On her blog: Feeding Blackmail, Marcie Barnes makes an insightful analysis of the problematic of labeling done by the very same companies that sell us the food products. The ubiquitous conflict of interests in this practice implies also a big of government to set clear and effective guidelines.
I am positive that underneath this issue lays the philosophical principles that have lead government for the last years. Government power has now being replaced by corporate agents that have concentrate the favor of political actors.
I do fully agree with the solutions proposed by Marcie. I would like to add the dimension, that although impractical, underlines the need to change our lifestyle, since is evident that both government and companies lack the will to make a significant change.
“More consumer education about eating organically (and locally). The use of the term “conventional” in description of what I call “mainstream” food forces consumers to believe that organic is the odd way to eat. When in fact, humans evolved eating off of the land: free of pesticides, preservatives, artificial colors, additives, scientifically derived ingredients (ex: corn syrup), extra hormones, and possible genetic mutations, just to name a few.”
I couldn’t agree more. Furthermore, if we really become conscious about what we eat, we may not even require things to be labeled. Haven’t we been able to fed our specie until now without labels? But of course, we haven’t had to face massive markets and busy lives that make impossible for us to provide adequate care to what we eat day by day. Our constant rush and our need to eat on different locations through the day, have forced us to de-sacralize the ritual of eating. A good example for a philosophical change is Slow Food Movement, is based on the: “believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible.”
The challenge arises when we try to fit such principles with our economical expectations and time requirements, building a vicious circle hard to break.
