Hi Honey!

One curious trend about the growing awareness of food is where change is occurring.  New Yorkers are gardening, Texas has revamped its school lunch menus, and Florida is putting some sting in its honey:  it’s the first state to require that any honey sold within its boundaries is 100% pure.

The week, Florida’s state government announced that no additives, sugar, chemicals, sweeteners—you name it—can be added to honey.  It’s a good first step:  for too long governments at all levels have sided with business, while the right wing has equated consumer protection with socialism and trial lawyers.  Meanwhile, our meat supply gets tainted; your olive oil may—OOPS—not be from 100% olives; and even salad greens and tomatoes have exposed consumers to e coli.

I realize it’s not always practical to only buy food grown within a 50 mile radius from where we live.  Genetically engineered food may be a reality to feed a growing global population.  But what we should have is the assurance that the ingredients we see on the label are right ones—and if not, there should not be any nonsense terms such as “organic,” “natural,” or “nothing artificial added” that distort the truth.

Finally, it’s not enough seeing that companies that knowingly falsify what their products are about get nailed:  agencies like the FDA need teeth, in the form of more food inspectors, who could guarantee that no one gets ill from our food supply.