Countryside Natural Products

500,000,000 eggs are being recalled due to salmonella from a company that has had numerous fines and warnings, but still continues to operate.  It seems that every month there is a new food recall.  Whether it is hamburger, peanut butter, or a frozen food product that contains E coli.  Today it is deli meat.  Our food system is letting us down. There are 300 million americans and 75 million of us will end up in the hospital with a food born illness. Even if you generously attribute half of those to funky aunt Judy’s Potato salad that would still mean that 20% of Americans will become ill from processed food.  In 2006 there were over 350 food recalls, in 2009 there were over 700.  That is an average of 2 a day. The FDA says they are considering pressing criminal charges against habitual offenders.

We talk a great deal about the cost of  health care in America and the rising cost of food, but you have to ask yourself whether paying 15 cents for a conventional egg compared to 40 cents for a organic egg is really worth the savings. Let’s keep working to continue challenging our industrial, factory farm food system by supporting and seeking out healthy family farms and healthy foods.

When buying local make sure that you are buying quality local goods.  If the Meat that you are buying comes with directions on how to slow cook the beef or even the suggestion that it is best  cooked in a crock pot.  Don’t buy it.  As a consumer you need to demand the very best food for you and your family.  Don’t be fooled by marketing that just states grass fed,  all natural.  During times of drought like we are currently experiencing  here in Virginia farmers are having to cull their herd because of a lack of grass.  Shrewd  farmers that may have a pasture that they are not grazing can pick up cattle cheap, graze them for a few months and then take them to slaughter and package them as grass fed, all natural beef.  They have no idea of the history of the animal or what it was given or fed before they bought it at auction.  You should always be wary of food that comes with instructions on how to cook it so that it is edible.  When buying produce, ask how it was grown. What fertilizers do you use.  How do you control insects and plant diseases.  If they can’t answer you questions to your satisfaction, don’t buy it.   Become an educated consumer.  You must demand good food from your producer.  If you are a producer, it is your responsibility to grow food that is good for the consumer and good for the environment.  Ask where the grains in the feed come from and how are they grown.  What are the ingredients in this fertilizer.  Never be afraid to ask questions of your grower or your feed and soil supplement supplier.  Knowledge is power.

I recently had a conversation with someone who believed that “All Natural” and “Certified Organic” mean the same thing. This individual thought the only difference between the two labels is that “All Natural” products are not reviewed by a certifier, but the “All Natural” producers follow the same rules. They also felt that “Certified Organic” has been over commercialized and that is why they buy “All Natural.”

The only definition of “All Natural” that has ever been established by the USDA is: ”Contains no artificial flavors or artificial colors.”

Thats it. There are no “All Natural” specifications determining how the grains are grown or what conditions the animal is raised in. You can use GMO seeds in “All Natural” products, spray whatever you wish on the plants and use whatever fertilizer you want. You just can’t use any artificial flavors or colors. As far as animals are concerned, you can pack as many as you are legally allowed into a barn or feed lot, feed them whatever you wish and give them whatever you want to promote growth. You just can’t add any artificial flavors or colors to the meat.

As far as over commercialization, “All Natural” is the second most frequent claim in the grocery store, second only to “Low Fat”.  If you want to eat well and help overcome these misperceptions about how food is labeled you must learn to be the most feared and revered person in society, “The Educated Consumer.”

Know your grower,  Know how it is grown and what it is fed.  Do not be afraid to ask these questions.