TV Dinners. It was bad enough that video killed the radio star. But television had turned us into a group of moronic munchers. TV dinners, good for avoiding those awkward "close" family moments, but detrimental to our taste buds. The food is piled on our plates. We sit in front of the goggle box and before we know it the plate is clean. We've eaten our meals without even tasting them.
Let us mix a little conspiracy theory with some 1950s B-horror movie plot. What if the television companies and the food companies were secretly in cahoots? The television sends out brain-numbing radioactive waves, keeping our minds away from thinking about what we are actually eating. While watching American sitcoms which make us feel good about ourselves and the world, we shovel food flavoured with the finest hormones and antibiotics, and the most fragrant pesticides and dioxins.
Ridiculous. But the ordinary consumer would be forgiven for being paranoid. In the past few years reports on food safety have ranged from GM foods and salmonella, to BSE and dioxins in fish-fingers. Belgium and France have both suffered the fallout from revelations on food-safety violations. Public outrage brought down one government and both countries suffered severe economic losses. If "you are what you eat," what do you do when you don't know what you're eating. Would the real food please stand up?
One way to ensure food is safe is to choose organic. A recent report found that supermarkets in Britain and Ireland are experiencing an unprecedented demand for organic food, reflecting the increased public concern over food safety. Superquinn, Marks and Spencer and Tesco now all stock organic ranges. In 1997 Sainsbury in Britain stocked 40 organic lines. It now has 440.
The word "organic" is more than an adjective. It relates specifically to how the food is produced. Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers, minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation, and they do not permit the use of genetic modification.
Darina Allen of Ballymaloe fame has long been an advocate of organic foods. She is a member of the Consumer Foods and Ingredients Board of An Bord Bia and is on the board of the Organic Centre. At her Ballymaloe Cookery school at Shanagarry in Cork, Allen has extensive vegetable and fruit gardens and the school and restaurant also produce their own pork and free-range eggs. "We try as far as possible to have the food grown here. Where this is not possible we make sure to source the food. It is important for us to know where the food has come from," she says.
Getting organic food can often be difficult and expensive but, as she points out, "the small percentage of people who do try to get organic every time and are willing to pay that extra bit, are the ones who really know about what goes into food today." But what about those who can't afford it? For Darina Allen this is a matter of priorities. "People have a fixation with cheap food. They strive to save 10p here or 50p there. The food we eat influences so much of our health. We could save on doctor bills if we were more concerned about what we feed ourselves and our children. The price of cheap food is just too high. It puts too much pressure on the farmers who then try to cut corners, which then leads to the problems".
Organic food may not be readily available or a feasible option for most ordinary consumers, but there are alternatives. Paul Flynn, proprietor and chef at the Tannery Restaurant in Dungarvan, strives to have the best food in his kitchen. "We are mainly concerned with getting good, quality fresh food. When it is not possible to get organic food, we try to buy locally. We buy fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables and we make sure to know where our beef, bacon and pork come from."
There is more to food than the finished product. The way in which it is grown and processed affects more than the consumer on the other end. Farming methods, such as intensive farming, have long been known to damage the environment and deplete the soil. Animals reared for consumption are often seen as commodities which don't merit a decent quality of life. Farmers in the developing world often do not get a "fair trade" price, frequently getting next to nothing for their crops.
All of this can leave one feeling like Penelope Pitstop, tied to the tracks with a freight-train of social and health consciousness headed straight for you. What is a little lady to do? Well, you could stick your head in the sand or you could support your local farms and buy their produce. Buy Irish and, when you can, buy organic. For those of you who have never eaten organic beef, try it. It will jump up and bite you on the nose and scream "Hey, I'm BEEF. I'm BEEF, goddamit. Bet you've never eaten anything like me before. I'm the real McCoy. EAT ME, EAT ME NOW . . . oh, and for goodness sake turn off that telly."