The right to freegan is currently under attack by big business, religious and government interests. As most of us know, USAmerica recently had a ISO 22000-based standard for organic foods and products to be sold in grocery stores, and the European Union is considering having similar standards for organic foods in their nations. This, despite strong popular opinion which favors the right to freegans and others demanding to be able to produce organic foods.
This attack on freegans and others who produce organic products is part of the larger issue of the day. Too many European nations want fully synthetic and chemically treated produce. This is in spite of the fact that organically grown produce costs less and does not have the negative effects of such products. These nations also want you to believe that organic foods only come from organically certified farms – which they don’t.
For example, you will almost always find produce such as potatoes, carrots and apples at the organic farmer’s market, where they are less likely to have been sprayed with pesticides. You will rarely find meats at the organic farmer’s market, as they too are conventionally raised.
As more and more people become educated on the dangers and the lack of benefits of chemicals, and as supplies of previously natural, non-gated fields decrease due to plant erosion and economic zo-zy owing to information on the use of genetically altered seeds, the decision is boiled out.
So, what do freegans do?
Organic food advocates around the world are advocating a step change in the consciousness of consumers towards such products.
Freegan means food without the use of artificial or synthetic chemicals, with the exception of someergens. In other words, anything goes. Organic food Freegans around the world are changing their practices, or are considering it a lifestyle change.
There are various ideas on what the Freegan lifestyle is, here are a few:
O Foraging with plants and animals outside the principal food chain.
O Foraging red meats, milk and eggs.
O Storing locally grown food.
O Smoking traditional smokers.
O salvaging finished organic products.
The benefits of organic food compared to non-organic are enormous. These are:
O Organic food is produced from animals that have been treated humanely.
O Animals are classified as organic/g animal by keeping their diet strictly vegetarian.
O Since the demand for organic food is so high, governments of some nations have introduced taxes on organic food.
O ientity in nations with small populations, i.e.iopolar countries, and other areas of the planet where organic is a scarce commodity.
O Small amounts of government spending, including expenditure on research and development.
O the presence of natural habitats, and the richness and abundance of natural resources, including water, soil and energy.
With the world’s population expanding to nearly nine billion people by 2050, and with the trend of increasing illness and mortality, it is clear that we need to change our basic food production model to incorporate a new and more sustainable approach.
This is why there has been a growing demand for organic food production, and the world’s major food crops are facing increased pressure to deliver on sustainability, supply in a world where scarcity of land and water is a common problem.
So what should be done?
O There needs to be a focus on preserving the quality of land and water resources, and also making sure that the Armed forces are using them in a way that protects the environment.
O It must be remembered that food produced must be safe in order to be taken to war.
O The individual who thought carefully about how they produced their food prior to the 20th century would have known that production sickness and diseases were on the increase and that traditional methods of food production were causing concern.
O The emphasis should be on developing more sustainable approaches to food production to both feed the hungry and to use resources sustainably.
O It is also important to debate about the appropriate level of land requirements for different food production methods, and this is an area where there is still aniopesticide debate.
The process is not yet at an expert stage, but is getting closer. It’s an issue that will take time to resolve.
Once it is certain that a method of food production is safe, it will be possible to move on to the next step – will it be economically viable?
That’s the challenge. The marks of a successful harvest are water, oil production, and less material will be required for construction of new fields.
In the short-term, an organic farming model could be used to feed the world’s ever growing population.
About The Author
Helena Eater
How much does the quality of food really matter? If you eat food that tastes good, your life will be better. If you eat food that tastes bad, your life will be worse. The difference between good and evil is partly subjective: what tastes good to me might taste bad to you. The difference is also partly objective: what restaurants I think serve good food might serve lousy food to you. But if we stick to objective measures — measures such as how much weight people gain or lose — we can cut through some of the subjectivity.
