We rented Food, Inc. last night. This is a very thoughtful documentary that reminded Brian and I why free range poultry and grass fed beef are really worth their extra expense. A mother spoke of losing her 2 year old son to e.coli from hamburger. The recall on the hamburger wasn't announced until two weeks after her son died. Of course, Charlotte doesn't eat much more than mac n' cheese and cereal these days, but someday she'll love being an omnivore just as much as her parents.
Portions of the documentary picture how the cattle and chickens are contained in tight and dirty living quarters. I really didn't feel so bad for the chickens. I guess I feel their brains are so small and they are only alive for about 30 days. Is that bad? I felt worse for the chicken farmers who take on about $500,000 in debt to own these large chicken houses and follow the standards of companies like Tyson and Purdue...but they only make $18,000 on average/year. The farmers have so many health hazards from being around these antibiotic fed chickens that they tend to become allergic to most antibiotics themselves. They also spoke about how the meat packing companies ship in immigrant farmers, mistreat them, and then allow them to get arrested with no defense.
Brian and I have already looked into the pricing for organic and high quality beef, chicken and pork. In a quick internet search, we found several local farms Liberty Family Farm, Pelican Ranch and Crestwood Farms. They have beef for as little as $3/pound. I'm going to make some freezer space and make a trip out as soon as we can. I'm ready to speak out as a consumer by putting my money into something I can support.
6 comments:
Let Dad and I know if we can go in with you on purchasing. Do they sell by the side, like half/cow, 1/4/cow? We use to fill our freezer with quantities and still look to do it.
I'm in the same boat on this cause. If you want to red more into it, i have a great book you can borrow by Michael Pollan called "The Omnivore's Delimma." I have been interested in finding someone to support local agriculture from and buy from local farmers with ;)
You will LOVE how fresh the beef tastes...if you try chicken from a local farm, it might take some getting used to. Jeff and I get our beef/have tried chicken from a farmer who is a patient of my parents. You won't BELIEVE how salty store-bought chicken tastes after trying chicken from a local farm.
Agreed, haven't seen that movie yet but buy organic whenever possible. I hesitate to buy a 1/4 cow, even if grass fed, because we dont' eat that much red meat. But there must be more consumers demanding healthy options.
Eric and I do the same thing. I got the movie for Christmas and have read all of Michael Pollan's books. Good Luck! I would love to hear how those farms work out. We are basically vegetarian right now, but only because I haven't had a chance to purchase free range meat in a while.
Don't forget about fast food - One of the largest players in the meat industry. Leave it!! Linda
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