covered in oil

Maybe you have thought about it, but I suspect not. Did you know that the average distance an item on your plate travels is 1500 miles. I have heard that statistic before, but this morning while I was not quite awake, I also heard this tidbit:

Trimmings from grain-fed American beef are too fatty to meet federal health regulations for hamburgers....Instead of putting American cows on a diet, we ship frozen beef more than 12,000 miles by sea (from Australia and New Zealand) in refrigerated boxes.

Here is link to the entire program (both audio and transcript). This is part of a week long series called "Consumed".

If you think about that (and the energy consumed) too long, your head may start to spin. And yes, this is the beef that ends up in Big Macs and Whoppers. But even if like me, you haven't stepped foot (or driven through) one of these places for decades, a quick inspection of your fridge, freezer and pantry probably reveals some startling statistics.

While we were all busy reading the labels, checking for trans fat and salt content, we should have also been looking at where it came from. Sure there are certain foods like coffee, chocolate, and most spices, that can only grow in specific regions, but what about things that don't?

I know that Trader Joe's recently announced that they were no longer selling products made in China. This was more in response to scares about lead in toys than how far food was traveling though.

One of the things that I liked about Central Market (in Texas) was that all the produce had signs clearly marking where it came from. I know they are not the only store to do this, but they were among the first where it stood out. I probably also noticed it more because you have to weigh your produce so need to enter the code on the scale, which was also noted on the same sign.

I don't have the answers. I am not sure anyone does. Being aware is certainly a start. Learning more certainly couldn't hurt.


on the night stand :: The Abstinence Teacher