches and farmers."
The film addresses the country's epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Among young Americans born after 2000, one in three will contract early onset diabetes. For blacks, Hispanics and American Indians a staggering one in every two will contract the disease.
"The industry doesn't want you to know the truth about what you're eating because if you knew, you might not want to eat it. We've never had food companies this big and this powerful in our history."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/5533075/New-film-exposes-unsavoury-side-of-US-food-industry.html
Fast-Food Nation Kills Kids, Sickens Corn-Fed Cows: Interview
June 12, 2009
By Rick Warner
Bloomberg
Food is like air, an essential ingredient of life that most of us consume daily without much thought. “Food, Inc.” may change your attitude.
The new documentary dramatically shows how the U.S. food industry is controlled by a handful of conglomerates that churn out products that can make us -- and their workers -- sick.
“It’s all about producing food that’s cheap and plentiful,” Michael Pollan
Warner: Monsanto, Tyson, Smithfield, Perdue. Why are so few companies producing most of our food?
Pollan: Fast-food franchises have a lot to do with it. They need huge quantities of beef for hamburgers and huge quantities of chicken for chicken nuggets. And they want their food to taste the same everywhere in the country. So they’d rather deal with one producer instead of 50.
Warner: Cows are now being fed corn instead of grazing on grass because it makes them grow bigger and faster. How does that affect the health of the cows and the quality of the meat they produce?
Pollan: Cows aren’t designed to eat corn, so it makes them sick and their guts become a breeding ground for E. coli. Forty percent of the animals on feed lots are carrying it. It gets into the food supply through manure. And when you’re slaughtering 400 cows an hour, the way some of these places do, it’s very easy for the manure to get into the meat.
The government can recall toys and cars, but it doesn’t have the power to recall meat. That’s left up to the companies. Which tells me the government can’t ensure the safety of our food supply.
Revolving Door
Warner: Isn’t part of the problem the revolving door between the industry and government agencies? The movie documents how industry officials end up running the agencies that are supposed to regulate their former businesses.
Pollan: People go back and forth all the time. The food industry is one of the most powerful lobbying forces on Capitol Hill. They usually get what they want
Warner: What can the average person do to change the system?
Pollan: They can do a lot. Never underestimate the power of the consumer. Wal-Mart listened when consumers said they didn’t want milk from cows treated with (artificial growth) hormones. And McDonald’s stopped using genetically modified potatoes after consumers complained. People can vote with their pocketbooks.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9lvgmYFkJHFOGOpJbIb5xfmnGuwD98O27A82
Instead of spending money to go see the movie, maybe you should invest in a couple packages of seeds...
Showing posts with label organic gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic gardening. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Survive Today's Headlines! Take Control of Your Life
Not to be a "nooge"...nor a constant harbinger of bad news...but you must wake up to what is going on around you. Things are amiss...and what to do? WAKE UP! Turn off that propaganda tool, aka TV set, and get REAL! It may not be the most comfortable thing to do, but it may save your life!
According to CNN, a record one in 10 Americans get government aid to buy food. That’s over 32 million Americans! Don't become a statistic! Get seeds, put up food, buy in bulk....
According to Bloomberg, the real unemployment rate now stands at 15.6 percent, not the oft-quoted 8.5 percent Maybe this is an area you cannot really control...but, start reducing debt now! Get rid of unnecessary bills, make contingency plans.
According to the Washington Post, the latest job report foreshadows deeper job losses ahead. Again, something that may be out of your control...but, get yourself in a position to deal with a loss of employment by...putting up food, getting more self-sufficient, etc.
According to USA Today, record numbers of consumers are behind on their non-mortgage loans. If you can't afford it with cash...don't buy it! AND invest in something that will last and benefit you and your family's survival!
According to the Christian Science Monitor, student debt levels and defaults are surging. Students owe a whopping $500 billion.
According to Reuters, one in eight U.S. homeowners is behind on loan payments or in foreclosure.
According to Associated Press, tent cities are springing up as people are forced out of their homes and onto the streets. As sad of fact as this is, you must also mentally prepare yourself for the consequences of what this may bring...people may become more desparate...make sure your family is safe!
In other words, despite what mainstream media would have you believe, (another example of how things are: US backing for world currency stuns markets
US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is "quite open" to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund."
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 8:14AM GMT 27 Mar 2009), that the economy is rebounding, unemployment is down...
you must prepare for a worst case scenario..what is the harm? WAKE UP...and get ready...don't lose hope!
According to CNN, a record one in 10 Americans get government aid to buy food. That’s over 32 million Americans! Don't become a statistic! Get seeds, put up food, buy in bulk....
According to Bloomberg, the real unemployment rate now stands at 15.6 percent, not the oft-quoted 8.5 percent Maybe this is an area you cannot really control...but, start reducing debt now! Get rid of unnecessary bills, make contingency plans.
According to the Washington Post, the latest job report foreshadows deeper job losses ahead. Again, something that may be out of your control...but, get yourself in a position to deal with a loss of employment by...putting up food, getting more self-sufficient, etc.
According to USA Today, record numbers of consumers are behind on their non-mortgage loans. If you can't afford it with cash...don't buy it! AND invest in something that will last and benefit you and your family's survival!
According to the Christian Science Monitor, student debt levels and defaults are surging. Students owe a whopping $500 billion.
According to Reuters, one in eight U.S. homeowners is behind on loan payments or in foreclosure.
According to Associated Press, tent cities are springing up as people are forced out of their homes and onto the streets. As sad of fact as this is, you must also mentally prepare yourself for the consequences of what this may bring...people may become more desparate...make sure your family is safe!
In other words, despite what mainstream media would have you believe, (another example of how things are: US backing for world currency stuns markets
US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is "quite open" to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund."
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 8:14AM GMT 27 Mar 2009), that the economy is rebounding, unemployment is down...
you must prepare for a worst case scenario..what is the harm? WAKE UP...and get ready...don't lose hope!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Global Food Crisis Looms! It's Not Too Late To Plant That Garden!
According to a recent National Geographic article, the world food crisis has NOT gone away. Certainly the world's attention has been distracted of late due to the potential flu pandemic. However, it is important to keep in mind, the food crisis is not solved...
"Modern society has relieved us of the burden of growing, harvesting, even preparing our daily bread, in exchange for the burden of simply paying for it. Only when prices rise do we take notice. And the consequences of our inattention are profound.
Last year the skyrocketing cost of food was a wake-up call for the planet. Between 2005 and the summer of 2008, the price of wheat and corn tripled, and the price of rice climbed fivefold, spurring food riots in nearly two dozen countries and pushing 75 million more people into poverty. But unlike previous shocks driven by short-term food shortages, this price spike came in a year when the world's farmers reaped a record grain crop. This time, the high prices were a symptom of a larger problem tugging at the strands of our worldwide food web, one that's not going away anytime soon. Simply put: For most of the past decade, the world has been consuming more food than it has been producing. After years of drawing down stockpiles, in 2007 the world saw global carryover stocks fall to 61 days of global consumption, the second lowest on record.
"Agricultural productivity growth is only one to two percent a year," warned Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C., at the height of the crisis. "This is too low to meet population growth and increased demand."
High prices are the ultimate signal that demand is outstripping supply, that there is simply not enough food to go around. Such agflation hits the poorest billion people on the planet the hardest, since they typically spend 50 to 70 percent of their income on food. Even though prices have fallen with the imploding world economy, they are still near record highs, and the underlying problems of low stockpiles, rising population, and flattening yield growth remain. Climate change—with its hotter growing seasons and increasing water scarcity—is projected to reduce future harvests in much of the world, raising the specter of what some scientists are now calling a perpetual food crisis.
So what is a hot, crowded, and hungry world to do?"
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/06/cheap-food/bourne-text/4
You personally can and should do something about it. And, it is not too late. Growing your own fruits and vegetables makes perfect sense in today's crazy world. Obtain your non-hybrid seeds and become more self-sufficient!
"Modern society has relieved us of the burden of growing, harvesting, even preparing our daily bread, in exchange for the burden of simply paying for it. Only when prices rise do we take notice. And the consequences of our inattention are profound.
Last year the skyrocketing cost of food was a wake-up call for the planet. Between 2005 and the summer of 2008, the price of wheat and corn tripled, and the price of rice climbed fivefold, spurring food riots in nearly two dozen countries and pushing 75 million more people into poverty. But unlike previous shocks driven by short-term food shortages, this price spike came in a year when the world's farmers reaped a record grain crop. This time, the high prices were a symptom of a larger problem tugging at the strands of our worldwide food web, one that's not going away anytime soon. Simply put: For most of the past decade, the world has been consuming more food than it has been producing. After years of drawing down stockpiles, in 2007 the world saw global carryover stocks fall to 61 days of global consumption, the second lowest on record.
"Agricultural productivity growth is only one to two percent a year," warned Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C., at the height of the crisis. "This is too low to meet population growth and increased demand."
High prices are the ultimate signal that demand is outstripping supply, that there is simply not enough food to go around. Such agflation hits the poorest billion people on the planet the hardest, since they typically spend 50 to 70 percent of their income on food. Even though prices have fallen with the imploding world economy, they are still near record highs, and the underlying problems of low stockpiles, rising population, and flattening yield growth remain. Climate change—with its hotter growing seasons and increasing water scarcity—is projected to reduce future harvests in much of the world, raising the specter of what some scientists are now calling a perpetual food crisis.
So what is a hot, crowded, and hungry world to do?"
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/06/cheap-food/bourne-text/4
You personally can and should do something about it. And, it is not too late. Growing your own fruits and vegetables makes perfect sense in today's crazy world. Obtain your non-hybrid seeds and become more self-sufficient!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Survival Tip! Grow Potatoes In A Barrel
Now is the time to truly consider growing your own vegetables. But, what if you don't have a large plot to grow a garden? You can grow vegetables in an assortment of containers...buckets, recycled plant containers, old barrels, etc. One vegetable that is EASY to grow and delicious (once again, once you eat one of your own potatoes, you'll not want for the potatoes in the store!...TASTE is back!)is the potato. And, you can grow potatoes in a container...anything from a 1/2 barrel to a full 55 gallon barrel. Here are some tips to get you going:
Choose the size of container/s in which to grow your potatoes...it can be plastic, metal or wood.
Drill holes in the bottom of your container to allow for drainage. You may have to put a screen over the holes once they are drilled to prevent soil leakage, etc..depends on how big you drill the holes! The holes should be about 6 inches apart.
Set barrels on blocks, old pallets, or whatever, to ensure that there is good drainage. And make sure your barrels are in a spot that receives a good amount of sunshine.
Place some gravel in the bottom of the barrel...again, to help with drainage.
Put down at least six inches of clean soil, mixed with a good compost, sand and maybe some sawdust.
Now...plant your potatoes. To plant potatoes you must get "seed" potatoes from a garden supply store, nice neighbor (smile) or feed store...or online. Do not use the potatoes you buy from the store...they will not produce well even though the potatoes grow little "buds". Once you get your seed potatoes, cut the potato into halves or fourths, depending on the size of the potato. But, make sure you have at least 2 "eyes" in each piece of the potato. Allow your cut potatoes to rest for the night and let the cut edges dry a bit. Next morning, place the cut-side down in the dirt and the "eyes" looking up, and push the potato seed down so that the seed is just covered. Water gently. In a couple of days, your potatoes will start to sprout. Let your potatoes sprout about 2-4 inches...then cover the plant with more soil/compost/sand mixture and gently water. Continue this procedure until your barrel is full. Once you see your potatoes "blossom" you know you have succeeded. Then, let the plants die back. When you are ready to harvest, kick the barrel over, and gather your potatoes. Then, enjoy!
Choose the size of container/s in which to grow your potatoes...it can be plastic, metal or wood.
Drill holes in the bottom of your container to allow for drainage. You may have to put a screen over the holes once they are drilled to prevent soil leakage, etc..depends on how big you drill the holes! The holes should be about 6 inches apart.
Set barrels on blocks, old pallets, or whatever, to ensure that there is good drainage. And make sure your barrels are in a spot that receives a good amount of sunshine.
Place some gravel in the bottom of the barrel...again, to help with drainage.
Put down at least six inches of clean soil, mixed with a good compost, sand and maybe some sawdust.
Now...plant your potatoes. To plant potatoes you must get "seed" potatoes from a garden supply store, nice neighbor (smile) or feed store...or online. Do not use the potatoes you buy from the store...they will not produce well even though the potatoes grow little "buds". Once you get your seed potatoes, cut the potato into halves or fourths, depending on the size of the potato. But, make sure you have at least 2 "eyes" in each piece of the potato. Allow your cut potatoes to rest for the night and let the cut edges dry a bit. Next morning, place the cut-side down in the dirt and the "eyes" looking up, and push the potato seed down so that the seed is just covered. Water gently. In a couple of days, your potatoes will start to sprout. Let your potatoes sprout about 2-4 inches...then cover the plant with more soil/compost/sand mixture and gently water. Continue this procedure until your barrel is full. Once you see your potatoes "blossom" you know you have succeeded. Then, let the plants die back. When you are ready to harvest, kick the barrel over, and gather your potatoes. Then, enjoy!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
GMO Food, HR 875/s 425 and Your Survival
What do you know about HR 875/S 425? How will it affect your ability to obtain or even grow your own food? You need to find out.
Need more information? Please read the informative article Farm to Fork Food Facism Comes to America
Need more information? Please read the informative article Farm to Fork Food Facism Comes to America
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