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What would the benefit of the free market system be? Other than increasing the profits of the large food companies.
It just seems your idea is completely reactive rather than proactive, its up to the consumers to research everything they eat rather than certain items known to cause helth concerns to be banned.
Has anyone ever researched these food chemicals at all? I was amazed how much stuff is allowed to be put in our food that isn't anywhere else. We're allowed a whole host of nasty shit that even America don't allow in there food.
Things that have health concerns ought to be banned?
This rather jars against your views (I presume) concerning marijuana doesn't it.
(I apologise if my presumption is wrong but i kinda assume that you are for liberalising laws on this)
Although the two arent really related Ill attempt to explain my position.
Cannabis - prohibition has clearly failed, giving the market a impure product which is of higher risk to the consumer. Controlled legal sale would reduce the potential harm to the consumer.
Recovered and chemically treated offal (or other chemical additives) - No need other than the reduction of cost and higher profit, known harm and no possible black market because there isnt really any demand. Banning these processes and substances from food would reduce the potential harm to the consumer.
I'm With Stupid, why should it be up to me to trawl through the press to find out about the food that I am eating? If it says beefburger on the the front it should be a fucking beefburger, made with beef not mechanically recovered cows intestines flavoured with a list of chemicals as long as your arm.
To think that consumers can change company policy in many cases is utterly ridiculous. What happens is that companies just change their marketing- 20% less salt!- until people buy it again.
But hey, if companies sell shit and hide it, and people don't notice, its because people are lazy, right?
Why should it be your responsibility to find out what you're putting in your mouth? I ask you, why should it be anyone elses fucking responsibility? It's your body.
Would most likely set up a scheme? And what if they didnt?
Again it sounds really like you're happy for food makers to put virtually anything in food and for there to be only the labels they choose to add.
Why should a company be able to sell this 'shite' to kids? Why are things allowed to be sold as food when none of the 'ingredients' are even vaugely like the one's you'd use at home if you cooked the same thing?
And the people who cant make an informed choice? Those who cant read for example or those with low IQ.
I'm not arguing that this should be the way it is, I'm just saying that under the free market, not much would change, which was what the argument was about if you remember.
Don't get me wrong, I do take a look at most things I buy now and then, but sometimes I just want to trust that what I'm buying is what it says it is.
There's a lot of things people would want or do in an ideal world, but it's just not realistic. I would love to buy free range chicken meat for example, but I haven't got a clue where to start finding out where/if that's possible so I'm stuck supporting this filthy practice that most chicken farming is if I want to eat chicken. It'd help me loads if the government put a legislation on it. Although for now it's not realistic, sadly.
Will keep it in mind if I move to the UK. It breaks my heart to see shots from these farms. It's disgusting and sick and I hate supporting it. Thankfully the store I shop from now sells free range eggs. Maybe they have meat as well, need to have a better look I suppose.
You mean the way that most other self-accreditation schemes are such huge and resounding successes?
There's no such thing as independent.
There would be amongst those who can afford to choose. As for the rest of us, well, you eat what you're given, don't you?
Blagsta, you can get free range/organic produce in most supermarkets. But with the notable exception of the Co-Op, the organic range is twice the price of the normal stuff. Great if you're on a small budget, isn't it?
We ban kids from smoking, why can't we ban them from shite foods?
And as for the budget, I don't really get what your issue is. If I'm on a budget at the moment, I still have to buy meat with no meat in it, and "fish" rather than haddock. How is it any different?
Who makes the law?
Organic produce shouldn't be treated as the mecca of food. It guarantees a certain level of production quality, however, this rarely justifies the prices that are attached to the label.
Eating well isn't hard or expensive (generally), it just requires quality food education.
That's the problem- it requires time, and it requires a bit of knowledge.
Many people these days have neither, so resort to the processed crap. Often fresh ingredients are cheaper, but not after you factor in the time and energy it takes to cook all that food, and then do all the washing up afterwards.
People should be allowed to make an informed choice to eat rubbish- I had a Big Mac at the weekend and quite enjoyed it- but the problem is that many companies market their processed crap as fresh organic produce, and people are not clued up enough to realise anything different.
There's a reason why advertising is so well funded by companies, and it isn't simply to increase brand awareness.
Cooking can be fun but I suppose it's not to everyone's joy.
With even basic food education is doesn't take a lot of time or effort to prepare a healthy, nutrious meal. I'm sure i could prepare a fiilet of fresh fish and a quality salad at similar expense and time as it would take to microwave a ready meal.
I'm in compete agreement with enabling people to make informed choices when it comes to food. People do need educating, however, If you know food is shite for you and you continue to over indluge in it, then you deserve the consequences.
Actually organic food (especially organic processed food) is often of lower quality than stuff where they use the chemicals. The organic label has nothing to do with the quality of the food at all, just how its made.
Imagine for a moment, if you please . . . .
GWST produces a meal for her beloved (let`s call him Kermit ). All his time that day has been taken up with his work. He arrives home just as the meal hits the table.
Does he DEMAND from GWST what is in his meal ?
If she refused to tell him,or if her answer didn`t meet with his approval, how do you think he would respond ?
Hopefully Kermit is a little closer to his wife than he is to a big agro-chemical company.
Indeed. I got a kick out of it, though... imagining GWST letting out a bloodcurdling scream and smashing the fully-loaded plate over his head :razz:
No, its shit.