> I would just like to make sure that people are aware of what they are
>buying. Just because a chain food store (or other store or farmer
>or.......) says animals should be raised humanely and without antibiotics
>doesn't mean they are walking the walk. Talk is very cheap in this
>country. In the end, I'm coming to the conclusion the only reliable way to
>get what you think you are is to buy directly at the farm. Is there
>another reliable method?
Greg,
I think people should know what they are buying and be able to trust what
they are buying. But I would be wary of making broad statements calling
into question claims about products unless you have evidence that they are
not what they appear. This kind broad based mistrust is a double edged
knife. I have been at board meetings (for an organization I serve) where
people have fought against investing funds in a socially responsible
investment portfolio because "you never really know if they are doing what
they say they are doing." This was a nationally known and widely acclaimed
fund. Yet we could not muster enough support for it because of this rather
baffling level of mistrust. So now the funds are going to be invested in
tobacco and firearms manufacturers, something no one really wants to do. I
have also seen farmers call into question other farmers' practices and
spread rumors about them. They spent a lot of time discredting someone who
is working hard and then their accusations ended up being false.
The only reliable method is to either buy from a farm whose practices you
know intimately, or to trust that an independent agency has certified them,
or to trust the label. And as we have seen in Belgium, there are times
when a lack of trust is warranted. Trust, but trust wisely.
Mark
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