It seems like virtually every food manufacturer wants to jump on the
"natural" bandwagon, but as sharp consumers already know, the word
"natural" on the label of a food product or meat package doesn't really
mean much: tricky food marketers can use the word "natural" even on
products containing all sorts of dangerous ingredients like MSG and
sodium nitrite. Hopefully, the new labeling rules on beef, due this
Spring, will provide a bit of clarity to these claims.
On a slightly
different topic, this story includes a quote from a consumer who says he
would only buy "natural" beef if it were the same price as beef raised
on hormones. I think a lot of consumers share this thoughtless approach
to purchasing beef products, which just goes to show you how little
people really understand about the economics of food production and
marketing.
Beef produced with hormones, antibiotics, crowded
feedlots and other questionable strategies will always be cheaper
by the pound than beef that comes from free-range, organically raised
cows. Why? Because it costs money to treat cows with decency. It takes
more time for cows to grow to a ready-for-market body weight when
they're not pumped full of steroids. When you buy organic beef, you're
not paying for the meat as much as you're paying for the ethical
approach to producing that meat. You're paying for good karma, honest
ranching practices, and for the respect of an animal that's providing
you with food.
In contrast, when you buy meat produced the corporate
way, with all the antibiotics and hormones, you're subsidizing what can
only be called an industry of evil: a for-profit effort by individuals
to exploit living creatures (cows) for their own financial gain, with
absolutely no regard for the experience of the animal, the impact on the
environment, nor the health of consumers.
In other words, cheap beef
may be easy on your pocketbook, but it weighs heavily on your soul.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, January 22, 2004
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