For
many years I have been ranting that the food industry no longer has a
connection with agriculture as we envisage it, The food industry is
now part and parcel of the chemical industry. Everything we eat, has
been processed through a multitude of chemicals, some for flavour,
(who wants natural flavours) colouring, (who wants natural colour)
and shelf life (who wants fresh food). Then of course there is the
production end, the fields and the animals. Everything that grows is
treated with pesticides, chemical fertilisers and growth enhancers.
The animals and farmed fish are pumped full of growth hormones and
antibiotics to the extent that we are now being faced with bacteria
that is resistant to any of our known antibiotics, leaving us to face
diseases that we can't treat. What might surprise you is that of all
the antibiotics sold in America, only about 20% goes to sick people,
most of the rest finds its way to the farmed animals and fish. All
this is done for profit, not for our health and well being. The image
of farms with animals being cared for and tended with a touch of
humanity and fed on natural produce is an illusion, it is factory
farming on a vast scale for the vast majority of livestock.
Not content with turning animals and fish into factory produced
items, we now have the news that a Dutch university has managed to
come up with the first laboratory produce synthetic “meat”.
Muscle fibre produced from stem cells has been grown in their
laboratory, they commented that “unfortunately it is white”, but
they are planning to mix it with blood, (from who or what?) and fat,
(from who or what?) and by August they hope to have a hamburger. Any
takers for the first bite??
How far from the natural world will they take our diet? Can you
imagine a world where you can be shown round the pork making factory
and next door is the meat making factory, while down the road is the
fish making factory and the fruit making factory. Of course they are
all in very close proximity to the corporate chemical plant. Is this
the world you want to leave to your grand kids? Well like it or not,
that is the road we are going, unless we change the system, but don't
expect that change to come from those who stand to gain billions from
this bizarre and unnatural route, there will always be enough fresh natural food at a price for them.
