This article introduces my readers to the more risky and questionable practices of modern agribusiness and the difficult and perplexing philosophical problems they pose for the future of humanity and the future of our planet.
Introduction: The Plot Thickens
In my previous blog posting, I introduced you to the basics of the modern food processing industry, and how to be a real watchdog when it comes to your food. It would be nice if that was the sum total of all the corrupt and questionable stuff that our food supply has gone through in recent years, but unfortunately, these basics don’t even begin to cover it; your food supply has undergone even deeper changes that are even more pernicious and insidious in nature, which pose perplexing philosophical problems, not only for our food supply, but also for our very relationship with our environment and the whole natural world in general. In other words, the plot thickens! Really, I wish that I didn’t have to tell you about all this because, frankly, a lot of it is quite dark and depressing. But I would be remiss in my duty to educate you and warn you, dear reader, if I didn’t lay out the fundamental problems here as clearly as I can, and also tell you what the heck you can do about it. I will start with the simpler and more basic stuff first, and then proceed to the more difficult and thorny issues later on.
Hippocrates said that because of the process of Pepsis, or digestion and metabolism, every human being, and indeed every living organism, is absolutely dependent on its external or natural environment – in other words, we are absolutely dependent on Nature. Chief Seattle told us that we did not weave the web of Life that sustains us, that we are merely a strand within it; he also told us that whatever we do to our natural environment, we do to ourselves as well. Jesus told us to treat others – and that includes our natural environment – as we wish to be treated – that’s the Golden Rule. All these laws of Nature, and of Life and health, point to a great transcendent Truth – that ultimately, there is no essential difference between ourselves and others, or ourselves, or the personal microcosm, and the outer world of Nature, or the universal macrocosm. As above, so below; as within, so without goes the old Hermetic maxim. Yet in modern agribusiness, we are constantly doing to the natural world around us what we would never think of doing to ourselves.
Another thing that should never be underestimated is the almighty dollar, and our so-called “civilization’s” worshiping of the profit motive above all else. The proof of this is that there are corporate executives and business leaders who imagine that the very reason why God put them on this earth was to plot and scheme, and come up with ever more clever and ingenious ways to screw people out of their hard-earned money – that is, if they even believe in God at all. “In God We Trust” is printed on the dollar bill, but do these words carry the subtle, implicit message that money itself has become our God? And beyond this, are there values in life that should be held above the profit motive – and if so, what the heck are they? Moses came down from the mountaintop and found the children of Israel worshiping a golden calf – is this what our modern world has come to? I believe that the true mission of those who grow, process and deliver our food to us should be to promote the overall health, nutrition and wellbeing of society, but sadly, too many in modern agribusiness no longer see it that way; they feel that after they have sold us their stuff, that their concern ends – after all, they’ve made their money, and whatever the heck we have to deal with later on is our own problem, and not theirs.
Pesticides and Herbicides: Poisoning the Planet
To kill unwanted insect pests, modern farmers spray their crops with pesticides; to kill unwanted plants, or weeds, they spray their crops with herbicides. The only problem is that, long after the crops that were sprayed with them are harvested, the pesticides and herbicides are released into the environment to poison the food chain. The animals at the bottom end of the food chain don’t suffer that much, but the higher up you go, the more the residues of these pesticides and herbicides accumulate – until finally, these animals wind up on our dinner plates. Here again, the moral is simple: You can’t poison the crops you grow without also poisoning the larger world of Nature – and finally ourselves. Want to eat fresh fruits and vegetables that are relatively free of pesticide and herbicide residues? Buy organic! Not only do organic fruits and vegetables taste better, but they are also more nutritious and better for you. Bite into a conventionally grown orange, and you get a “medicine-y” aftertaste; bite into an organic orange, and all you get is sweet and juicy – exactly the way that Nature intended!
I remember when, at the end of the sixties, we finally landed a man on the moon. I was a high school student in Tokyo, Japan when this happened, and my father was a prominent US diplomat; Japanese people I had never even met were calling us up out of the blue to congratulate us on this great achievement, and I felt proud of my country. One iconic photo that came out of that whole era was the image of the earth rising, and with that iconic photo came a new global awareness of what was called spaceship earth – that fragile capsule of life orbiting through the vastness of empty space. We had to protect and be good stewards of our fragile planet, which was, and still is, our only home. The first Earth Day was declared and celebrated not long after that global awareness dawned, I believe – but before too long, it was back to business as usual for our profit driven food industry – and we went right back to poisoning the planet. Now, there are great billionaires and entrepreneurs who are trying to get us to Mars, and maybe even to colonize it and hopefully make it hospitable to life – but are they doing this just to give themselves a “Planet B” after thoroughly trashing the Earth?
Antibiotic Use in Raising Livestock: Are We Upsetting the Ecology of Microbial Life?
Then, there is the prophylactic and even routine use of antibiotics on a large scale in the raising, or factory farming, of livestock. The crowded, unsanitary factory farming of livestock under deplorable conditions has led to the routine use of low level antibiotics in the raising of livestock as a prophylaxis against widespread infection. But hold on a minute – it was also discovered that the routine addition of low level antibiotics to livestock feed enabled the farm animals to grow larger faster before they were sent off to market. And so, the routine use of antibiotics was increased still further in pursuit of greater and quicker profits and the almighty dollar. There’s only one thing wrong with this lemming-like pursuit of profits and the financial bottom line: These same antibiotics also happen to be the single most potent weapons that modern medicine has in its arsenal against infectious disease, and the routine exposure of microbial life on these factory farms to constant, low levels of antibiotics has led to the appearance of microbial “superbugs”, that are resistant or totally immune to multiple antibiotics. And because antibiotic use in the raising of livestock is steadily increasing the world over, the specter of a “superbug” holocaust or apocalypse is looming ever larger.
This questionable and controversial routine use of antibiotics in the factory farming of livestock is something that has caught the attention of the consumer, and it seems to be something that the vast majority of people know about – and so, many restaurants are touting, right out front: “antibiotic free chicken!” and things of that nature. I believe that if you did a survey of health food stores and even supermarkets, you would find that the words “antibiotic free” would come right after “organic” and “non-GMO” in the sheer extent of their popularity and pervasiveness. Yet it is estimated that some 90 percent of soybeans, corn and cotton are genetically modified. It seems like people, and society in general, used to have a higher regard for the truth, but a recent presidential administration that saw the meteoric rise of “alternative facts” has had a devastating effect on truthfulness in general, even to the point at which many in the mainstream media are proclaiming that we now live in a “post-truth” world. What the heck is our world coming to? And so, I advise you, dear reader, to really do your homework to find out which food growers and suppliers are really dedicated to natural, organic agriculture and livestock raising – and which are merely spouting “alternative facts”.
So – just how bad is the excessive or routine use of antibiotics in the raising of livestock? This was the question that drove me to google up articles on the internet that would give me some concrete statistics that would enable my mind to wrap around the actual size and extent of the problem. After a while, I did finally succeed in finding an article that went beyond vague generalities to give me some actual statistics. The link to this article is below:
Use of antibiotics in livestock projected to soar, raising serious health concerns
Anyway, the headline proclaims: Use of antibiotics in livestock projected to soar, raising serious health concerns. And I have highlighted some of the core statistics cited in this article below:
“After mapping the use of antibiotics in 228 countries, the authors of a recent study estimate – conservatively – that some 63,000 tons of the drugs were fed to chicken, pigs and cattle in 2010. That’s twice the amount of antibiotics used that year to treat people. (In the US, livestock consume about 80 percent of the antibiotics purchased each year.)
“But the projected future demand for antibiotics makes even that huge annual tonnage of drugs look small. Using statistical modeling, the researchers estimate that the use of antibiotics in livestock will increase by a staggering 67 percent over the next 15 years, and in some countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the use will almost double.
Heck – 15 years after 2010 makes 2025 – OMG, we’re almost there already – like we’re almost to an ecological apocalypse, folks! With all this widespread and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in our livestock, what could possibly go wrong??? If the mad pursuit of the profit motive had not yet robbed us of the gift of reason, we would realize that our ability to fight off infectious microbes for our very survival is far more precious than any extra profits that might accrue from the routine use of antibiotics in livestock. And that’s what this article focuses on, as do the vast majority of articles on the subject that I was able to find in my internet research. The specter of multiple antibiotic resistant superbugs is scary enough, but what about those of us who suffer from the hidden pandemic of candidiasis, or chronic, systemic yeast infection? This last demographic is unfortunately one that includes myself, and antibiotic use in livestock may be even more threatening for us, because antibiotics actually encourage or aggravate the overgrowth of yeast, mold and fungi in the body for those who suffer from, and whose immune resistance to these organisms, which antibiotics could never kill or inhibit, is a definite health issue. It seems like, concerning the looming specter of superbugs, and the hidden epidemic of candidiasis, or yeast and fungal infections, that another HUGE advantage of going vegetarian in our modern age might be to preserve some sane measure of control and autonomy over one’s own inner ecology of microbial life.
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone: Is There Pus in Your Milk?
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBGH, is an artificial, or genetically engineered, Bovine Growth Hormone that is injected into cows in order to increase their milk production; estimates are that it raises milk production by about 20 percent. Because it has been genetically engineered, the rGBH molecule is not identical to natural Bovine Growth Hormone, but it is close enough to get the cow to respond by producing more milk. There’s just one problem; certain scientists have noticed that the frequency of mastitis, or udder infections, increases when cows are injected with this hormone, with the result being increased pus content of the milk. Yukk! Pus in my milk??? That’s what it seems like, and the bad thing is that, because pus is also about the same color and opacity as milk, it’s very hard to detect by visual inspection alone. Because cows injected with rBGH are more prone to mastitis or udder infections, they are treated with more antibiotics as well, the residues of which can also wind up in your milk.
The dairy lobby is very powerful, and has convinced many people that milk is Nature’s perfect food; this is actually far from the case, and there are plenty of potential drawbacks to milk and dairy products, which the dairy lobby somehow fails to mention. The search for the perfect food, and opinions as to exactly what that food is, or might be, is something that’s almost as old as humanity itself. Many have put forth the theory that milk is Nature’s perfect food, but cow’s milk is undoubtedly the perfect food for suckling calves. Alternative milks like goat’s milk may actually be more suitable for human consumption than cow’s milk, and milk from other animals, like sheep, have also been used, with cheese being made out of all these milks. Cow’s milk, being very cold and wet in its inherent nature and temperament, tends to produce a lot of phlegm, and a lot of wind or flatus in the gut as well. For certain other individuals, like those suffering from lactose intolerance, milk can be difficult or impossible to digest properly. In addition, milk that is pasteurized can render the protein content in milk a lot harder to digest, especially for those with slow, weak or frail digestions. Add to this the presence of artificial hormones and antibiotics, and milk presents us with a whole host of potential problems – not to mention that it is a very common food allergy.
Agribusiness is indeed big business, because everyone on this planet needs to eat, and to get food to put on their plates every day. And so, there is the temptation by the big agribusiness companies to cut corners and use corrupt business practices to get products and substances that are of uncertain or questionable health and safety value approved. Such was the story when the agribusiness gene splicing giant Monsanto went north of the border and tried to get its Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBGH, approved in Canada, and it made international headlines. Dr. Shiv Chopra of Health Canada blew the whistle on rBGH, and as a result, Canada finally banned it, but Dr. Chopra himself was a casualty of the scuffle, and wound up losing his job. But that’s not the end of the story – giant international trade deals like the TPP, or Trans Pacific Partnership, bring additional problems and complications as countries that have banned rBGH and other risky agribusiness substances and practices, sign on to those trade deals. How do they ban things like rBGH in milk, which is accepted by other countries that are a party to these trade deals, from entering their own countries? The EU, or European Union, has also banned rBGH, and also faces similar problems in the face of international trade deals. Just follow the link below to read the rest of this sordid story:
DR. SHIV CHOPRA SPEAKS AGAINST THE TPP & BGH MILK
Hold on – there’s yet another problem with rBGH – it raises the level of IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor 1), which poses other significant health and safety problems for both the cows that are injected with it as well as the humans that drink their milk. Higher levels of IGF-1 in the blood have been linked to reproductive abnormalities like a higher frequency of multiple births, as well as an increased risk for cancer, especially cancers of the breast and colon. The use of rBGH in dairy cows has also increased the problem of udder infections by 25 percent, leading to an increased use of antibiotics to treat those infections, which is quite worrisome in light of the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance in new “superbug” microbes. This is my summary of a statement put out by the environmental group Food and Water Watch concerning rBGH; by contrast, the American Cancer Society’s official statement is decidedly neutral and inconclusive regarding both the cancer and antibiotic resistance issues, and concludes by saying, “The American Cancer Society (ACS) has no formal position regarding rBGH.” The statements of both organizations are quoted in the article cited above. After following the activities and statements of the American Cancer Society over the years, one question looms large in my mind: Are they for or against cancer?
As I said previously, agribusiness is indeed big business, and putting food on one’s plate is indeed a universal concern that no one can avoid. With so much money, and such high stakes involved, it’s no wonder that powerful agribusiness giants like Monsanto are spending vast sums of money to influence the government agencies that regulate our food. Again, this is all done in the interests of the big agribusiness corporations and their right to distribute and market their products to the food consumer – which is us. After the food winds up on our plates, hey – that’s our problem, not theirs. Looking at the position of organizations like the American Cancer Society versus others like Food and Water Watch, it’s quite clear that the positions of these various groups are basically the result of how, and by whom, they are funded. Unfortunately, the agribusiness version of the Golden Rule is: He who has the gold makes the rules. Corporate giants like Monsanto have virtually unlimited sources of cash to fund them; groups and agencies defending the food consumer, on the other hand, are not very well funded.
Monsanto, the producers of rBGH, are probably the world leaders in the genetically modified food industry; in the eyes of many health and natural food advocates, they are the devil incarnate. But just what makes them so bad, and what makes the whole GMO issue so explosive and controversial, and why are GMOs seen by so many as an existential threat to humanity, and to the whole ecosystem? I will be exploring the issue of GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, and the grave philosophical problems they pose, in the next installment of my blog, so stay tuned!