Produce with Passports

We know asparagus is not in season right now but if you see it in the produce aisle of your grocery store--doesn't matter what time of year--chances are pretty high that it came from Peru.  Little progress has made in establishing nation-wide and mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for produce.  COOL legislation is becoming more important than ever as a new phenomenon takes hold:  the outsourcing of farming.

It has been reported that many essential crops are being farmed in foreign countries and imported here as a cheaper alternative to the food grown here in the states.  I'm sorry, I didn't think it was possible to pay farmers any less.  The issues this raises for food justice, food safety, and the environmental impact of flying food across the ocean that could easily be grown right here are huge.  Don't get me started.  Read about it here.

Photo courtesy of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board

Comments

[mzn]

Out-of-season asparagus tastes bad and is overpriced, too.

Thanks for the link. That's a really interesting article.

[Jennifer]

Haverchuk--Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm glad to discover your blog--I've been laughing all afternoon! I used to love the show Freaks and Geeks.