Food has become the new religion, at least in the western world. Church attendance may be waning, but it seems that religious values have been be-stowed upon food issues.
Similar to all the Christian de-nominations that exist, you can choose what you specifically want to believe about food. Science and religion have often clashed and it’s the same with science and food values. Some food beliefs are based on fact, but many are based on perception.
Welfare issues are increasingly dictating how animals are raised. There may be valid reasons why laying hens are in cages and sows are housed in gestation crates, but perception is everything.
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People with no association to animal agriculture look at the practices from their viewpoint and decide the animals are being treated badly. The big buyers such as McDonald’s and A&W switch buying patterns to satisfy a vocal segment of their customer base.
Animal husbandry codes of practice designed by producers and professionals take a back seat to retail reality.
Philosophies sometimes clash. By definition, organic food must be free of GMOs so you’d think organic promoters would be on the same page as those pushing to have GMO foods labelled. While these may be many of the same people, GMO labelling would actually hurt the organic food industry. Currently, a certified organic label supposedly guarantees GMO free and that’s a significant selling point.
When it comes to feeding the hungry, statistics are often quoted that show rising use of food banks, but the underlying causes are seldom researched. When you offer free food with no means test, is it really a surprise when demand keeps rising?
Perhaps social assistance doesn’t provide enough support. But perhaps social assistance money is sometimes wasted on alcohol or drugs. Would issuing food stamps in lieu of social assistance money decrease the need for food banks?
There doesn’t seem to be much desire to explore other methods of ensuring adequate food for everyone, including the working poor. People like the feeling they get by supporting food banks. It’s more tangible than putting money in the collection plate on Sunday.
The local food movement is another denomination of food religion. Advocates believe locally produced food has to be more nutritious with a lower environmental impact. Frequently, that is not the case, but many religions employ selective use of facts.
From the “my body is a temple” sect comes food choices based on health claims. Most everyone accepts the strong relationship between health and diet, but information on what constitutes a healthy diet is highly contradictory.
Who do you believe? Who paid for that study? A food is sometimes demonized, only to be resurrected as a champion a few years later.
A small percentage of people have gluten intolerance, but a much larger percentage of the population have come to believe that they’re better off avoiding foods with gluten. Legitimate food allergies abound, but many others only suspect they have an allergy and it changes what they consume.
With food, everyone makes choices every day and those choices can become a religion of their own.
