> From: Andrew Fildes <afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I'm preparing a list of inorganic foods at the moment.
> So far it's a short list - salt (NaCl)
> Can't think of any others.
I assume you're just being an intelligent posterior.
Surely, words are allowed to have more than one meaning, especially in
different contexts. The industrial food system is quickly co-opting "organic,"
to the point that one is not allowed to even use that word if one has not
undergone organic certification. We refuse to undergo certification for
numerous reasons.
> Organic eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella - they're not somehow
> divinely protected because the chickens ate well.
There's more to responsible food production than feed. For example, one can
produce so-called "organic" eggs that are confinement-fed -- birds confined to
a one-foot cube for their entire life, conveyor belts bringing them feed and
removing eggs and faeces. THOSE are the salmonella farms!
Then there's (for lack of a better word) pastured eggs. These are birds that
get out to scratch in real grass. Chickens, given a choice, will actually
consume a lot of green stuff. Keeps the feed bill down, produces bright orange
yolks, reduces cholesterol, and increases nutrients, particularly omega-3 fatty
acids.
Yea, it's possible to produce bad "organic" products. It's even possible to
take bad photos with an Olympus or (your favourite camera here). (Obligatory
on-topic content... :-)
> They irradiate with UV light...
That's not the "irradiation" that Bill was referring to. UV filtering is for
water only. You can't irradiate food with it, unless it is transparent at UV
wavelengths.
I suspect your oyster farming friends are using UV to sterilize the oysters'
water supply, not to actually sterilize the oysters.
> Just because it's been labelled organic, doesn't mean its healthy.
Very true. "Organic" has been co-opted by the industrial food complex --
"organic" died when Mall*Wart started selling it.
We need a new word for sustainable food growing practices. We use Permaculture
ethics and principles, some of which are contrary to officially sanctioned
organic procedures.
(Another apropos quote from Berry. Anyone who really wants to understand food
systems must read Wendell Berry!)
----------------
It is impossible to mechanize production without mechanizing consumption,
impossible to make machines of soil, plants, and animals without making
machines also of people. -- Wendell Berry
:::: Jan Steinman, EcoReality Co-op ::::
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