[getsmart-l] National Farmers Union Ontario Commentary It is time Canada had a food policy

[John O'Gorman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: National Farmers Union-Ontario Commentary 
To: National Farmers Union- Ontario Commentary 
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 11:41 AM
Subject: National Farmers Union Ontario Commentary It is time Canada had a food policy


 

It is time Canada had a food policy

 

A commentary by the National Farmers Union-Ontario

By Grant Robertson

 

The story of the illness and deaths of pets due to contaminated food is still fresh in the memory of most of us.  After some analysis it was reported that the cause was the food they were eating.  After further analysis it was revealed that the likely culprit was a chemical called Melamine.  It was assumed by many, and that would include me, that this was some sort of accident, predictable maybe in a globalized and industrialized food system, but not a deliberate act, certainly not a routine one.

 

Now the story is slowly leaking out that the presence of Melamine in the Chinese wheat gluten being used was no accident.  Apparently the addition of this toxic chemical is routine in China, perhaps elsewhere.  According to the manager of the company that supplied the wheat gluten to the pet food company they have been doing this for 15 years and it is a widespread and accepted practice.  

 

Christopher Bodden of the Associated Press sums up the reasons Chinese companies add Melamine this way. "Adding melamine raises the nitrogen level of feed, making it appear that the feed is higher in protein without increasing its nutritional value. That makes it attractive to makers of feed for stock animals such as pigs, chickens, and fish, as well as companies that make prepared foods for household pets such as cats and dogs."  Toronto Star (30 April 2007).  

 

It is true this has only affected pet food in North America, that we know of, but it seems a question of when, not if, we have a similar incident in the human food chain.  Certainly stories abound of food recalls for a variety of reasons, but at their core, the overwhelming majority of them are due to an industrialized food system that places the short term thinking of economics above all other values, at the cost of health, the environment, rural communities and family farmers around the world.  

Part of the National Farmers Union sustainable agriculture policy states- "Every nation has the right and responsibility to independently define its own agricultural policies which are in the best interests of its farmers and consumers".  As well the NFU policy says "Every nation is entitled to formulate and enforce standards in food safety, health, nutrition, and cultural and environmental protection." 

Should not our food system work for the best interests of all of the participants?  Should not the primary producers and end consumers have the most input into that system, not those profit takers in the middle and government.  This issue around the addition of a toxic chemical -Melamine- into wheat gluten reveals the fundamental failure of our current food policies and system.  Canada produces wheat in abundance. Why is a wheat derivative being sourced off-shore?  A derivative that is made cheaper than Canadian products because they knowingly introduce a toxin that could harm us. That only makes sense if economics is your only value.  We can have a sustainable food policy that works for all of Canada.  The NFU has a sensible, logical, positive vision - it's time Canada had a food policy too.

 

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Grant Robertson is a senior official with the National Farmers Union-Ontario and a National Board Member of the NFU. Grant and his family farm near Paisley, Ontario.  The author can be contacted at grant at bmts.com

If you have been forwarded this commentary and would like to be added to the distribution list please send an email to grant at bmts.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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