Healthy Food For Thought

Healthy food is on everybody's minds these days. And with so many disease outbreaks in the corporate meat industry, it is important to keep in mind the health of the animals in which we consume; after all, their health is our health.

Meat is both cultural and comfort food. Personally, I carry no moral opposition to eating meat, assuming it has been raised and slaughtered properly and with gratitude; but the last time I looked at meat in the grocery store, it came with a warning label. Is this Healthy Food? I immediately put it back on the shelf and asked for a sink where I could wash my hands. I felt dirty. I have adopted a mostly-vegetarian lifestyle since.

According to the USDA, a Class 1 recall alert is, "a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." As recent as May 15th a Class 1 recall was made on ground beef distributed from Montclair Meat Co. out of California for contamination with E. Coli.

The USDA keeps an online list of products under recall for consumer health and benefit. The list identifies the product in question, the company, the class level and the distribution. One very important thing to note is that "No retail sales" indicates that no retailers were identified for the recall in question. For example, the product may have gone exclusively to restaurants and institutions, and in this case there would be no retailers in the distribution chain.

Corporate meat farms are in the business of raising product, not food. This is an important distinction to make. The only way to make corporate farms more responsible is by demanding it. The first step to employ our demands is by supporting a local, ethical meat producers.

The most democratic thing we can do as a community is vote; our checkbooks are an appropriate ballot. Here's some ways you can influence the future of husbandry:

• Find a local meat farm through your Farmer's Market community. If you don't have a Farmer's Market organization in your area, try this list from eatwild.com.


• Bring up the topic in the office - find out if anyone you know has a reliable meat source.


• Once you've found a farmer, visit him. Check on his operation. Ask him questions about his practices: most farmers are glad to have the community drop in. If your farmer doesn't want you on the farm, question it.


• Use a quality butcher with a high-standing in your organic community. (This also supports local urban business which puts tax dollars right back into your city. Bonus!)