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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

It's about more than food now. (Decoster recall)

So I know I'm just one more little unknown food blogger writing about this. And I know my opinion is not the only one like this. But I have to say after hearing all this recall stuff about the eggs, I'm pretty pissed off and not just because of the food issue. And I just need to share it even if it's only for myself and my two friends who read this.                                                                                                                          

 I've been very distrusting of the FDA and ADA for a while, really suspicious since seeing Food, Inc. I do have to say though the more I find out about real food, raw milk and what our government is doing to prevent us from having it, the more emphatic I get about our right for it. And after hearing the details about the egg recall I feel like I just need to smack someone, mainly the head of the FDA. I mean GOOD GRIEF!

So I listened to this story about the recall today on NPR. They talked about where the eggs came from and the company behind the farms that caused the contamination and the most shocking and gross part about the story was all the violations and lawsuits DeCoster Operations had already had.
Let's just run down the list, shall we?

                 -a violation having to do with hogs

                -a violation about abusing hens

                -a "discrimination"suit, which should have been titled a sexual harassment suit because they were charged with raping and sexually harassing the Hispanic women that were working in their plants

                -an immigration lawsuit for hiring illegal immigrants 

And I'm pretty sure with most or all of these they payed a fine to settle. Did you read that? They settled for raping and sexually harassing women. REALLY? REALLY? 

Now about hiring illegal immigrants..I know there are many views, but because I speak Spanish, I have heard hundreds of sad stories about families just trying to make a better life here, so I'm all for them making an honest living. But do you think they were hiring illegal immigrants because they wanted to give them a better life? I suspect not. I suspect like lots of other mass production operations they need "low skilled" workers who will work in almost sweat shop like conditions for very little money and not complain about it. So they found the people who would do that for them. And when it got them in trouble, they paid the money to shut it up.

The reason this makes me mad is not just because I have taken up the real food cause, but because we are now talking about human rights. This operation was abusing people all in the name of faster production, more food, more money. And if you don't think that's the mentality of other mass production farms as well as the FDA, then you're wrong and you need to do some research.

 It's a little bit convenient that the same people that work for the big food corporations also represent them in the government at one point or another. You don't find that somewhat strange? You don't think that clouds the interests of the people running the FDA and the ADA? I think it's more than convenient and strange. I think the word we're looking for is corrupt. 

I am aware that this recall happened in select farms from one company, but all big farms that don't produce food in sustainable ways are moving in this direction and they're doing it with the sweat and on the backs of people who will take the abuse because they don't have lots of other ways to make money. 

If you don't choose to fight for real food for your health or weight loss or the betterment of the food supply in this country, you should think about the rights of the workers who are still used in the mass production of the "food" that these operations put out. That in and of itself is reason enough.

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4 comments:

  1. Maybe with all the rampant salmonella it's time to reconsider the 5-second rule for dropped food:
    The Egg Recall: Rethinking the 5-Second Rule
    http://gigabiting.com/?p=4623/

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  2. Couldn't agree more. This is why I have started eating local organic food. I can go to the farms and talk with the growers if I want to, most of them come to our local store once a month and do a meet and greet. It might cost me more, but I know where my food is coming from and the farmer's have every reason to follow good practices or they lose our business.

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  3. That sounds awesome! We have a pretty good farmers market, but I'm working my way thru the pesticide maze. I am trying to find local farms to support though. I think it's so important if we want to do anything to change any of this. Thanks for reading and stopping by!

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  4. Kudos for getting all of that off your chest! I agree that there is entirely too much business interest that dictates policy making in DC. That goes for all business, not just food. Apparently, it is a small circle that politicians and business men run in.

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