Columnist Neal Peirce uses the the example of the recent E. coli outbreak in spinach to underscore the importance of curtailing sprawl and preserving farmland so that we may eat locally-grown produce and avoid similar problems in the future.
"The first OK to buy spinach after the big E. coli scare was for crops shipped out of Colorado or Canada..."
"Great. But why is three-quarters of all U.S. spinach grown in California, then shipped to markets as far distant as 3,500 highway miles? And especially at this time of year, when spinach can be grown successfully almost anywhere?"
"Agribusiness -- that's why. Supermarket chains, grocery wholesalers and fast-food producers all calculate that it is easier to maximize sales and profits by buying from big factory farms with reliable yields..."
"But food policy can be a powerful connective issue, too. Many of us are already trying to burn less fossil fuel, to conserve energy to help avert global warming and its potentially calamitous consequences. Becoming 'locavores' (people whose instinctive first choice is local foods) is a logical complement."
Thanks to Caitlin Greeley
FULL STORY: Learning from the Spinach Scare: Time To Push Local Agriculture
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