Closer is Better
By Kathleen Erickson, owner/publisher Buy Sell & Trade, Inc.
There's probably not a soul in Canada who isn't familiar by now with the word Listeria. It has been linked to the meat coming from the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto. This incident has made me reflect once again on how far away we have gotten from knowing where our food is grown or who produced it.
Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods has to be commended for taking full and complete responsibility for the results of the contamination and for keeping the public fully aware of the steps he and his company were taking to fix the problem. Even so, I can't help feeling that we as consumers are also to blame. How is it that we have allowed such vast decentralization of our food? I was unaware until the outbreak that deli meat I purchase at my local supermarket or that pre-made sandwich being served in hospitals or long-term care facilities likely originated in Toronto. I am frankly, appalled by the fact that a contaminated meat slicer in Toronto caused a death on Vancouver Island. But I'm also aware that we don't yet have the infrastructure on the Island to be food self-sufficient
A recent article in the Cowichan Citizen (Wednesday Oct 01/2008) passed the following idea: "Ever wonder what would happen if no suddenly our borders were closed...like on 9/11. No planes came in, no planes left. Trucks carrying our food were stuck in the united States, unable to enter Canada. Food was scarce on the shelves for a time. What if it happened again?What if it happened to a larger degree? Or for a longer time? What then?"
The municipality of North Cowichan is starting down the road to finding answers to these questions. What they find will be scary. With only 4-6% of food eaten on the Island being produced here we Islanders are very vulnerable. Another article in the Times Colonist on October 11th, 2008 underscored the dilemma facing farmers in getting their food to market. New regulations implemented last fall now force poultry farmers to process their livestock through government licensed inspection plants before the meat can be sold in stores. The nearest plant for all the Greater Victoria is in the Cowichan Valley. Trucking the birds to the lower mainland or the Cowichan Valley virtually eliminates any kind of profit. If this were me, I'd look for a new business.
The time is NOW for Island citizens to express our desire for local food security and to advocate on behalf of farmers. Let's use dollars to support local producers by buying locally and use our vote in the upcoming Municipal election to encourage politicians to facilitate agricultural infrastructure.