Government and Food

I think something happens to every woman who becomes a mother, whether she gives birth or adopts. She changes her way of life. It could happen quickly or it could be a process. She gives up a bad habit or she starts eating healthier or she establishes a routine. The point is she does something to make life better for her child and that change includes everyone in the household.
For me, the process is mostly slow. I slowly learn about how to do things better for my child. I slowly learn about how to keep the house clean as my child gets faster. I slowly learn about how to show my child discipline. I slowly learn about teaching my child repercussions (whether it is a time out, a spanking, or a simple taking away something he likes).
I have one passion though, and that is food. I don't love food like many people. I enjoy eating and it's something I do often whenever I am hanging out with people. When people come over, I cook something or make sure we have tons of snacks and drinks available. When I go to someones house, I bring something. When we are having a special family time, I make something. When we are out all day, we enjoy eating together at a restaurant.
My passion for food goes in a different direction. I used to be a "box" girl. Meaning if I was going to cook food for the family, it was basically going to be me reheating the food. I'd make all sorts of Tuna Helpers or frozen lasagnas or fish sticks.
I never learned to cook and honestly did not want to learn. Now, my passion is trying to eat healthier. I am not one of those people who has decided to cook everything from scratch or buys everything organically. I can't afford it. I am married to the military. Soon, I will be married to a college student. I think that soon, I will be buying organic foods though.
There is nothing wrong with the foods that I had mentioned before, so long as you are reading the labels and doing everything in moderation. There is nothing wrong with taking your child to McDonald's so long as it is in moderation. I am just learning to cook from scratch. I am learning to integrate more veggies in our diet. I am picking the healthier options from restaurants. I am reading the labels before buying the "boxed" meals.
However, I just watched a documentary called "Food, Inc." that really opened my eyes. It opened my eyes the same way that "Eat This, Not That" had when I read it. The world today is really not what I thought it was. Now, it's pretty gross and after you watch it, you'll want to start your own farm. I still kind of do, except I'm really not good with animals and I won't eat anything that I once saw alive.
Was was most interesting in this movie wasn't how the animals were treated. I was prepared for that watching "Animal Cops" on the Animal Planet. It wasn't how the employees of the large corporations were treated; though I am slightly shocked that a government agency would make a deal with a corporation like that (I'm also not sure how true that allegation was, but I'm sure someone is looking into it now).
The most shocking thing that I had heard on the movie was the veggie libel laws. Thirteen state governments have decided that the people have no freedom of speech when it comes to their own food. I understand companies suing people for slander, but the governments seem to be stepping in too far. As a citizen of the United States of America, I should be able to say that I don't like McDonald's chicken BLT. It's a statement and my personal opinion. My husband loves them, so he'll buy them and recommend them. I would recommend something else like chicken nuggets or the Big N Tasty.
Now, McDonald's has the right to sue me for that statement. It would seem ridiculous though. It would make them seem like a petty seven year old complaining about how a friend didn't like their dress. They won't lose any money. In fact, they might make a better BLT and make more money or ignore me and continue to make money.
Here's where it started (at least, according to my research): E. coli had gotten into some meat and Oprah made a comment on her show. She was sued. I think she won. But her statement supposedly made bad press for the company and made them lose money. Here's is how it makes sense in my mind. Yes, some people probably stopped shopping there for a while after Oprah said something. But on the other hand, others probably stopped eating there after it was on the news (before it reached Oprah by the way). Those companies should have known the bad press was going to happen and should have started preparing for it the moment they realized E. coli was in the meat. Things happen and both people and companies are responsible for righting their wrongs.
Anther shocker: cloning animals. I knew it was possible, but I didn't know why anyone would want to do it beyond being able to say that they could. I imagine that cloning an animal is more expensive then letting two animals do what comes naturally to them. I could be wrong. If I am, let me know. But the most shocking thing is that they are selling cloned animal meat and not labeling it. Let me repeat that for those who are still getting over the shock: the FDA has decided that it was NOT necessary to label the meat that came from cloned animals.
Now, I am not a brilliant person. I would like to think that I am, but I am too honest. I do, however, think that I am a very logical person. When I go in to buy meat, there is abundant information on the package. I know what the animal has been fed, if the bone is still in the meat, what cut of meat it is, how much it weighs, if there are any injections to help it last longer in my fridge, if the animal was raised organically, etc. But, now I am not going to be %100 percent sure if my cut of meat came from an animal that was produced naturally or in a lab?
I have no idea if the meat is bad for me or not. The FDA says that it is safe to eat as food, but they have approved things before. I would like to choose what foods to put in my child's mouth. Who are they to take that right from me? If in five years or so, everyone who has switched to the cloned meat is in the same or better health then before, I might switch over. That right is up to me as the consumer, not the producer.
Sorry that this rant is so long. I googled "Food, Inc" and found that many of the people talking about it were talking about how the animals were treated. Honestly, it's not that big of a shocker. People are always talking about going organic and their reasons for it. Animal treatment is one of the many reasons. I felt that someone had to talk about how the government is not doing things in our favor. That is what the government is supposed to be there for. I have not lost faith in our government, I am just slightly disappointed.