Must-Read: Government Interference In "Farm-To-Fork" Dinner
Via @melissamcewen, another story of a disgusting display of government meddling and bullying -- treating consenting adults like children -- from a blog item by Food Renegade:
Imagine this. An over-zealous regulator shows up at a farm-to-fork dinner hosted by your favorite local farmer. But they're not there to sample the exquisite cuisine highlighting some of the most natural, nutrient-dense, life-giving foods on the planet. No, they're demanding that the food be destroyed while hungry, paying guests wait.
That local farmer, Laura Bledsoe of Quail Hollow Farm, writes:
I can't tell you how sick to my stomach I was watching that first dish of Mint Lamb Meatballs hit the bottom of the unsanitized trash can.Here we were with guests who had paid in advance and had come from long distances away anticipating a wonderful dining experience, waiting for dinner while we were behind the kitchen curtain throwing it away! I know of the hours and labor that went into the preparation of that food.
We asked the inspector if we could save the food for a private family event that we were having the next day. (A personal family choice to use our own food.) We were denied and she was insulted that we would even consider endangering our families health. I assured her that I had complete faith and trust in Giovanni our chef and the food that was prepared, (obviously, or I wouldn't be wanting to serve it to our guests).
I then asked if we couldn't feed the food to our "public guests" or even to our private family, then at least let us feed it to our pigs. (I think it should be a criminal action to waste any resource of the land. Being dedicated to our organic farm, we are forever looking for good inputs into our compost and soil and good food that can be fed to our animals. The animals and compost pile always get our left over garden surplus and food. We truly are trying to be as sustainable as possible.)
Again, a call to Susan and another negative response.
Okay, so let me get this right.
So the food that was raised here on our farm and selected and gathered from familiar local sources, cooked and prepared with skill and love was even unfit to feed to my pigs!?!
Who gave them the right to tell me what I feed my animals?
Not only were we denied the use of the food for any purpose, to ensure that it truly was unfit for feed of any kind we were again threatened with police action if we did not only throw the food in the trash, but then to add insult to injury, we were ordered to pour bleach on it.
Now the food is also unfit for compost as I would be negligent to allow any little critters to nibble on it while it was composting and ingest that bleach resulting in a horrible death. Literally hundreds of pounds of food was good for nothing but adding to our ever increasing land fill!
More at Laura's original blog item.
Truly horrifying.
Yet when it comes down to it, 90% of the organic farmers, locavores, etc will vote for Obama and for Dem candidates at the state & local level, effectively putting their weight on the side of the endless expansion of government power and control.
david foster at October 30, 2011 5:25 AM
And all of the people in the story will vote for candidates, and endorse policies, that enable such excesses. Their ox has been gored, so they're upset. That's tough.
melmo at October 30, 2011 6:44 AM
Horrifying. Also, their farm has the same name as my moms farm. My moms farm is not organic, and does not do dinners. I think I would have made sure that regulator foud her way into the compost, if I owned that farm.
momof4 at October 30, 2011 7:09 AM
I wonder who ratted her out?
"Who gave them the right...?" Well, I don't know specifically, but these locavore types are the same ones who generally lecture and scold me about the choices I make for my child, want to make them for me, and wish "somebody" would do something about my decisions. Who better than someone with a little government power?
Hoist meet petard.
Robin in TN at October 30, 2011 7:20 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2723596">comment from momof4Here are a bunch of consenting adults who want to eat this woman's dinner and the government is stopping them. Amazing. We don't allow people to beat each other up if they aren't consenting, but if they are, we don't send the government into sex clubs to arrest anybody holding a riding crop. Yet, that is.
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 7:24 AM
Amy, I agree with you on libertarian principles. But the other posters have a point: the people who are complaining about this are the same people who want to take away my salt shaker. They clearly see themselves as the food elites who have the right to make decisions not only for themselves but for everyone else too.
Cousin Dave at October 30, 2011 7:35 AM
Who gave them the right?
You're not going to figure that out until you make the distinction between powers, which is what the agency has, and rights.
You want consumer protection laws.
You got them.
There you go!
Radwaste at October 30, 2011 8:14 AM
I guess that I'm not the only person who finds foodies insufferable. Like others have mentioned, this is the state of affairs that they have promoted. I guess that they assumed that it would never affect them. Well they were wrong.
Here's some advice - stop running around claiming that food you don't approve of is poison, and that restaurants you don't like are unsanitary and dangerous. Stop trying to leverage health and safety laws to enforce your lifestyle choices. And whatever you do Get over yourselves!
karla at October 30, 2011 8:23 AM
"the people who are complaining about this are the same people who want to take away my salt shaker"
Just like all Occupiers are Communists, just like all Tea Partiers are terrorists. Isn't generalization fun? It allows you to ignore little meaningless things like individuals!
damaged justice at October 30, 2011 9:14 AM
Foodies, food evangelists and, for lack of a better term, food purists are three different groups of people.
Foodies love fine food--think of Julia Child.
Food purists prefer natural, organic, pasture-raised foods. They don't necessarily insist that everyone eat as they do. If anything, this group seems to be full of libertarians.
Food evangelists are busybodies who want government interference in how we eat. This group seems to be full of vegans, although most vegans probably mind their own business, as we all should.
The inspector was probably just a self-important bureaucrat.
Lori at October 30, 2011 9:23 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2723702">comment from damaged justice"the people who are complaining about this are the same people who want to take away my salt shaker" Just like all Occupiers are Communists, just like all Tea Partiers are terrorists. Isn't generalization fun? It allows you to ignore little meaningless things like individuals!
Thanks, damaged justice, for batting cleanup.
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 9:26 AM
"I guess that I'm not the only person who finds foodies insufferable."
I consider myself a bit of a foodie, but see no need to push my views upon others. I just like to cook and eat good food, and eschew things that come from can and boxes, except for the occasional can of Nalley chili when I get nostalgic for my misspent youth.
I enjoy food rather than "food", but if you want to get dinner out of a box heated in the microwave it's perfectly fine with me. We're having chicken fajitas tonight, I made a beef stir fry last night, and those two dinners will give us leftovers to last until Wednesday's lunch.*
Bon Appetite.
*OT: I think Wednesday's Lunch would make a great band name.
Steve Daniels at October 30, 2011 9:30 AM
Amy: It was an easy bunt, but you're welcome :)
One of my most often-repeated slogans:
"Metabolic syndrome is healthier than fascism."
damaged justice at October 30, 2011 9:38 AM
Before I read the comments on this, I thought I was going to be the only thinking, "Well, you live by the sword, you die by the sword." These are the same folks who want all this government intervention in the first place. They are always on the front lines screaming about how "there oughtta be a law"... they just never figured that it would bite them on the ass. Ha! Justice is sweet.
That said, this is disgusting. I would have sooner cut off my right arm than throw any of that food away. People need to learn to say no more often. No you can't come in and no I wont comply. Fine me... I will see you in court. Somebody clearly has an axe to grind with these folks.
While I hope they win, I am guessing it will be too much to hope that, that they learn from this experience. When you vote for bigger government, you get less freedom.
sheepmommy at October 30, 2011 10:18 AM
"Before I read the comments on this"
Apparently you stopped reading at some point. Or maybe it's a comprehension problem. I recommend a remedial course in the English language and in basic logic, as well as common sense.
damaged justice at October 30, 2011 10:40 AM
Protect our food supply, my ass. These people want to CONTROL it. I'm starting to think that some of them won't be happy until we are all on a diet of 100% government-produced soylent green.
Dwatney at October 30, 2011 10:47 AM
They should have ignored her and eaten it anyways, what'd she have a gun or something? May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, so to speak.
NicoleK at October 30, 2011 11:08 AM
The real story here is that Amy used a sports metaphor. Head exploding!
Snakeman99 at October 30, 2011 11:11 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2724122">comment from DwatneyI want to be able to buy unpasteurized cheese and other dairy products, but the government prohibits it. That and prohibiting people to go where they want in their own heads by taking drugs.
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 11:12 AM
The FDA has made it their policy that we do not have the *right* to choose our food.
jefe at October 30, 2011 11:26 AM
Why should they be exempt from food safety laws? Because it's organic? I don't get it. If you're serving food to the public, you should expect to meet some basic requirements. This is especially true for an operation without a proper kitchen or serving equipment. Plus organic food is fertilized with grey water and fertilizer which means that it has to be prepared more carefully than standard produce.
Mmm mmm good at October 30, 2011 11:37 AM
But you could get sick. Look at all those deaths from the potluck dinners in the midwest churches. There is even bingo going on.
Dave B at October 30, 2011 11:49 AM
Not everyone sells or serves food "to the public". Most of these arrangements are explicitly closed to "the public". Of course, the people with guns who claim the moral authority to shoot you will say that makes no difference to them.
damaged justice at October 30, 2011 11:50 AM
"This is especially true for an operation without a proper kitchen or serving equipment."
The blog item states that the food was prepared in a proper licensed kitchen, and they rented a proper trailer kitchen to bring it back up to serving temperature.
Wednesday's Lunch at October 30, 2011 12:19 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2724453">comment from Snakeman99The real story here is that Amy used a sports metaphor.
I did?
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 12:53 PM
You did.
Jim P. at October 30, 2011 1:30 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2724732">comment from Jim P.Oh -- thanks. Must have stuck to my shoe at some point when I was cutting across a parking lot somewhere!
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 1:33 PM
A similar but tangential topic. I was picked for the American Community Survey held by the Census Bureau.
This isn't the simple decennial census form that everyone fills out. They want to know how much your income is, what you pay for housing, what you pay for utilities, how many toilets you have, etc.
They have a big "Your response is required by law," on the envelope and the questionnaire. My initial responses contains several expletives, so I won't repeat them here.
I'm planning on sending back my response and the blank form with something along the lines of:
The maximum fine is either $100 or $500 dollar and no prison time. So win or lose, I get to embarrass the shit out of them.
Anonymous Coward at October 30, 2011 1:34 PM
And the hits keep comming.
It is now illegal for any non coperate entity to own a cow in Wisconsin
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/wisconsin-judge-rules-no-right-to-own-a-cow-or-drink-its-milk/
Ok not technically illegal, but you no longer have the right which means government agents can sieze you propety at any time they want to with no reason or reasonable cause
lujlp at October 30, 2011 2:45 PM
We don't allow people to beat each other up if they aren't consenting, but if they are, we don't send the government into sex clubs to arrest anybody holding a riding crop.
Acctully they do arest peple in sex clubs for consetual harm, its boxing venues and ultimate fighting otcogons that they refrain from arresting people
lujlp at October 30, 2011 2:46 PM
"That and prohibiting people to go where they want in their own heads by taking drugs."
Annnnd there's another activity at which the public will demand consumer protection laws, as well as a means to exclude critical job-holders from being under the influence at work.
Why do so many demand instant solutions to complex problems? Because they don't know what the law is, don't know how things are manufactured, grown or marketed and don't know anything about government.
And they insist that they do.
(Do note the term, "many", above.)
Radwaste at October 30, 2011 2:51 PM
Personally I would have demanded that any food ordered destroyed be done so by summoned police after the inspector quoted chapeter and verse the laws and regulations being enforced from a printed copy (with copies for the cops, lawyers, and home/farm owners to follow along) in the presence of said police and a lawyer
lujlp at October 30, 2011 2:53 PM
This story, at least, has a better ending at the blog post. It has a very important moral, though.
Don't let a bureaucrat run you over. Always ask for a search warrant.
However, as the owner of less than half a dozen cows, being cared for by someone else for the sole purpose of meat consumption, that ruling in Wisconsin is rather disturbing.
Cat at October 30, 2011 4:59 PM
Why didn't she ask to see a warrent right from the start? Miss Inspector was trespassing.
KateC at October 30, 2011 5:12 PM
Other commenters have noted this, but the most important moment in the blog post written by the farmer herself is the one on which she finally gets her lawyer on the phone, and he tells her to ask the inspector if she has a search warrant. And then the whole thing just ends, poof, like magic. You say the magic incantation, and then they melt like the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz. There was a little harmless "calling the cops" episode after that, but the inspector's power had evaporated, and by that point she was just making noise. They're like characters from Kafka: they have power because you participate in it.
Know the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments. Know what they do for you. Know how to invoke their protection in a clear and explicit way. If you know them and use them, you have rights. If you don't, you don't.
"I do not consent to a search of my person or property. Do you have a search warrant?"
cb at October 30, 2011 6:20 PM
"Just like all Occupiers are Communists, just like all Tea Partiers are terrorists. Isn't generalization fun? "
Thanks a lot. How many times have I posted here that if people want raw milk, they should be able to get it? One time, I point out that the favor isn't generally being reciprocated, and now I'm the facist. No, not all Occupiers are Communists. However, the percentage of Communists among the Occupiers is far higher than in the general population. No, not all foodies are pompous asses when it comes to food laws. But I've been around lots of foodies, and in my experience an awful lot of them are.
Cousin Dave at October 30, 2011 6:22 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2726738">comment from cbThis is why it's so important to know your Constitutional rights backwards and forwards. When you're scared, maybe your memory will go hide under the couch...so you need to have this stuff so ingrained that you know to ask for a warrant.
Amy Alkon at October 30, 2011 6:23 PM
Dave: A thousand pardons for taking you at your word and being unaware of your every previous post.
damaged justice at October 30, 2011 8:07 PM
Cb and KateC, while the 4th still protects this farmer, its been weakened due to "administrative search" warrants, they have less requirements to be issued.
Sio at October 30, 2011 9:51 PM
The only thing I know about this farmer is what I read on this single blog entry, but it doesn't appear that she's one of the government-nanny, I-know-what's-better-for-you liberal handwringers (see quote from Thomas Jefferson at the end of her entry).
However, I do see why commenters are pointing out the irony that many "locavores" and organic food lovers are also dyed-in-the-wool liberals, supporting the same administration whose policies are going to put small farms out of work.
If you take a look at what this administration has actually done (versus what they've said), they've enacted policies that are probably going to shut down small farms like Quail Hollow because they're so onerous and expensive to comply with - and yet, many people who profess to support small businesses like these farms will probably vote for Obama again, because they're not paying attention to what his administration is actually doing - and they don't have the critical thinking skills or intelligence, apparently, to understand that the expansion of government control will not come at the expense of the large agribusinesses (campaign contributions, anyone??) but at the expense of small family-owned farms.
Choika at October 31, 2011 5:39 AM
@damaged justice - Yes, stereotyping is wrong - congrats, you made an obvious point, got kudos from the blogess and got to lecture everyone. Glad you agree that the Tea Party is not made up of racist terrorists.
But the point cannot be made enough - since the left/center seems to be in permanent denial - a vote for a Democrat is a vote for increased state control and intrusion in our daily lives. Sure, not all foodies/lovacores/organic farmers whatever-tf we're calling them now are not leftists, but lot of them are, and they'll get no sympathy from me when they complain stuff like this. Nor do the OWS idiots get any sympathy when they complain about the police or curfews or drug laws or restrictive "free-speech zones" or anything like that.
JDThompson at October 31, 2011 6:38 AM
"a vote is a vote for increased state control and intrusion in our daily lives"
Fixed that for you. Team Red and Team Blue are respectively the left and right wings of the bifactional ruling party. Statism heading toward the cliff at 100 miles an hour, or 90 miles an hour. No matter which way you go, the ratchet only tightens, and will continue to do so until reality hits and enough pissed-off people decide they're no longer willing to obey.
When the only "choice" you're offered is Hobson's, the only way to win is not to play.
damaged justice at October 31, 2011 7:05 AM
And it really isn't rocket science, or indeed beyond kindergarten, to use language accurately instead of flinging around horsepuckey like "every" and "all" when what you really mean is "the vast majority of those I see and have encountered in my life". I'm not asking you to use fifty words where one will do. But for G-d's sake, acknowledge that we are dealing with individuals, and stop assuming you know everyone's souls and inner motivations just from reading a damn headline.
damaged justice at October 31, 2011 7:08 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2727175">comment from damaged justiceAnd it really isn't rocket science, or indeed beyond kindergarten, to use language accurately instead of flinging around horsepuckey like "every" and "all" when what you really mean is "the vast majority of those I see and have encountered in my life".
This is a very good point and something I try to be very conscious of when writing and speaking -- rational thought.
Amy Alkon at October 31, 2011 7:48 AM
Luj, I don't think that the article you referenced to about the cows in Wisconsin was saying people don't have a right to own cows. It read to me that this particular judge ruled in this particular case that those plaintiffs didn't have the right (which is still bogus), but I can say with a lot of confidence that this isn't a statewide thing, and won't affect people who want to own a cow or two. There is WAY too much FFA, 4H, ect. involvment in Wisconsin that places a high value on kids raising cows for county fairs and such. There have been cases in Wisconsin of regulators trying to stop people from consuming raw milk, and that's where I think all this stems from (which, again, is bogus).
Angie at October 31, 2011 9:07 AM
I recall- even a few years ago- that some of these farm-to-table gourmet dinner-events were being held "in secret" to avoid intrusion by The Authorities... People would buy their ticket in advance, but not know the location of the dinner until the day of the event.
Regarding the comments on the "foodie" stereotype:
We do everything we can to avoid the term "foodie" specifically because of the image it conjures up...even though Husband is involved in restaurants and we have casual dinner parties most weekends. We're hosting an Orphan Thanksgiving this year with Pheasant, Grouse, and whatever else the guys manage to kill between then and now, but I think most self-proclaimed "foodies" would be horrified at the way we tend to eat: tons of fat, liberal use of a smoker, underutilization of olive oil,mache and creme fraiche...
ahw at October 31, 2011 9:07 AM
"No matter which way you go, the ratchet only tightens, and will continue to do so until reality hits and enough pissed-off people decide they're no longer willing to obey."
At least the Tea Partiers acknowledge that the GOP is broken and needs to be fixed from within, that's their whole point. The left seems to believe that by voting for Obama et al they're fighting some glorious struggle against oppression or some BS, and then they're shocked when things get even worse, faster. We've got the media collectively drooling all over the OWS, who are basically fighting for greater state control over their lives, while declaring the Tea Party terrorists for speaking out for smaller government. It's scary when folks can't see the difference.
JDThompson at October 31, 2011 9:10 AM
"It's scary when folks can't see the difference."
It is scary JD, but expected. Most people have a lot of trouble doing the thinking and analysis required to identify small differences in philosophy and programs that make a huge difference in outcome.
This same kind of non thinking leads people to shorthand statements like "both political are crooks/the same" comes in handy when you don't want to do the mental leg work.
The dems have done an excellent job of pinning on Bush, a lot of excess spending that can be directly tied to a democratically controlled Congress from 2006-2008. Remember people, it is congress that authorizes all spending, not the president. He just signs it.
It is just another variation on "all men are assholes" or "all women are bitches"
Isabel1130 at October 31, 2011 1:53 PM
You see lazy thinking, I see common sense. After a lifetime of banging your head against a wall, some people actually learn to stop.
d at October 31, 2011 1:59 PM
And when I'm presented with death by the rope or the stake, I'm supposed to choose? That notion is the height of idiotic martyrdom.
damaged justice at October 31, 2011 2:02 PM
I dislike the dead hand of the State stopping innovation and self-organization.
But I don't have much sympathy with people who state, in return, "I think it should be a criminal action to waste any resource of the land".
She doesn't want to be left alone - she wants to make everyone follow her aspirations. By force.
(Or more likely, I suppose, she's just very sloppy about using the language of compulsion. But still.)
(Also, the "every" and "all" point reminds me of R.A. Wilson and his obsession with Korzybski.
Which was a bit overdone, but the insistence on "some-but-not-all" for almost all cases is a useful thing to internalize.)
Sigivald at October 31, 2011 2:16 PM
Sigvald actually read the article, found a relevant quote that illustrates the possible statism of the victims, and is thus able to comment intelligently.
The only thing that matters to me is whether someone is peaceful and honest. If they aren't, they're my enemy, someone to be avoided if possible, and if not, defended against.
damaged justice at October 31, 2011 2:27 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2727718">comment from SigivaldI have this enormous Korzybski book I've only cracked into slightly. My impression -- perhaps incorrect, because it's driven by memory and I'm not looking at the book -- is that the guy needed an editor (one with a machete). Am I wrong?
Amy Alkon at October 31, 2011 2:32 PM
Real foodies really don't want to take away your butter and salt. Look at a gourmet cooking magazine and you won't see much about low-fat this or salt-free that. What do people think people think we eat, fat-free tofu hot dogs? A good cream soup is made with roux (butter and flour) and thickened with an egg yolk. Pate: it's almost half bacon. Crepes: mostly eggs. Custard: mostly cream and eggs. A good cut of meat is marbled with fat; a great burger is 20% suet. Even home-grown heirloom cucumbers are better with salt, and any vitamins D, E and K and beta carotene in salad are better absorbed with full-fat dressing.
I did the low-fat thing for years, and I think I'm a pretty good cook. But for taste (and good health!) high-fat food is the hands-down winner.
Lori at October 31, 2011 3:06 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/10/30/must-read_gover.html#comment-2727819">comment from LoriLowfat tastes pretty crappy compared to things with fat in them. I'm much healthier now that I eat food with fat in it all day. Just had a little plate they make for me at the cafe where I write -- a snack of dry Italian salami, Swiss cheese and Kalamata olives. Yum! They started serving this after I requested they have something low-carb in the afternoon, and they are sometimes out of salami when I order it, which tells me other people are liking it, too. Either that or they have a rat.
Amy Alkon at October 31, 2011 3:32 PM
"However, as the owner of less than half a dozen cows, being cared for by someone else for the sole purpose of meat consumption, that ruling in Wisconsin is rather disturbing."
Hard to count that high, huh?
Anyway - I know where this is coming from. The State has the power to protect the public from animal diseases, however transmitted. So far as "without probable cause", though, that's just scaremongering, because you can show direct economic duress if the animals are taken from you or put down.
Radwaste at October 31, 2011 5:21 PM
"The left seems to believe that by voting for Obama et al they're fighting some glorious struggle against oppression or some BS, and then they're shocked when things get even worse, faster. "
That's the thing that gets me about OWS... to use a metaphor, they know they're being poisoned, but they're trying to get better by demanding to be fed more poison.
Cousin Dave at October 31, 2011 6:02 PM
This comment thread has gotten way off topic. You have to look no further than the local "Food Manufacturer's Association" to see who sicced the dogs on that farm. They probably saw a massive loss of profit from an independent farm selling fresh food that the association hadn't processed or blessed. $75 to $125 per person times the hundred or so guests is a lot of cash.
The real problem is the corporate takeover of food production, "processing" (read that adulteration), and distribution. Eventually, all small, non-corporate, farms will be killed. They buy the congress critters and legislators to pass laws to enable the takeover.
I'd be willing to bet if all of the food she wanted to serve had been purchased from stores, and prepared and served by restaurants, there would have been no complaint. Disgusting!!
davnel at November 1, 2011 7:40 AM
"The real problem is the corporate takeover of food production, 'processing' (read that adulteration), and distribution. Eventually, all small, non-corporate, farms will be killed. They buy the congress critters and legislators to pass laws to enable the takeover."
Hey, Damaged Justice? Here's my Exhibit A.
Cousin Dave at November 1, 2011 3:50 PM
Just unsure on how many were born this spring.
Cat at November 1, 2011 10:37 PM
Leave a comment