We are in the crossfire of a food fight. The Associated Press reported on October 7, 2010, that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson requested that U.S. Department of Agriculture allow them to prohibit the purchase of sugary drinks with food stamps. It’s part of an obesity-fighting program.
Minnesota tried something more draconian in 2004. It sought to ban junk foods, including candy and soda and who knows what from food stamp purchases. At the time USDA rejected the proposal saying it would violate the Food Stamp Act’s definition of what is food.
Meanwhile, school districts across the US are torn between the revenue from in school junk food vending machines and nutritional health and well being of the kids they serve. First Lady Michelle Obama entered the arena with her own crusade on urban childhood obesity earlier this year.
It’s a food fight. The folks who are in the know want to tell us what to eat. There is irony. The folks in the know are also in charge of the FDA, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. They are the people who sculpted our food culture, nurtured our agricultural industries and set the stage for the commercial food industry which largely serves up our supper.
To night I am making chicken stock. Bread and soup will be our supper on Tuesday and possibly Thursday. It will be a meal for an ill friend on Tuesday as well. These are meals born from the home economy. Home cooking if you will and it is beyond the reach of the FDA, USDA and HHS. On this soup I will keep you posted. The stock starts with two whole chickens.
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