Food for Thought

OK. Remember when Levain and Auriga and Five closed, Seth left Cosmos, and I announced I was out on the ledge, so to speak, over the local state of restaurant affairs? Well I am back on a ledge. Except this time, it’s the ledge of global food production, world hunger, and the threat to our international security.

I have been abroad for a while, and after coming home, I can tell you with utmost assurance, from both anecdotal and scholarly resources alike, that we are in for a sh*tstorm of problems related to the rice panic, the rise of Chinese and Russian food demand, and the falling strength of the dollar. I was in three European countries last week and spent a lot of time with farmers, fishermen, and restaurant employees. The situation in Europe is terrible, and you will read a lot about it in the coming weeks, I am sure.

The French housing market is about to crater, the average EU citizen is facing unprecedented economic uncertainty as food prices eclipse the reach of single earner families in the middle class and lower income families with two wage earners. The cover of the International Herald Tribune even ran with a story about this phenomenon. And watching Al Jazeera, BBC News, and China News for a few weeks would scare the crap out of the average American. Anti-Americanism, fear of economic uncertainty, rising Chinese nationalism of the type that burst into the news last year in Russia (remember the Putin youth stories!?), and a tidal wave of problems rumbling across the Middle and Near East (Pakistani political clashes, Muslim Brotherhood threatening Egypt’s Mubarak oligarchy, Iranian obstinateness, Iraqi everything . . .) are making traveling and news watching uncomfortable.

There seems to be a solution for our ailing image abroad in all this, and it’s food related. Why doesn’t the United States stand up tomorrow and announce a global hunger initiative aimed at getting food into the hands of the world’s hungriest? Why don’t we single-handedly take care of the UN World Food Programme’s money crunch? Why not stand up and show the rest of the world that in our country, we stand alongside the least fortunate in time of need? Well, probably because we can’t even do that in our own country.

A report out on Tuesday from the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production examined the impact of the growth and rampant use of factory facilities masquerading as farms where huge numbers of the cattle, swine, and poultry (some right here in Minnesota) are concentrated in such large numbers and in such close quarters for the sole purpose of speeding up both the growth process and the slaughtering timetables. The report’s conclusion was that we must end this practice or continue to create an ever-widening epidemic of environmental and health problems.  To quote, ”There is increasing urgency to chart a new course . . . (These facilities) often poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves.” And the canard we have been sold for too long is that all of this is good for farmers. Wrong! As an AP story I caught so succinctly put it, “it is good only in that it has shifted rural Americas economic power from farmers to livestock processors.”

Remember, when only three companies control two-thirds of the beef processing in this country, something is wrong. It creates untenable health risks and an ad hoc food cartel, which will very soon have OPEC-like powers that will continue to marginalize the average consumer when it comes to choice and access to healthy, inexpensive quality food. Mark my words, this is happening right now. Eating well is becoming a class issue in this country and around the world.

And if that doesn’t piss you off and give you food for thought, check out these links:

Here is a link to a PDF of "CAFO's Uncovered". Do you know how much tax we pay to clean up after these sh*tholes—literally?

Here is a link to the new Pollan article in the NYT Magazine about the impending climate doom and why someone should plant a garden, or not.

How about going on a recession diet? Really!

Slate has an article on how food writers don't necessarily write about the cost of food. True enough, but that’s not every food writer’s job, is it? That being said, there is a cool idea or two in here. 

Has anyone seen the Vanity Fair green issue? This Monsanto article is amazing in its ability to show you the reach and power that companies like this one have in our world today.

Shipping food around the EU through the perspective of the humble kiwi. 

Truth in Labeling bugging anyone other than me? Chipotle's nutritional info just doesn't add up.

Comments

[davecamaro1994]

Andrew, it is good to be on the ledge when it is something important. People do need to be made aware of what is really going on. The people of the world really do only see one face of America and that is the face of war. Instead of building another multi-billion dollar aircraft carrier or billion dollar bomber we could use that money to easily suppliment the food of the world's hungriest.
You are correct in foreign media portrayal of the U.S is frightening. Of course, they have their own agenda as well.
The Monsanto article is a real eye opener. Who would of thought such strong arm tactics are being used in our own backyard.
With the dollar dropping, food and gas prices rising, the near monopolies of the food industry we are in for tuff times. All that stuff really does piss me off, and I would lend whatever assistance you need in your endeavour.Peace.

[freya_kahlo]

Kudos Andrew Zimmern for telling it like it is. It's time for Americans to open their eyes to what it means to be global citizens.

[Jeff D]

I'm still not convinced this rice thing is anything more than panic buying. I just read an article (sorry, can't remember where) about how Thai and Vietnam's rice crops are going to come in exactly where expected or above in terms of volume.

The same article mentioned that a lot of Thai farmland is not in production, so if more rice is needed it could easily be grown. Most Thai farmers also do not plant in the summer because of how hot it is, but could be convinced to do so if the price gets high enough.

To me this just reeks of someone manipulating the market for trading gains. And when countries cut exports to make sure they have enough domestic rice it only exacerbates the problem.

[Jeff D]

I'm kind of curious as to why it's the responsibility of the U.S. to feed the world.

Don't other nation-states have that obligation to their citizens? Why does it default on us?

[davecamaro1994]

Hey Jeff D, I think it defaults to us because A) We are the most powerful nation on the planet, most of the world looks to us to be a leader and set policy B) We hold the breadbasket of the world in the midwest, and could easily help the people C) We have a bad image and this would help clean it up a bit. If we start this I am sure other nations would jump on the bandwagon, if only for their own political gain. I believe we really need to convert our swords to plowshares.

[tim]

No offense but I get my economic information from economists not panicky food critics.

[Jim]

Chef Andrew, step one is to shutdown the ethanol plants in the US to bring the price of corn back down. That has really fed this problem.

And sorry, the New York Times guy has drank way too much of the Koolaid.

Two years from now, the rice story will be long gone. It's the commodity markets that are screwing with things (including oil). We have gotten so good at panicking.

[May]

Andrew - I disagree with you when you say we should be feeding the world. Our population is burgeoning with immigrants, legal and not, and our economic system is failing. What do you do with jobless Americans whose homes are in foreclosure or gone?

My friends farm in Missouri. They are in their mid-60s/70s. Sue said she was appalled at the feed bill for cattle feed last time they bought it. Jim puts in grain, usually wheat, but the folly of ethanol, they say, is going to put small farmers out of business. Quickly.

Food is skyrocketing here in Florida.
The economy is in the toilet.

We need to insure our people are fed first, because there is only 2-4 days of food left in our warehouses. The figure I have heard on imported food is that we import 78% of it.

America's farmers are in trouble. Thanks to agriconglomerates, who have forced family farms out of business, who have tampered with genetics and hybridization so that you can't even
save seeds to grow them next season, and have helped perpetuate the myth of ethanol as the miracle fuel of the century, we are facing shortages here at home.

Why don't you go through our "breadbasket" and talk to some family
farmers, sit down to dinner with them.
You'll probably have something not-so-bizarre food, but interesting conversation.

(PS - Love your show.)

[Russ]

Yes, who better to get a hands-on feel for the global economic climate than the highly educated master economists. I like to pay particular attention to those employed by the Federal Reserve and our current President as they usually seem to produce sound decisions. A sharply declining dollar and a projected budget surplus by 2012 are personal favorites.

[Davydd]

Andrew, You get to travel the world and can see a different perspective than most of us. Maybe it takes that to truly understand what is going on. It is not only food. It is also fuel, water and population. The world could be on the verge of tapping out.

So you may be very right. There could be a crisis brewing, yet our political discussions revolve around supposedly obscene oil company profits, fuel price gouging, ethanol subsidies raising food prices, gas tax holidays, losing jobs because of NAFTA, lip service to global warming (er, climate change) and pastors. Basically we currently have three senators running for president with petty pandering promises. There seems to be no leadership on the horizon.

The world is finite. There is only so much land. The cultural revolution has squeezed every acre efficiently. There is only so much fresh water. The concept of peak oil of new more expensive extractions not keeping up with the past poke a stick in the ground gushers no matter how much oil might be in reserve is ignored. The world is growing in population at an alarming rate with accelerating desires. And it all could be coming to a head, and fast.

Yet, conventional wisdom is history repeats and everything will correct itself in time or technology will save the day. Maybe not this time if time could be running out. We could be on the cusp of substantive change in America and the world.

[Kelly Red]

Why should the US throw money down a rathole? I see stories on the news about TONS of food rotting on the docks in Haiti, food stolen in Darfar and the Sudan and resold, food with US packaging being used to buy weapons. Why, because these countires reek of corruption and greed and they have for decades. I do have symphathy for people who are starving and living in poverty, but for years and years we have given billions of dollars, shipped over tons of food and it goes on and on. The stories get overwhelming and my patience level goes down. We are no longer the checkbook of the world. Harsh? Yes I'll admit that. True? The rest of you need to admit that too.

[Amanda]

This blog is a real eye opener for me. I would love to hear your thoughts on on we can adjust our everyday life to make a quiet statement about avoiding mass food products and supporting local producers. I feel like even buying something at the Nicolette Mall farmers market doesn't guarantee that integrity of the food. Especially when it comes to meat - my family doesn't eat a lot of meat and we try to buy locally when we do, but it's becoming increasingly difficult.

[chef jamis]

the rice issue is all supply and demand and the weak dollar import and export we don't have a rice shortage. if we slow down the export of our rice and use it in house check out chieftain wild rice they have a few great links on the subject.

[Liz Ward]

I can't comment on commodities or world economies, but this hunger thing in our OWN country is so not good. I was incredulous after watching a Bill Moyers program April 11. See the video here. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04112008/watch2.html
Also, the work of David Beckman (Bread for the World), whose video segment can be reached form that page as well, is trying to address the wackiness of the Farm Bill. These segments tell us about how shrinking supplies at food banks are related to the farm bill. The farm bill topic is hot right now--this will tell you why it needs to be. I don't know what to do about the rest of the world, Andrew, but learning about how things work at home might just get us angry enough to realize that there is something we should be doing.

[Guy Dawson]

Chef Andrew

How disapointing it is to read your last two "doom and gloom" posts. I am a big fan of your show and enjoy your segments on KFAN but I think you are off the ranch now.

There is no doubt that food and fuel prices are making life harder on Americans and the rest of the world. But this is where the law of supply and demand goes in to effect. If food gets expensive people change their behavior (stop eating out, eat different and less expensive foods, eat less). At the same time producers (farmers) will try to bring more product to market to sell at higher prices by farming more land. A farmer client of mine near the south TC suburbs was going to ask a builder if he could plant corn on 40 acres he owns because the demand for new housing has come to a halt.

I wonder why politicians from both parties have not discussed eliminating, even temporarily, subsidies for ethanol production (using corn). In MN E85 (85%ethanol) is sold for .50 cents less than regular gas but it can't be produced for less than gas. Government subsidies allow it to be sold for less.

Yes, times are difficult now but our economy is dynamic. People will change behaviors, people and companies innovate and markets adjust. Things will get better.

[herdee string]

With respect, this article is somewhere between 'naive' and 'highly exaggerated'.

It is correct about the housing market in France. However, perhaps you should broaden this - the house prices of your old chums in the UK are similarly suffering as are the Spanish and most of Europe's...

As regards food, that is really the least of our concerns. I have experienced neither here nor in the UK any dramatic change in food prices. Marisco remains stable, Churrasco has not risen for two years, Pimientos de Padron (when in season) go up with inflation.

Perhaps the reason the middle class single earners are experiencing issues vis-a-vis affording food is due to interest rate rises meaning higher mortgage payments and less disposable income.

Please stick to reviewing food rather than economies Sir. Particularly when you have little to no experience of Europe...

[Umamimama]

It is tempting to debate the food crisis on the elevated planes of international politics and economics. But the problem on the ground is simple: people need food. There are many groups that are well positioned to procure and distribute food to people who are struggling and starving.
Feed My Starving Children and Children's Hunger Fund work internationally, while Second Harvest Heartland, Harvest for the Hungry and Lost Harvest are doing good work here at home. Of course, there are tons of others.
Why wait for global economic and political forces to 'fix' the problem when we can donate to these organizations now?

[dailytri]

ACK. Before the U.S. sticks its meddling hands into any other country's social issues, perhaps it would be good to feed and house the large percentage of CHILDREN right here in our own city, state and country who go to bed under a bridge hungry every night. The U.S. can no longer afford to be the social welfare arm of the rest of the world.

[Claire]

Thanks so much for the condecsention Mr. Zimmern, you sound very much like most of the US politicians. Some of us have been watching BBC World News for years. BBC America had been running their usual World News broadcasts every morning and evening until they recently changed to some dumbed down BBC America News version for supposedly more stupid American audiences, but you can also watch the original on KTCI (PBS) locally. And until Al Gore robbed us of the station there was a wonderful cable network (now replaced by the horrid Current) that showed international news broadcasts from numerous countries like ITV, CBC, etc. Some of us seek out world news, have relatives overseas, and have a very good understanding of International events Andrew so please don't continue to speak down to "Americans" as a whole like we are entirely an uneducated rednecks. It only makes you look like one.

[Rog]

I heard an interesting blurb regarding this issue on NPR this morning. Basically, the fellow they were interviewing, Raj Patel, was arguing for sourcing food aid as locally as possible, rather than shipping in US grown foodstuffs. According to Mr Patel, simply dumping US grow food into these countries can have the perverse effect of depressing local food prices and forcing local farmers out of business.

Here's the link if you want to check it out:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90167630

[Frank Fershizzle]

We're gonna be eatin' worms like yer tv show. An' drinkin' ethanol. Yahoo!