Governor Tarkin: “The Jedi are extinct, their fire has gone out of the
universe. You, my friend, are all that’s left of their
religion.”
Admiral Motti: “Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would
be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they
have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in
the universe. I suggest we use it.”
Darth Vader: ”Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve
constructed.”
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
I feel this way about how our nation’s food system is becoming ever more unsustainable, centralized and – frankly – dangerous. The FDA is taking comments on their decision to allow fresh lettuce and spinach to be irradiated – Use of Ionizing Radiation for the Control of Food-Borne Pathogens and Infectious Protozoa, and Extension of Shelf-Life, in a Variety of Human Foods - to kill e-coli and other nasties that have sickened so many people in the recent past. In one of the spinach recalls, the contamination was from e-coli infected fecal dust and liquid sewage leaking from a “manure lagoon” near a confined animal feeding operation located upstream of a fresh vegetable growing operation.
Nice. Here, have some pig poo to go with your leafy greens and raspberry vinaigrette.
I am opposed to allowing food to be irradiated in general, but especially food that will be served to the general public without their knowledge or consent – such as in restaurants, nursing homes, school or other public venues. Irradiation of food, in my researched and much considered opinion, is a “too late” solution to our very dirty and dangerous food growing and manufacturing systems. To me, irradiating food is similar to having nails and broken glass embedded on a highway and “fixing” the problem by having a tire repair station 100 feet further down the road. Sure, you’d be able to continue on your way, eventually. The real solution would be to remove the section of the road having nails and glass, just like the real solution to these contaminated veggies (and CAFO beef, poultry and pork) is disallowing high-density animal confinement facilities where unnatural feeds are given to animals and unsanitary conditions are the norm.
Yes, it will cost more. It will require more people farming on smaller farms. It will, in actuality, entail a retooling of 90% of the American food production “system”. But it is also the right thing to do for the safety, longevity and sustainability of the very food that keeps us healthy and alive.
