Here at Blank The Plague we worry about many things. But at the very top of the list, we worry about food.Food is fundamental. There is nothing more basic to our daily lives, our cultures, or our societies. Our bodies are built from it and sustained by it. Here in the relatively affluent western world we tend to think of our daily food choices as a matter of personal satisfaction, a way to cure our momentary hunger and to gain enjoyment. Daily food choices, however, have an impact that reaches far beyond personal fulfillment. Individuals, for the most part, do not realize the ramifications that their nutritional selections can have upon many factors, including their own long term health, the local economy, the global economy, the health of many environmental systems, and even upon matters of human rights. This is not due to any personal failure on the part of the consumer; rather, it stems from the fact that information regarding modern food practices is systematically withheld from the public. This has largely to do with the fact that if people knew what was going on, they would probably be very, very upset.
Without adequate information, an individual's ability to make optimal food choices is crippled. That person is making decisions in an extremely complicated food environment, but is largely unaware of what lies beyond the supermarket. Because within the modern food industry adequate information is almost completely unavailable, many and possibly even most people are unaware that their breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are having a dramatic negative impact on, well, you name it. Only through education will people gain the skill to make optimal food choices - those that will support a positive, healthy, and sustainable food environment.
The overarching goal of blank the plague regarding this topic is to increase awareness of the true impact of individuals' daily food choices upon these many aspects, thus enabling people to make informed food choices. People should be aware, for instance, that livestock are emitting more greenhouse gases than gas-powered vehicles are. Yes, really. Or that overused petroleum-based fertilizer (being dumped on the corn that inappropriately feeds all that livestock) running off of fields and eventually down the Mississippi River is causing an enormous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, endangering marine ecosystems on which people have depended for generations. Or that meatpacking plants regularly employ illegal immigrant workers, so that a) they can pay them less, and that b) when they are inevitably injured in this dangerous and unsanitary workplace the employer won't be held accountable for medical costs. (Many meatpacking plants have turnover rates of over 100% every single year.) This, of course, only scratches the surface of the issues. By enabling people to make informed food choices, we hope to help revise peoples' understanding of the food industry, thereby creating a more sustainable and equitable global community and ending or even reversing the practices that are currently leading to environmental destruction on every level, along with all manner of social injustice and political and economic instability.
Many will and have and do argue that federal and state laws need to be altered, and that this is the best way to affect change and create a healthier food system. We do not believe that this is either necessary or particularly effective. Major food corporations for the past hundred years or more have done everything possible to sidestep, find loopholes in, or flat out re-write whatever laws there are that are intended to govern them. Big Business is notorious for flouting federal regulation. (Rewrite air pollution laws to make Shell Oil behave! Yeah, that'll totally work... considering that they're not following the laws that are in place now... um, what? We just don't understand that kind of "logic".) We the people must realize that we live in a society built upon a market-based economy, and that demand is king. This means that the power is in the people. If the demand changes, the supply will change in response. It has already begun happening; there are infinitely more organic and sustainable products on the market today than there were twenty or even ten years ago. But beware: for every good product there are ten impostors...
The danger is that when anything becomes profitable it becomes Big Business shortly thereafter. We are seeing this trend in organics at this very moment; while while there is an enormous increase in the availability of organically grown produce and organically raised livestock, there have also been multiple attempts by the industry to alter the meaning the word of "organic". In other words, they want to simply re-label their existing products instead of making actual changes in their products and practices. Already there are such anomalies as organic high fructose corn syrup. Other problems also exist - words like "organic" and "free range" are not always what they seem. Did you know, for example, that an organic chicken may never have spent a single day outside? Or that a free range chicken may have only had access to a pitiful stretch of dusty ground for a week or two of its life? For this reason, it is important to do your homework. Research your companies, and for both your information and your food know your sources.
What do we mean by "know your sources"? Here's our litmus test for the validity of a piece of information: figure out who's telling you something. Then figure out whether or not they will make money (or in some cases gain power) if you believe them. If they stand to make large financial or other gain by you agreeing with their stance, then there's a good chance that there are some ulterior motives involved. For example: High fructose CORN syrup acts the same in the body as sucrose, and is perfectly safe? And may be even better than sucrose?!? Why, thanks for the info, CORN GROWERS OF AMERICA! See what we mean? This step is crucial, and it applies to all topics, not just food.
So where to start your education? Well if you've gotten this far down the page you're on your way. But to really begin, some required reading. We suggest tackling it in this order:
-Give yourself a break and start with a DVD - Supersize Me made by Morgan Spurlock back in 2004. It'll give you some things to think about while entertaining you. But do yourself a favor and don't bother with the book, or with Vegan Chef Alex's book either. They're both sorely disappointing. (Sorry guys. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that your editors / publishers screwed you.)
Now you've gotta start reading. As a primer, google "livestock's long shadow". Just do it. You'll see. Then, to books... Please see the "books" section on the left side of this page!
We'll be putting up other info on this page as much as possible, but with a little effort you can find many things on your own. The main thing is understanding that there's something to look for.
Now, go read! And when you get really tired, go befriend Bright, our illegitimate child, where you'll find all of our nonsense products. Products? Yes. Well, sort of. We hand-make unique objects, mostly from various re-purposed materials, and sell them. Mostly at a loss. Why? Because we like making things, and because brands suck, and because sweatshops suck, and because you shouldn't give your money to evil mega-corporations when you can keep it within your community and support something, well, better. Right? We thought so.
