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17 March 2010
Posted in
KitchenMama
Didn't we learn anything from the big listeria outbreak in 2008?
The idea of free trade has always been a bugbear for me. Back in 1988 when (what was then called) the Progressive Conservative party, led by Brian Mulroney, introduced the concept of Free Trade with the United States it became an election issue. Although it was largely unpopular, the Conservatives garnered enough votes to win the election. The Free Trade Agreement morphed into NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which is now in the process of morphing into the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas). The argument put forth by those in favour of the deal is that dropping all tariffs for businesses and restricting government interference in trade is good. The former may have its advantages, but the latter poses all kinds of potential problems.
Case in point: food inspection laws. Most, if not all, countries have some kind of regulations set in place by government to ensure that food sold to consumers is safe. Sometimes these laws run contrary to the interests of business. After all, raising healthy food animals and maintaining high standards for processing aren't cheap. I suppose we could all naïvely believe that those who produce the food we eat are concerned with nothing less than providing us with their best, but somehow I can't seem to shake my doubts.
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08 March 2010
Posted in
KitchenMama
I love this time of year with its promise of warm weather. It really doesn't matter what Mother Nature throws at us now -- blizzards or freezing rain -- we know that spring is just around the corner.
I just have one problem, though. This is a really hard time of year to find local, fresh produce. Here in Ontario, at least, the majority of fruits and vegetables come from Chile, South Africa and other points far away. Really, who knows when the produce was picked? By the time we get it, the fruit may look ripe, but taste bland (and have little in the way of nutrients). My biggest issue, though, is that I don't completely trust the growing methods used in some parts of the world. What chemicals are sprayed onto them? Are the farmers treated fairly for their efforts? The short answer to this problem might be to restrict my choices to organic and fair trade products. But, have you seen the cost of that stuff lately? Unfortunately, reality dictates that most of my groceries have to come from standard sources.