I’ve really been thinking a lot about that article I shared with you the other day about the USDA allowing U.S. raised chickens to be shipped over and processed by China. I have to say, the whole thought really bugs me. So, naturally, when I stumbled on another article about the Chinese acquisition of America’s largest pork producer, I just had to get your take on it.
Here’s the basics: The U.S. government has signed off on a deal that would allow a Chinese firm to buy the biggest U.S. producer of pork {Smithfield}. Now, I realize we are in a global economy, but control over our food supply and actual production seems like a no-brainer to me. How are we supposed to maintain food quality standards? Though, admittedly, the article states that Smithfield already employs some pretty questionable practices regarding the raising of their pork. {If you’ve seen Vegucated, then you know exactly how horrible the animals in can be treated in large factory farms.} No word in the article as to whether that means we will get pigs raised in China, or whether they will stay state-side and just be owned by the Chinese company.
So what’s the answer here? Maybe we should all just become vegetarians…or grow our own meat {or really get to know our local farmers who do!}?
Chime in, I’d love to know YOUR opinions on this,
Mavis
Julie says
I’ve been reading your blog for some time and now I have to comment. The article about chickens being processed in China was bad, but this is just too much! My husband and I don’t eat beef….now we must cut out chicken and pork? Time to buy a farm and raise our own food!!
Judy says
Mavis the whole deal sickens me! I farmed organic ad’s free range for years.. raised all my meat except beef which wee don’t eat much of, now we are just empty nesters and early retired, thanks to Obama not supporting the space program. ( don’t get me started) anyway it’s time for folks to grow their own food. It’s the only way to insure healthy food, that or buying from a local farmer who raisess his product free range. THE government in this nation doesn’t care about its people.. they want to keep us sick. This country is being poisoned by Gmo’s, chemicals, hormones, etc.
do you know that even China and most European countries don’t allow GMO even into their
country, never mind consume the stuff! I could tell you more but that would take a lot of your day reading it.
Renee says
Well said, I always grew up thinking the USA was the best country in the world, now I see that our own country doesn’t care about our own well being…so sad.
Sara says
I am by no means a vegetarian. I love meat. My whole family loves meat. However, I am a strong believer that animals raised for meat should have only one bad day in their lives. I live near many beef and poultry farms as well as near stores that carry the “certified humane” label. Pork and lamb are a little harder to find, but luckily I have found a great place for both. It is definitely more, but to me and my family, worth it. Smithfield is one of the worst pork producing farms, they are as far from “certified humane” as you can get.
When I read the article about the chickens being shipped to China to be processed I really was troubled. That honestly doesn’t make sense, and just made my beliefs in local meat so much stronger. If we can’t even properly regulate and monitor mass producers here how the heck will we do it in China? And now pork? Yikes!!
Tracie says
I guess I don’t understand how it can be better for America to do this…The quality cant possible be checked a 100 percent and if I feed it to my family My standard is 100%. The other thing that gets me is how can it be cheaper to ship this meat to and from china and do inspection. Wouldn’t it would be cheaper to just keep American jobs here.
Barb says
We were raised on homegrown meat and just the thought of having to buy something from the store makes me cringe. Store bought meat never has the taste or color or quality of homegrown meat.
Melissa says
We made the switch last year to only buying organic, grass fed meat from local suppliers. We get our beef from my cousin’s husband who is an Angus beef farmer, and we buy the rest of our meat from a farm that is about 3 hours away from us. I refuse to buy meat from the grocery store because I don’t trust it and it isn’t as healthy as grass fed meat. I also can’t get past the way those animals are treated.
Having said that, I have to admit that we take a hit with our grocery budget. We definitely have to sacrifice in other areas of our lives, but really, does anything get more important than the food you’re putting in your body?
Joan Blurton says
I don’t trust this one little bit. We already have enough problems with our food supply, and now to ship processing to a country that has little environmental standards? Our meat industries have already pushed to get away with self-policing, so I’m pushed to the point of little meat, and trying to find&afford local producers. I worry about my kids and grandkids.
Renee says
I agree, I am so worried what food my grandkids will beeating…probably robotic cows and our milk will just be white colored water passed as milk…wait isn’t that almost what it is now…I wish I would have gotten to enjoy some milk from my mom’s time when milk came in a glass jar with cream….sounds good.
Renee says
Well, since I’m a muslim we eat food that is slaughtered a certain way which means we don’t get our meat from your regular grocery stores…if the animals were treated humanely and not fed their own dead siblings and were slaughtered in a quick and painless way then we could eat the meat, sadly with all that has been going on with animals, I sometimes find myself having to pay much more for my meat but it’s worth it to know that the meat I feed my family has been treated with kindness & not fed other dead animals. This just reinforces why I wouldn’t buy my meat from the local grocer….I mean c’mon we are always told on the news about China’s horrrible conditions and now they want to send our meat there??? I don’t get it at all. The food is getting bad all over the world, my husband is from Bangladesh and now with all this globalism he said his parents don’t buy some things anymore b/c some foods are poisoned with pesticides and other stuff and nothing is regulated (many people have been poisoned from the food)..some things don’t even grow anymore on their land that they grew a few years ago…don’t know if that’s due to spraying pesticides or what, but it seems like the more the world tries to find ways to produce more food (why, i don’t know b/c most food is wasted at least here in the US,if it was grown to send to poor people around the world,that’s fine but it’s like we just grow more and waste more) the more we posion our own food. I mean if I could, I would but a huge farm and grrow my own food b/c you can’t trust anything or anyone with your food these days since they all only worry about making more $. Is it really so hard to let the animals have some freedom to roam around and eat what is natural to them….it would be like making us in the US eat a diet of things our body isn’t used to eating & we sure wouldn’t eat food that had the remains of another person…that would just be bad for our bodies.Maybe if our food was going somewhere with stricter measures than the US maybe it would be ok but then again the meat is already not sent fresh to the grocery store…how old would the meat be when they ship it across the country…..I know they do a lot of things to make meat look fresher so I would be scared they would do that and wind up selling bad meat…there is already enough salmanella,etc cases with our food here why do we need to create more problems. My uncle is a meat inspector superviser in the south and he won’t even eat the meat that comes from certain factories, even though it passes inspection…..to me that tells you that our inpection rules are too lenient. We also need to keep these jobs in our country…this is not the time to make more people jobless….it’s not easy to get another job these days. I always read where my food comes from and don’t buy anything made in China since I don’t trust them…..blame the media for me not trusting them. 🙂 Ok,that was more than my 2 cents worth! 😉
Carol says
Well said, Renee! I agree with you and all the others who have posted here today. There are a couple of local farmers who sell their meat products retail, I am going to have to start using them.
Naomi says
There is so many things wrong with this, but the first that came to my mind is how many dog and cat treats that are made in China are killing our pets. The recalls are huge as well as verified reports of pets dying from eating these tainted treats grows every week. That being said, there aren’t many companies that I trust to package ANY food we eat, so this may take me out of the argument here. We have multiple gardens where we grow our own vegetables and buy everything else from farmers markets or at local farms. I know where my chicken, pork, and beef has been since day one. My husband and I are lucky enough to be able to afford this, but if we couldn’t then we would probably be closer to vegetarians! In my opinion, this is just another example of our government not caring about the people in this country whether it means having quality food or even jobs, and I’m pretty sick of it.
Jen L A says
Guess I will need to tell my hubby it was a good decision to raise our own pigs this year! (I was reluctant at first since I didn’t really want to see what I was eating before it landed on my plate) However, after he started, I am so so so glad he made us take the plunge. My toddlers love feeding the pigs our food scraps and while we don’t look forward to the day they “go on vacation” I am hopeful our egg laying chickens will keep them happy enough. We are presently doing a round of chickens for meat(*gasp) and I am kinda excited about that after your earlier post this week. Not to mention our best vegi garden yet! It’s a good year for our own food production…including pork which you have forced me into agreeing with my hubby on! 🙂
Renee says
I guess this time your husband can say he told you so. lol! 🙂 Finally one point for the husband side,right. 🙂
Carol says
Right!
Jen L A says
I know……..I will have to give him this one! He is already talking about lamb for next year……Mavis …any news on lamb yet? Sure that’s next. Already hard enough to find NOT from Australia!
lisa says
Happy to be a vegetarian! 🙂
MP says
Me too.
Mrs. Mac says
We only buy meat a few times a year from two trusted small local farmers. Both raise grass fed and pastured meats and do not feed their animals GMO food. I then ‘shop’ from my freezer. This would probably break your $100 a month budget. I budget $200 a month for meat and set the $ aside until I need to pay. On top of the farmer’s cost, you have to pay the butchers fee. There is no such thing as cheap/humanely raised meat. We place our order early in the year .. and wait for the animals to have a happy life on the farm, living outside in the sunshine, eating fresh grass. This year I ordered 24 chickens. Two heritage turkeys, one pig and 1/4 beef for a family of four. The same goes for moo juice and eggs. The pork is made into minimally processed hams, bacon and fresh sausage, chops, roasts .. and you can even request the fat to make LARD 🙂 Oh .. and if you go this route, be sure to ask for lots of bones to make stock.
Carol says
Something to really consider…thanks for the information!
darlene says
We get almost all out meat from hunting, but you have to wonder where the meat comes from when you eat out. I wonder if it will be disclosed in any way to the public. EEK! I don’t want Chinese processed chicken or pork!
Judy says
While this concerns me regarding standards, what is more concerning to me is that the Chinese are going to have control of our food. Stalin knew how to control the masses by starving them to death. God help us. This is NO JOKE. As a nation….we are in very grave danger….from all sides.
Renee says
I think we don’t have to worry about other countries killing us b/c our own country kills us everyday with meds we don’t need or just giving everyone with the same condition the same exact medication when they may need something different. We have pesticides affecting our children’s reproductive/mental health and intellect, just about everything we eat/use has something toxic in it unless you use organic and try to make things homemade.Look at our cancer rates,allergy rates,autistic rates….I don’t think any other developed country in this world has such high rates??? Our young girls have eating disorders and even kill themselves b/c of the models in ads,etc. and then we have terrible Miley showing girls to be open sexually so that they can be raped or have babies with guys who don’t want to marry them. We have vitamins and other things that don’t have to get FDA approval and then later on they are recalled and we are told they are unsafe for consumption. I could go on and on and now with China in charge of our food (for all we know they could already be in control of some of our food without us knowing it)….the government has got to know that we wouldn’t agree to that as a country but what they will do is try to keep our minds off that by talking about other things until we get many people dying from eating contaminated chicken/pork from China.
Carol says
History does repeat itself…..the Victory Gardens of WWII are now the rebel response of Americans who know we have to take care of our food supplies! Secure our freedom…grow your food!
Rita says
We buy at a farm 20 min. from us that we just found. We buy eggs, ground beef and chicken. It is quite a bit more expensive. But after watching the trucks go through town with the live chickens (at least some of them) and pigs all squashed in a large truck. I just cannot eat like that. Knowing a poor animal suffered so. We’ll eat less meat but be healthier and feel no guilt watching free range animals as we drive by the farm to get our meat and eggs.
Marcia@Frugal Healthy Simple says
Ugh.
So there was a time not too long ago when I made the effort to only buy locally sourced meat from the farmer’s market or from other local stores that get it from the local farmers.
That went out the window for time and budgetary concerns (full time job, two kids, new baby)…
But I can see that I’m going to have to go back to that – go back to making my once/week or every 2 weeks trip to the farmer’s market, and start eating more beans again.
Diana says
We eliminated beef from our diet about five years ago, then quit eating pork three years ago. About a year ago we said good bye to chicken, dairy, and fish. The only time we eat these items is at a social gathering where there are limited options. It has freed us from wondering how things are processed and what unknown chemicals we are getting. I have to say I have never enjoyed cooking and gardening more! Food is such an adventure now and I enjoy trying new recipes with novel ingredients.
Tina P says
Well wasn’t it convenient Smithfields shares dropped in June when China and Russia stopped buying their pork because of a drug the company was using in processing their meat. I’m sure our government will not tax the Chinese as much as they tax their on people and/or they will give them tax cuts for exchange of unpublished benefits. Also, how many times have we seen articles and heard news stories about the inappropriate ways the Chinese, among other countries, raise their livestock and produce? Way to many for this American to ever “knowingly” purchase anything from China or any other country other than my on. Of course I am second guessing myself about buying from my country as well. Why on earth would “our” elected officials think this was best for Americans?! I will step down off my soap box now.
Renee says
It seems like as time goes by our country is getting father away from protecting our own rights and are only concerned with ways to save money….even if it means sending jobs overseas. It almost doesn’t matter that unemployment is going down b/c then they will keep it steady due to some people getting part time jobs so then they can’t collect and at the same time, they will be taking away jobs from our agriculture….it’s already hard for farmers to make a living since the govt. subsidizes only certain crops more than others,like corn for example, so we really need to help our small farmers out. I recently moved here from Virginia and went to that farm featured in Food inc and even though I loved his farm and stuff I just couldn’t afford his prices…we barely got any meat for our family of 5 and spent just over $200 and this was not fillet mignon,either, so maybe if we all decided to stop buying our meat at our local stores and bought at our local farms, then maybe by doing that, they could lower their prices a little so we could actually afford their meat. I don’t mind paying more for quality but I also don’t want to take out loans to feed my family. 🙂
Patty P says
My husband and I buy nearly all of our meat local. There is a slaughter house in the next town that gets all of their stock from within our county. We also have family that has a farm…and once or twice a year they raise beef cattle and pigs and we buy a slaughtered hog or half a steer. My husband and I are also both hunters, so it is great to harvest meat from the wild too. It’s maddening to know that our country is outsourcing our food to all of these other countries. It seems like it would make us an easy target if anyone got mad at us….poison our food source, get revenge quickly… Buy Local and Grow Your Own. The best way to go!
Brooke says
Reading these posts sure makes me glad we are vegetarian! Our industrialized food system is awful! I am pretty much to the point where I won’t buy anything from the grocery store that isn’t organic, and even then I have to read the label very carefully. This is our first year really trying to grow from organic, non-GMO seed, and so far it has been great! Plus we have a couple of hens that eat non-GMO feed, so those are the only eggs we eat. Now if I could just give up cheese…
Laura M says
Its a great time to support our hardworking local farmers and ranchers. I gave up on grocery store/ big box meat a few years ago and now just buy all meat from local farmers. It costs a bit more, but my health is so much better, plus my conscience feels clean, since I know where my meat comes from and how they feed and care for their animals. Definately worth it. To find local farmers with organic meats/ humanely treated/ grass fed, etc…. check your local farmers markets or do a google search for :eat wild, or eat local ,or organic local meats, etc. They are out there, you just need to find them. I love being able to talk to the farmer and ask questions about the animals they raise. Plus its so important to support the local economy. Sometimes I save money by buying in bulk from local farmers. I bought a 1/4 cow last year from my local farmer and it cost $3.84/ lb- that was for all the meat, fancy cuts included. I also buy whole chickens – several at a time and fill my freezer. If you don’t have freezer space, maybe go in with another family or 2 and buy in bulk. There definately are ways to eat healthy meats and save $$, I know because we are on a tight budget. So find your local farmers and talk to them, you won’t regret it. 🙂
Jan B says
This saddens and outrages me 🙁 I agree whole heartily with Laura M, support your local farmers and ranchers….Check out http://www.localharvest.org and check out your area.
Pat Giaquinta says
I’m really leery about allowing China to process our chicken & pork products. I don’t think that our own FDA has been doing a good job considering all of the illnesses that have been coming in on fruit & vegetables grown in this and other countries and, if they can’t monitor the vegetables & fruit, how safe will the meat be that is processed or raised in other countries? I think I’ll start looking for a local beef, pork & chicken farm here in NH. We have chickens but they are raised for eggs and as pets. I knew about the chicken but thank you, Mavis, for alerting us about the pork. Beef is next…………
Julie says
I thought the news about the chickens was bad. . . this is worse.
We were fortunate to find a farm that raises their own grass-fed and finished beef. It’s close to our home, and we have an open invitation to visit whenever we want. They recently started raising pigs as well, and we are on the list to buy pork from them as soon as it’s ready. We have a few chickens to supply our eggs. I need to find a local supplier of chicken meat.
Jody Graves says
Dear Mavis,
I grew up on Smithfield Ham because my mother and her family (back to the 1500’s was from the same County in Virginia.
No holiday was complete without a Smithfield CuredHam…ham hock sawed off…soaked for days, boiled on the stove, fat cut off and then decorated with a criss cross pattern dotted with cloves and brown sugar and yummmm baked in the oven. Our pantry always had a moldy looking old ham hanging which could be magically transformed by this method- about ten years ago I was surprised we could get them in New England…(instead of having them mailed by a family or friend from Virginia)…and a couple of years ago I learned the dirty truth…that Smithfield hams were not longer a quality product. So I sadly gave up this tradition. In its stead, we have found that locally produced and cured meat can have the same wonderful flavor. The key to a Smithfield Ham taste is the dry cure- if you have ever visited Williamsburg, Virginia, they have an example of the cure cellar at the Governor’s Mansion- if you can find a local person who cures this way, support them!! I think some cured Ham, even local ham contains nitrites…so try to find someone who cures with the least added /dangerous ingredients. My daughter and her husband (and wonderfully industrious son) have a farm in Southern Vermont , Meadowdale Farm- and they raise beef, pork and chickens and provide us with safe, healthy food. My suggestion to all is to seek out and support a local farmer and encourage them to try dry curing if possible…I think there must be some Virginia farmers who are small scale and do dry cure. I hope to seek them out on my next journey from New England to the land where my mother was from. Now….how to make bisquits with gluten free ingredients that taste good with that local ham…that is another dilema… Don’t worry about Smithfield being sold to a Chinese company. If we don’t buy it, their investment will be worthless and the company will go under. Our pocketbooks and knowledge our powerful!
Linda says
I don’t eat meat….for various reasons, my health being the number 1 reason. but this whole practice of sending USA products overseas and processing it is wrong….buy local, trade with your neighbors do not buy foreign foods! Eat in seasonsand know where your food comes from and where it’s been
sandy says
I live in the city, in an apartment without a balcony. I cant afford a car to go to a farmer to buy my meat and eggs. so i guess i will have to learn to go meatless and learn to eat more veggies.
Carol says
Sandy, perhaps your city has farmers markets you could buy from. Good luck!
Jay Bee says
Also, a lot of CSAs (community supported agriculture) deliver to you directly or to a drop-off in your area (usaully walking distance from your place) — so that’s an option to work directly with a farm.
And, consider a local community garden. In my (city) neighborhood, we have 4 to choose from and are members of 2 (two are allotments, two are fully farmed. We are part of the fully farmed ones. each one has it’s own “flavor” — both in terms of culture of people participating as well as food that is produced), which is why we are part of both!
Finally, I grow potted herbs inside (our apartment doesn’t have a balcony either), and our landlord gave us permission to put some pots out on the front entry area (i got HUGE pots for free from the city — they were old concrete planters, and it said that anyone who would take them, they would deliver), and so the landlord said yes, and now we have pots, and a lot of the kids in the apartment love to plant. I did an “english cottage garden” in each one — flowers (like antique roses with good hips which I use all winter in tea and soups), veggies (artichoke is super pretty), and herbs (all kinds, but I even managed to grow some ginger in one and garlic in the other!). I also grow potatoes in old coffee bags, which the community garden let me experiment with in the one area. It’s pretty fun.
Elyse says
I was outraged when I saw Vegucated. More than just health reasons, it opens the viewers eyes to the insane lengths the meat producing companies are going to. Since then, I’ve gone to a local butcher who said they’ve been getting their supply from the same place for 20 years, and it’s three hours away at the most.
I grew up near a large city, but always wanted to live on a farm. That dream took a step forward when I moved two years ago into farmland, USA. I drive by cows in the pastures every day, and almost everyone has a veggie garden. If I save up next year, I’ll talk to a neighbor who raises cattle about purchasing from him. Now it seems ever so important to be self sufficient with your food.
What’s the best way to let everyone else know we’re not happy about shipping our meat to China?
Emily says
Mavis- I shared the article on chicken with my two middle school journalism classes. We couldn’t get off the subject! The discussion was amazing. I love to stir them up. I haven’t seen reaction like that since pink slime. On the other hand, I would forego the stirring for a safer food supply!
Mavis Butterfield says
I think it’s a great topic. 🙂 Glad to hear your students liked it.
marcy says
We have been raising our own beef and pork for 5 yrs now , and my husband loves to hunt so we dont have to worry much about our meat. We also have chickens, ducks turkeys and geese plus usually a garden , it feels good to be in control of what we put on the table and not worry about where it cam from or if is safe for us. To be self sufficient is very empowering.
Judy says
Mavis I went shopping at Super Wal-Mart yesterday to buy their frozen Wild Salmon that I love and that sells for a good price of $8.97 for a 2 pound bag, I started thinking about WHAT a good price it was compared to other salmon so I decided to check the label and it read,” GROWN IN U.S.A. PROCESSED IN CHINA !! my heart just sunk because I have been eating it for about a year or so now and never read past the part that says where it’s grown. Even though I purchased it, I now am leary and will be looking for another source. 🙁
Mavis Butterfield says
I think it’s pretty interesting. I find it amazing that we can grow our own food but it’s actually cheaper for companies to ship it oversees to process it. Pretty crazy if you ask me.
Rene says
This raises another red flag – if it is wild, how do they know it only lived in US waters? And doesn’t “grown” suggest farmed?
Judy says
Rene, it said would caught in the U.S … processed in China…I am leary now myself.
Trish K says
I’m almost ready to give up meat until we can either co-op with someone or grow our own, which isn’t a possibility for us right now. Working to grow as much of our own veggies as we can. I’m careful to look for where any product comes from and avoid Chinese raised or processed. If they poison their own people and babies with tainted food, what makes our government think there will be any real quality control over what comes to us from them? This is insane, but with what our government has borrowed from China, I would expect to see more and more of this sort of deal to stay in their good graces (if you can call it that).
Judy Simkins says
For all of these reasons I am wholheartedly vegan. I say no tothe factory farming of animals by NOT BUYING their cruelty products. I shop organic and local whenever possible & find I spend much less than I ever did on the SAD(Standard American Diet). I am 67 and feel healthier and more energetic than when I was in my 20’s & 30’s & beyond. I try to by NOTHING from China though I have nothing against the PEOPLE of China. But for my health, well being and peace if mind I will continue to be vegan & hug animals instead of eating them. Lets use our wallets to vote against this ridiculous idea!
Kirthan says
This is pretty horrifying. I’m Canadian but I feel that our standards aren’t far off from what the U.S. is willing to put up with. I eat a fair amount of deli meat and I’ll be closely inspecting it from now on. I am lucky that there is a local, organic, humane butcher near me but sometimes I just want the easiness of a deli meat to add to my lunch. I guess I’ll have to re-think how I incorporate meat into my diet.
Cecily says
I’m not saying eating meat processed in China is a good thing but I have to wonder how many of those who have decried “foreign” foods here would be willing to give up their coffee, tea, vanilla or spices like cinnamon and black pepper? Yes, eating local is good, but diversity is good too.
CathyB says
My understanding of the pork situation is that the pork would continue to be processed here, but the company would be under foreign control. Personally I feel that there are certain industries, like food, water, communications, defense, etc., that should be kept under majority ownership of their own country as a measure of national security. I am okay if foreign investors want to invest in a company, but the controlling majority should stay with the home country. I would think that every country would want to do this! We are buying a side of beef this year from a farmer in-state that is organic and grass-fed; it looks like it is time to find a pork producer as well!
Jody Graves says
I think Americans should buy food from local sources. We are ill prepared for a post oil world if we rely on food produced and controlled by foreign countries. China was our enemy until only recently. Should we afford a Chinese company access to our very guts? I think not. The only way to control this is to buy local food and grow your own vegetables. In the meantime, we should push for stricter food labeling so that we can be aware of who owns and controls the food we do buy from grocery stores. The food labeling should be subject to strict fraud laws. Natural, should mean “occurs in nature”…not MSG, ;phoney citric acid, false additives, etc. I speak as a mother of a Lyme diseased family which has serious allergies. We suffer when we eat bad and fraudulently labeled food. This extends to pot lucks, cafeterias, dinner’s at “educated” friends homes. We need our WHOLE population to be fed good, and clean from bad ingredient food. Now we are stuck eating what we cook and or grow or we get sick. We, and you, deserve better. If our food supply was clean, the nation’s health costs would amazingly diminished. Thank you Mavis, for helping to educate the public.
Sincerely,
Jody Graves
Putney , Vermont
Marlene Gentile says
I followed the Smithfield saga for months, even writing to the White House, begging them to stop the takeover of Smithfield by Shuanghui International. The last hoop through which Shuanghui had to jump was approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS.) The job of this committee is to decide if a company that sets up shop in the US is a threat to our national security. The CEO of Smithfield claimed the takeover would be of great benefit to “the shareholders” and to “agriculture.” I’m sure both the shareholders and the CEO of Smithfield stood to make a lot of money. As Jody so eloquently above: “We are ill prepared for a post oil world if we rely on food produced and controlled by foreign countries. China was our enemy until only recently. Should we afford a Chinese company access to our very guts?” This was my argument to the government, in petitions, and to anyone who would listen. Since when can we trust China? Shuanghui admitted that the people of China did not like to buy pork processed in China because they are aware of the filthy habits of food production there. For example, rat meat was passed off as mutton. Now the demand for pork in China will be met by Smithfield, who owns numerous companies under different names … Eckrich, Farmland, Armour, Cook’s, Gwaltney, John Morrell, Kretschmar, Curly’s, Carando, Margherita, Healthy Ones. Shuanghui paid billions in CASH. Obviously, the CFIUS approved the takeover and did not find that giving our largest pork producer to the Chinese was a threat to our national security. China is a very ancient country with a culture that evolved through several dynasties. It is a patient nation. Now that China is Communist, never doubt for a second that the goal of Communism is to bring democracy to its knees. I have known so many people who have fled from countries that are under Communist rule. Each of these people, mostly educated professionals, suffered unimaginable punishment. Why are we so smug to think Communism could never take hold in the US? Have you ever seen the motion picture, “The Manchurian Candidate?”
Jay Bee says
Glad to have found your site. 🙂
I was vegetarian for a decade, and during that decade, I learned a lot about eating seasonally and locally. There are still products from afar that you have to buy (such as salt), but really, nearly everything that you need can be produced locally.
That being said, I’m no longer vegetarian, and now follow a “paleo” diet, so we still follow these principles (local and seasonal) and it makes a huge difference in terms of cost. We are also urbanites, without our own land, so we have to get creative. 🙂
We use CSAs and community gardens, and we forage (yes, you can even urban forage), plus DS is learning to fish.
We belong to three different CSAs: meat (beef. lamb, venison); milk/eggs/chickens; and veg/fruit/herbs.
The CSA farms are local — 30 minutes drive from the city, sustainable and organic, and affordable. The up-front cost is high (you usually pay for a share up-front). So, when we knew we wanted to source through this route, we saved up during the year before, and then joined the CSA. Every CSA tends to over-produce, and often they have “free” boxes of things that others didn’t want in their shares. As one of them is a meat CSA, we always ask for offal and bones and odd cuts (neck, shins, tails) — and they are usually more than happy to provide this for us for free. It’s amazing how much food is truly wasted because people don’t consume offal or make gelatin or bone broth!
We choose community gardens that are “fully farmed” rather than “allotments.” This way, you get a huge diversity and everyone works together on the whole farm. So, you can grow a wider variety across the garden and everyone shares. our garden grows all kinds of fruit, veg, and herbs. And, it’s a nice place to be. When it’s harvest time, we harvest and everyone gets their share. If there are left overs, a fellow gardener is free to take it (usually me), and our particular garden tithe’s 10% to a soup kitchen, which was our agreement for getting to use the church’s land for our garden. Pretty sweet deal.
Foraging is a really fun skill to learn and becoming more popular as we go. Some things are easy and obvious. Our local park is chestnut and walnut trees. Then, along the one fenced area they have honey suckle, blue berry, and black berries. There’s one neighborhood that is along one of our favorite walks that is planted with mulberry trees (named “mulberry st” no less), and I just asked a few of the homeowners, when i noticed the fruit going to waste, if I could collect it. They said yes (most of them), and I discovered that several people also have lemon trees that they don’t harvest, so I just asked permission. A lot of people seem to have edibles as ornamentals, so it never hurts to ask if you can come in and harvest if they aren’t. Most people like the free yard work that you are doing. There’s also abundant vegetation in wild areas. If you are going to start foraging, begin with a simple course first. You’ll need to learn how to do it all safely (not only correct identification of edibles, but also including properly cleaning your foraged finds to avoid parasitic infection).
As my son gets older and more adept at fishing, and if he desires to take up hunting, we also look forward to more foraged food. We already forage for snails, having found a local one that tastes quite a bit like escargot, and it’s a fun meal to have — though most people think it’s yucky. We like it. 🙂