Last Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association (MWPHA) held a panel discussion in Hyattsville, MD in an effort to spread awareness about food access issues beyond the geographical borders of the District. The event was significant because it demonstrated that people within the health profession are sometimes unaware of “where their food comes from.”
The panel was convened by Tambra Stevenson, Chair of the MWPHA’s Food & the Environment Committee (and DC Food For All contributor). Also on hand were Carl Rollins of Common Good City Farm (another DC Food For All contributor), Aileen Orlino, a GWU graduate student studying public health, and myself, also a public health graduate student. The topic was “What’s on your plate? Are today’s food policies making you sick?”
While non-organic healthy foods sat in the background, a yummy dynamic organic dialogue took place between the panel and audience—both of which were very diverse. Questions ranged from “Do I have to eat organic…I hear it is healthier, but I cannot afford it?” to “What are hoop houses” and “So are there PCBs in fish?”
In a wide-ranging, informative free for all the many aspects of our broken factory farm-focused food system were explored. Tambra outlined many of the problems: the tragedy that even though the system has successfully created a supply of low-cost food much of it is high in sugar, salt and lacks nutritional value.
We have traded health for an abundant supply. She also noted that we as a society can “Pay now, or pay later.” Healthy food can be more expensive but poorer health outcomes and decreased longevity are an overlooked societal cost. Moreover, “We need to stop our addiction with foods high in sugar that are like a new crack,” Tambra said.
I urged a paradigm shift in our culture where people spend a little bit greater proportion of their incomes on food (of higher quality) and become less accustomed to cheap food (and its allure, e.g. convenience).
Carl Rollins described the conditions that chickens and cattle are raised in, the overuse of antibiotics and hormones with their potential impact on public health, and the effects of all of this on the environment. He supported the use of school garden programs and eventually large-scale urban agriculture as part of a multi-pronged solution to these health and food problems.
There are ways to check our addiction to sugar and unhealthy foods. Once we have information, we can start small and begin to make incremental changes in our diets.
We can think about why we are eating what we are eating. We can think about where our food came from—did it come from a large factory livestock or fish farm, where animals may be eating their own feces? Heck, maybe it came from our own backyard. Or maybe some day, while reading a menu in a restaurant, we will think about our food choice based on its number of calories; something people un-consciously or consciously do in places today, such as New York City, the state of California, and Philadelphia.
This last measure was highlighted by Orlino who spearheads the “DC Voices for Healthy MEAL Choices” effort. This is a MWPHA initiative. “MEAL” stands for the DC Menu Education and Labeling Act. Although, introduced in 2007 it has languished in the DC Council because Councilmember David Catania (Independent, at large), Chairman of the Committee on Health has prevented a hearing on the matter. In DC, if the chair of the council committee that has jurisdiction of a particular bill refuses to call a hearing the legislation cannot move forward as a practical matter.
We all have a right to know what is in our food. And we can check ourselves by checking both our trash and recycling bins. Are your bins constantly full (in relation to your household size)? Do you see mostly cans, styrofoam, Chinese take-out containers? Chances are we are eating too many pre-prepared foods that often are high in trans fat, unidentifiable chemical preservatives, sodium, and high fructose corn syrup. Precisely the foods that are the worst for us.
It is time to cook a little more. Think a little more. You don’t need to live close to Whole Paycheck (as Carl and others call it) to have a more healthy diet. Learn what’s good for you, take the time to search for healthier foods that you can afford, eat less, and advocate for changes to our local food system. Get out and get involved!
Check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood WATCH guides. Eat vegetables and fruits as much as possible. Make water your primary beverage. And don’t be afraid to make small changes over time. As one audience member pointed out, if you are accustomed to eating Ramen noodles, decide to add vegetables and throw out the salt packet. By doing these things you have made a significant step towards eating healthier within your own beautiful life.
Another audience member recalled that a horse and buggy carrying produce used to supply her Baltimore inner-city neighborhood when she was a child. Perhaps we need to reintroduce vegetable carts. Her story may be a nostalgic symbol of the past, but it is time to think about what you eat in the present and its affect on both your future health and that of the earth.
