DEAD OR ALIVE

With all the information on food labels it is difficult if not impossible to make decisions on nourishment. We act in faith that the truth is being told to us on the quality of ingredients. So much trust in the food system. Of course there is plenty of regulation and legislation along the way to give us the sense of protection and food “security”
 
With our food systems under scrutiny though and ultra processed foods being outed for their destructive health impacts it is time to rethink how we actually perceive food. I ask the question always how close can we get to the source of our food? The Urban Co-op is a conduit between the farm and us. But are we prepared to go further? Growing our own is actively encouraged of course in terms of gardening. But what about meat? Are we prepared to hunt, fish, kill, skin, gut, pluck etc to prepare our dinner? All the stages involved in getting food to the table that we never have to contemplate because we have outsourced it. This disconnect may be our undoing. Real food means re establishing the connections with where the food comes from. Living foods. Getting to know our farmer is a good start. They are the custodians of the living foods. Their work needs to be seen, acknowledged, valued as a start. Isn’t it time to get busy living instead of managing our deterioration? 

​Anne Maher