PRINTEditor's Letter: Planting the seed
Vox staff
Kurt Woock
May 3, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. CST
News about food usually focuses on the consumer. You can readily find stories and ads about studies or “studies” that show how grapefruit aids weight loss, how soy builds muscle, how the acai berry prevents cancer or how tea spurs brain activity.
The reasons behind this me-centric view of food are clear. First, the topic is as personal as it is universal. Second, there’s a lot of money involved (The average American adult spends between $250 and $300 each month on groceries). Companies have a big incentive to convince shoppers that their products are filled with benefits.
The me-centric, ends-justify-forgetting-the-means approach to understanding food is changing. People are realizing that, when it comes to food, the means are inseparable from the ends. We’re starting to reconsider who makes our food and where it comes from, and that’s beginning to change what we choose to eat.
Vox features a number of food producers this week. Meet Chris Heins, a 26-year-old farmer who exemplifies the resurgence of small farms and young farmers in Missouri.
Vox investigates the seafood supply chain. Jokes about eating fish when you live in the Midwest scare some people into avoiding it. In the end, quality is based on two things: Temperature (expected) and relationships (perhaps not). Chefs who know where their fish comes from cook with confidence.
We care about where our elected officials come from, sometimes going so far as to question where their parents came from. Yet the average American adult blindly puts 2,000 pounds of food into his or her body annually. Wouldn’t you like to know where that comes from, too?
