The Price We Pay

If you think the price we pay for groceries these day is high, the price Americans pay in health and wellbeing is even higher. Despite more attention than ever on how unhealthy our food supply is, Europe is miles ahead of us.

For example: People with wheat allergies find the bread products in Europe safe to enjoy because the wheat varieties are often softer and lower in gluten, treating methods differ (less glyphosate use) and minimally processed. The focus is on whole grains, simple ingredients (flour, water, salt, yeast), and longer, natural preparation methods like sourdough fermentation. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when you read numerous accounts of what is banned in many countries that Americans consume on a daily basis. Foods banned in Europe often contain artificial dyes, preservatives (BHA, BHT), brominated oils, and growth hormones. The European Union countries use more strict, precautionary safety standards, unlike the U.S.’s risk-based approval system. Here are a few of the top offenders:

• US pork – Banned in: the European Union (EU), Russia, and China. American pigs are given ractopamine, an animal feed additive used to speed up weight gain and increase carcass leanness in finishing swine. The additive is linked to major health issues both in animals and humans, explaining why it is banned in more than 160 countries.
• US apples – Banned in: the EU. American apples are treated with diphenylamine (DPA), a potentially carcinogenic compound used to keep the fruit from turning brown. European food safety regulators banned the fruit in 2014 because the chemicals have been linked to various cancers.

• U.S. prepackaged ground beef – Banned in: the EU. About 70% of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contain “pink slime.” This is a meat by-product used as a filler to reduce fat content. The FDA approved the pink goo for human consumption in 2001.
• US breakfast cereal brands – Banned in: Japan and the EU. Breakfast cereals like Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes and others contain Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, a lab-made flavor enhancer that has carcinogenic properties. A number of processed foods, such as chewing gum and frozen foods, contain this preservative.

One Man’s Health Quest … Among Many

In 2021, a young financial analyst, Cole Allen, visited White Oak Pastures and spoke with Will Harris about wanting to restore his health. Like anyone who comes to the farm, he was knocked out by the attention to animal welfare and human health that abounds there. While staying in one of the farm’s guest houses, Allen began the process of consuming healthier food to resolve a medical problem. Inspired by what he saw and how quickly he felt better, Allen “dug deeper and arrived at the conclusion that the financial world was dismally failing to evaluate the benefits of regenerative agriculture.” He applied multiple testing and financial data to his study. After looking into the farm’s finances, employment, agriculture practices, and community benefits, he added in a nationwide expanding interest. The conclusion was that when you add up all of the benefits to humans, animals, and the land, the farm was worth ”sixfold in millions of dollars than he first estimated – a very impressive amount.”

Regenerative Farming Models Are Spreading

White Oak Pastures has become well-known and extraordinarily successful enough to make people take notice. A growing number of consumers have become concerned over the level of hormones and chemicals in the meat they consume. They are also aware of the inhumane treatment of the animals that become our food.

In his book, A Bold Return To Giving A Damn, Will Harris projects that if there were one or two White Oak Pastures in every agricultural county in the U.S. “We would: save rural America from going the same way as our wilderness; the money would come back to rural villages and towns; businesses would come back; and the young people would come back by offering meaningful jobs to a workforce displaced by automation and digitization. We would see a reversal of what has been occurring since the end of the Second World War.”

Two movements working together could be a gamechanger and a life saver for the U.S. population. The first need is to increase access to young (and old) farmers on how to convert to regenerative farming. “The second obstacle is a bigger one,” says Harris. “Farmers need capital to transition their land or to fund them acquiring land. And finally, farmers will innovate in response to what consumers show they want. For White Oak Pastures, consumer support was the spark that lit the fire.”

What Consumers Can Do Right Now

Shop at farmers markets that support local farmers. Your county may have a Farm to Table brochure that tells you where/what farmers are growing and selling onsite. Go and visit and talk to them about their process from start to finish. How regenerative are they?

Take the time to read the label on all products but especially on meat, eggs and dairy. Health experts suggest that the long list of ingredients on the label is a clue to passing on the product. And don’t be swayed by “greenwashing” that portrays a charming farm and misleading buzzwords. Ask your local meat counter and produce personnel at your grocery store if they would carry healthier products and if they do, thank them for looking out for their customers’ health. Many regenerative farms sell direct to consumers and will ship to distant customers. They use overnight and well-packaged methods to assure quality and freshness.

There are many online resources you can consult. Here are just a few: The American Grassfed Association (AGA) has a program to certify products; A Greener World includes Animal Welfare Approved labels (https://agreenerworld.org), and Good Meat Breakdown has a switchboard run by the Good Meat Project to connect consumers to small farmers and butchers as well as to post jobs. (https://www.goodmeatbreakdown.org)

Photo credits: Dollar sign – woliul-hasan, French bakery – yunus-tug, conventional/regenerative – from White Oak Pastures website, farmers market –shelley pauls, woman shopping – getty images/Unsplash.