Being Good Food Citizens
An excerpt from the author's book, The Eco-foods Guide.
By Cynthia Barstow
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Eco-eating is no easy affair. It takes care and work to
make informed decisions. Every day, there is something new
to learn about our foods — how they are grown or
raised, what the governmental policies are or are not, and
how farming affects families all over the world.
The sad state of our food system can feel daunting; yet I
believe that together we can visit the issues and celebrate
our choices for change. Every day new projects emerge from
creative people offering up potential solutions to
food-related problems. Our job, as shoppers, is to
encourage them and to buy the fruits of their labor.
Many of the issues lead to value judgments and difficult
ethical choices. Do we feed the hungry by developing
higher-yielding crops, even if it might harm the Earth? How
can we make good, clean food available to all, not just
those who can afford the higher cost? Do I have the "right"
to purchase genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs for school
lunches when I am responsible for other people's children?
These are some of the questions being asked in
conversations across the country, and ones we each need to
ask ourselves.
Our individual decision-making power helps create our food
system — each buying decision we make influences what
is marketed to us. We need to act as "food citizens" by
taking personal responsibility for shaping our food system.
The Wisconsin Foodshed Research Project has defined a food
citizen as follows: "Food citizens are eaters who take an
interest in food beyond its affordability and availability.
Food citizens are concerned about environmental
sustainability, the health of farmers and consumers, issues
of justice for farmworkers and the poor, and democratic
participation in determining where our food system is
heading." So if we decide to take on this responsibility,
how do we start thinking on a personal level about the food
ethics and values?
