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Your dinner is a political statement.

© Bob Ewing

Snow, enough already! I don't know about you but I'm becoming quite concerned about the weather. Now I know some may say that I'm already preoccupied about weather but the past year or so we have witnessed some very extreme conditions. I've been thinking about what this means and it was the inspiration for last week's article. We may have missed an opportunity to turn things around by being complacent about y2k. Granted the disasters did not take place but we could have used the impetus of the possibility to make some needed changes to our behaviours, as individuals and as a society.

What we do as individuals does matter. Our food choices represent more than a dietary decision. They are a political statement as well. We need to know where the food we buy comes from and how it was produced. Most supermarkets will label the the produce with the country of origin but provide little other information unless the food is grown organically.

Now if you grow your own then you have complete control but not everyone can do this and not all foods can be grown in our northern climates. Bananas are one of my favourite foods. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but, I cannot buy organic bananas anywhere locally, so I don't buy them. This goes beyond the desire to eat organic produce. I eat other foods that aren't organic, such as apples. This is a political action. The banana wars and the harm done by traditional banana growing are sufficient reason to not eat this food.

There environmental concerns as well. Our eating habits do not take place in a vacuum, but are connected to the issues that can decide the nature of the society within which we live. Our food choices have an impact that goes far beyond our kitchen walls and dining room tables. We can make a difference simply by taking the time to find out where our food comes from and the conditions under which it is produced. This applies not only to fresh produce but to packaged food as well. Labeling supplies the consumer with important information that can assit in the decision-making process. You have the right to know what you are eating, insist on it.