Chef Jamie Oliver continues to distinguish himself as a great stalwart for natural, healthier foods and the good health of the public. His actions show that he has our best interests close at heart. Here is a link regarding a recent uproar he made over some really, really disgusting practices that are unfortunately very common in the fast food industry:
When recognized and respected media people like Jamie Oliver catch the food industry with their pants down doing something horrible with our food, thankfully it usually makes headlines. Nonetheless, catching this industry and its constituents doing one particular and specifically horrible thing to our food is but a small symptom or clue to the real issue. In other words, these occasional insights into the realities of the food industry are but a small part of the tiny tip of a gigantic iceberg.
This is sort of like taking a critical look at a giant, havoc-wreaking monster that eats people alive, and pointing out only that it has some dirt under one of its finger nails. The unfortunate fact is that modern industrial agriculture (powered by the profit motive) has become that havoc-wreaking monster. It is hurting and killing people with the dangerous food products it produces. It is also destroying our environment.
So, do I try to avoid “pink slime” in my hamburger? Do I make sure there is no Amonium hydroxide used in making my fast food meal? How, exactly am I supposed to do that? How can I tell which fast food company used this garbage to make the burger I am about to eat? What if Jamie Oliver didn’t catch that particular company? What if the restaurant I am eating at found a way around his meddling discovery of their unhealthy practices? What about the latent stuff Jamie Oliver or others have not yet discovered? Again, it is more than clear that our modern food companies have spiraled COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. One needs to avoid all of it and instead take the little but of time required to understand the true provenance of their food. Otherwise, you risk chronic disease, obesity and premature death, without ever knowing it or being able to prove it.
Let’s not follow behind this industrial monster we call modern agriculture, occasionally catching some miniscule clues of the mayhem it is causing, constantly finding out after the fact that it is severely hurting us and then shouting into the wind with no effect. A truly effective approach would be to:
Avoid industrial food entirely!
F%*K McDonald’s, don’t even buy their coffee. F%*K all the other fast food companies. While we’re at it…F%*K Cargill, Monsanto, ADM, Sysco, Nestle, General Mills, Pizza Hut, Pepsi Co. Coca Cola, and all of the other massive, greedy international food companies that think it is their entitled right to all but enforce us to eat their low grade, unhealthy food products.
Just how much fantastic journalism exposing the dangers of modern food, exactly do we need from Michael Pollen? How much information does Eric Schlosser need to provide on the evils of fast food before we act? How much evidence does Marion Nestle need to illustrate on the topic of corruption and big agriculture? Eric Holt-Gimenez, Robert Kenner, Morgan Spurlock,…these folks are just a few of the great people trying to wake up the public regarding the inherent dangers of the modern foods we consume in such great quantities. How many men, women, and children would a serial killer need to kill before you put that monster down?
The compounded evidence and the undeniable verdict it produces is in:
WHERE OUR COLLECTIVE HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET ARE CONCERNED, THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THESE COMPANIES ARE TOTAL ASSHOLES WHO DON’T GIVE A DAMN IF YOU GET SICK OR DIE, THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY.
Find a small farmer. Hug that farmer and shake their hand. Thank him/her. Buy your meat and produce from their farm. Find a farmer’s market. Find some small, artisan producers of your real food and some small, local restaurants who actually care. Help fix this problem permanently. Save your local grocery store for out of season fruit and vegetables, spices, coffee, tea bags, toothpaste and a few other worthy items. Witness then what magically happens to your health.
I strongly believe that we should collectively destroy this monster we call industrial food. We should starve these companies to death for the pain and suffering they have caused. Thank you Jamie Oliver for your awesome work, but your latest story doesn’t really affect me because I haven’t patronized McDonalds for decades now. I don’t miss a thing. I would strongly advise anyone else to do the same.