Does it matter if people are disconnected from food?
I used to be physically fit from playing hockey and squash and golf with friends in Guelph, Ontario. A lot of them worked in agriculture – for the feds, province, university, industry, and farm groups – and a lot of them insisted that people were disconnected from how food was produced and so support for agriculture sucked. If people were better educated about growing and preparing food, problems with food safety would be largely resolved and an Age of agricultural Aquarius would be achieved (Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding …)
So it was hardly surprising to read this morning that the best and brightest in Guelph told some federal politicians that people are disconnected from the food they eat.
Vern Osborne, assistant professor of animal and poultry science at the University of Guelph, said Canadians, especially young ones, are disconnected from the food they eat. A policy, he suggested, should include educational components that teach kids where their food comes from and how to actually prepare it. Kids have largely lost the ability to cook, he and others said.
Rickey Yada, professor of food science at U of G, agreed that young people have lost the ability to prepare even simple dishes, a fact that is contributing to widespread indifference towards food issues.
Such generalizations are of little use. My kids know how to cook; so do lots of others. Lots of people drive but don’t know how their cars work. Lots of people use computers and know little about integrated circuits. I recognize it’s trendy to say people are disconnected from food production, but so what? Where’s the evidence that having a connection with food –however that is defined -- will make people fitter, healthier and safer?
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/admin/trackback/124855
It's all that political correctness. Has anyone gotten the numbers on whether agricultural workers (only the genuine ones - yuppie farmers don't count) tend to be fitter, healthier and safer than middle-of-the-supermarket shoppers?
Back off. I'm sure your point is both scholarly and correct, but for cryin' out loud, bite your tongue. Trendy isn't so hurtful as you worry. Allying across l'agence du change is a good warning to any leader too.
Heck. My raspy comment isn't a reply to crs, but to mediate the criticism of those promoting increased measures for food. I was just trying to say 'count your friends'.
I'm all for small farms and local food, but not because I feel it's intrinsically any safer or healthier. It just seems sensible to try for regional food independence if possible. Using land for crops instead of McMansions will be more useful in the long run, when things fall apart and the center cannot hold...
I agree that being more connected to food doesn't automatically lead to greater food safety. But I do think that small stuff, like letting kids choose veggies at a farmers market, or getting them involved in growing their own veggies) might make them more likely to eat those veggies.
Your kids might be able to cook their own stuff, but lots of kids, and even people in their 20s and 30s can't do so. THAT is the problem audience. Like your kids, I grew up knowing how to cook, and cook well for myself, but I'm not in the majority. It is weird to me how many people my age (30) don't know how to make anything beyond pasta (and some can't even make that). Truly shocking. So I do think that many people have a disconnection from even the most basic elements of food preparation. I don't think everyone needs to be on ground zero for where their food comes from, but many of us are too out of touch. And I think that those who are interested should have the chance to get to ground zero (they might be the next generation of chefs).
At any rate, we have a problem when a large segment of the population can't really "cook," and opts for frozen stuff, restaurants, or carry-outs. I don't think we're far from that situation. That concerns me.