The sponsors of the food guide pyramid have a policy that is markedly out of line with the healthy eating recommendations it purports at mypyramid.gov: keeping small time farmers from growing fruits and vegetables.
The recent New York Times article My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables) by farmer Jack Hedin, tells his tale of fighting to grow healthy foods for his community. It’s heartbreaking. He ends up paying a fine for growing produce on designated commodity acreage.
The truth seems to be that the USDA is implementing the commodities program at any cost. Even if it means a disproportionate amount of unhealthy foods flooding the market in the form of processed snacks items, beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, grain fed animals for meat and dairy. This policy promotes production of these foods, the overeating of these foods, and thus, it supports the burgeoning of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
As a dietitian who works with an urban poor patient population, I know full well the barriers to obtaining and eating fresh produce. What would benefit my clients, our nation’s school children, the elderly, and the population at large, would be a food policy that supports the growing of fruits and vegetable.
The farm bill, currently being debated, not only impacts small farmers like Jack Hedin but all the eaters of America. The farm bill funds food stamps, the commodities program, conservation, and other programs fundamental to the nation’s wellness. Last fall myself, and many others, sent letters to senators urging them to support an amendment to the farm bill that didn’t pass. Now it’s anyone’s guess what’s going to happen if the house doesn’t produce a final bill this week- the current bill is due to run out March 15th.
As the cost of food rises, fruits and vegetables will be unreachable for many food insecure families. Unless something changes.
Bottom Line:
We’re a long way from achieving five to nine serving of fruits and vegetable, in a rainbow of colors.
Support a healthy farm bill. Petition your representative to make meaningful changes to our nation’s food policies. Check out Oxfam’s pages on the farm bill. And please leave a comment if you know of any more up to date legislation information.
In the meantime, seek out and support alternative sources of produce at farmers markets, through CSAs, gardening, and urban agriculture.
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4 comments:
It sounds like If the government is giving money (subsidies), it wants to control what you farm. That sounds fair. If you don't want to grow what the government wants you to, don't take the money. Am I missing something...
Jeff thats a great point! I'll refer you back to Jack Hedin's article where he says:
"I’ve discovered that typically, a farmer who grows the forbidden fruits and vegetables on corn acreage not only has to give up his subsidy for the year on that acreage, he is also penalized the market value of the illicit crop, a...The penalties apply only to fruits and vegetables — if the farmer decides to grow another commodity crop, or even nothing at all, there’s no problem."
This is another huge barrier for the growing and eating of fruits and vegetables.
I read the original article and thought I understood it, but you'll have to forgive me as I don't live on a farm.
I could be wrong, but when the term "corn acreage" is used, I assume those acres have already been designated by an agreement between the farmer and the government to be used for corn as part of the condition of the subsidy. I assume that the government uses those numbers to control the corn supply so there isn't too much or too little (price control). If that was the case, I would assume there would be a penalty for growing non corn on "corn acreage".
I actually was just watching something on cnn where the price of wheat has gone up 400% in the last year (surely something to do with oil or ethanol).
Corn and wheat are so integral to the american diet that when those foods have a high cost, so do it's many, many associated forms, including what you describe as "...processed snacks items, beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, grain fed animals for meat and dairy." While these might not be the best foods by your judgement, these are many of the staples of the american diet. And Don't forget cereals and other more positive corn derivitives.
When the price of watermelon goes up 400%, then watermelon is more expensive. When corn goes up 400%, half the items at the grocery store get more expensive.
I don't want to come off as anti-fruits or veggies because I'm not. Is it possible to have some acres be "corn acreages" and others to be not designated for such on the same farm? That sounds like a solution.
Another series of great points by Jeff! This country's agricultural policies have been designed to offer inexpensive food to its population (you can thank Nixon era ag secretary Earl Butz for that) and thus we currently expect and pay less for our food than other countries. I would argue that the current policy of providing high volumes of cheap foods isn't benefiting us... Thanks for your input & solution oriented idea!
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