https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea...ocery-run/
EXCERPTS: [...] Next time you’re at the grocery store, consider these 10 modern myths about the most ancient occupation.
1. Most farms are corporate-owned
[...] Nearly 99 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned. [...]
2. Food is expensive
Americans spend a considerably smaller percentage of their income on food than they did in the 1960s. [...]
3. Farming is traditional and low tech
[...] tractors have been driving themselves around farms for years. [...]
4. A pesticide is a pesticide is a pesticide
[...] Different classes target certain types of pests [...]
5. Organic farmers and conventional farmers don’t get along
Adjacent farms have to cooperate regardless of how they grow their crops. [...]
6. A GMO is a GMO is a GMO
Farmers and plant scientists find the term “GMO,” [...] frustrating. There are many ways to genetically modify a crop inside and outside of a lab [...]
7. Only meat with a “hormone-free” label is hormone free
No meat is hormone-free [...]
8. Only meat with an “antibiotic-free” label is antibiotic free
All the meat in your grocery store is antibiotic-free. An animal treated with antibiotics cannot be slaughtered until the drugs have cleared its system. The label “no antibiotics added” or “raised without antibiotics” means that an animal was raised without receiving any antibiotics ever. [...]
9. Foods labeled “natural” are produced differently
Natural food labels don’t actually mean anything. Not yet, anyway. [...] Where to draw the line between natural and unnatural is a tough call, and many experts argue it's irrelevant, because naturalness is not an indication of quality or safety.
10. Chemicals are the biggest threat to food safety
Biological contaminants are by far the most common food safety issue. [...] Chemicals make their way into foods much less often. [...]
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EXCERPTS: [...] Next time you’re at the grocery store, consider these 10 modern myths about the most ancient occupation.
1. Most farms are corporate-owned
[...] Nearly 99 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned. [...]
2. Food is expensive
Americans spend a considerably smaller percentage of their income on food than they did in the 1960s. [...]
3. Farming is traditional and low tech
[...] tractors have been driving themselves around farms for years. [...]
4. A pesticide is a pesticide is a pesticide
[...] Different classes target certain types of pests [...]
5. Organic farmers and conventional farmers don’t get along
Adjacent farms have to cooperate regardless of how they grow their crops. [...]
6. A GMO is a GMO is a GMO
Farmers and plant scientists find the term “GMO,” [...] frustrating. There are many ways to genetically modify a crop inside and outside of a lab [...]
7. Only meat with a “hormone-free” label is hormone free
No meat is hormone-free [...]
8. Only meat with an “antibiotic-free” label is antibiotic free
All the meat in your grocery store is antibiotic-free. An animal treated with antibiotics cannot be slaughtered until the drugs have cleared its system. The label “no antibiotics added” or “raised without antibiotics” means that an animal was raised without receiving any antibiotics ever. [...]
9. Foods labeled “natural” are produced differently
Natural food labels don’t actually mean anything. Not yet, anyway. [...] Where to draw the line between natural and unnatural is a tough call, and many experts argue it's irrelevant, because naturalness is not an indication of quality or safety.
10. Chemicals are the biggest threat to food safety
Biological contaminants are by far the most common food safety issue. [...] Chemicals make their way into foods much less often. [...]
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