Why We Must Occupy Our Food Supply

[marmar]

from Civil Eats:



Why We Must Occupy Our Food Supply

February 24th, 2012
By Anna Lappe and Willie Nelson


Our food is under threat. It is felt by every family farmer who has lost their land and livelihood, every parent who can’t find affordable or healthy ingredients in their neighborhood, every person worried about foodborne illnesses thanks to lobbyist-weakened food safety laws, every farmworker who faces toxic pesticides in the fields as part of a day’s work.

When our food is at risk we are all at risk.

Over the last thirty years, we have witnessed a massive consolidation of our food system. Never have so few corporations been responsible for more of our food chain. Of the 40,000 food items in a typical U.S. grocery store, more than half are now brought to us by just 10 corporations. Today, three companies process more than 70 percent of all U.S. beef, Tyson, Cargill and JBS. More than 90 percent of soybean seeds and 80 percent of corn seeds used in the United States are sold by just one company: Monsanto. Four companies are responsible for up to 90 percent of the global trade in grain. And one in four food dollars is spent at Walmart.

What does this matter for those of us who eat? Corporate control of our food system has led to the loss of millions of family farmers, the destruction of soil fertility, the pollution of our water, and health epidemics including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain forms of cancer. More and more, the choices that determine the food on our shelves are made by corporations concerned less with protecting our health, our environment, or our jobs than with profit margins and executive bonuses. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://civileats.com/2012/02/24/why-we-must-occupy-our-food-supply/

[midnight]

1. K&R

[Denninmi]

2. Grow your own. Can it, freeze it, dry it.

I realize that not everyone CAN do this, but if you have the ability, do it. You would be amazed at what you can produce in a relatively small area. A typical suburban yard, if edible landscaping and permaculture techniques are utilized, can became a food oasis.