Mark wrote:
> At 06:10 PM 6/14/99 -0400, you wrote:
>
> > 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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