photo: maritimelight, Creative Commons

I just had the privilege of hearing Andrew Kimbrell, founder and director of the Center for Food Safety (CFS), speak at the Hazon conference today.  He’s able to deliver alarming news about the state of our food system in an engaging, humorous manner that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat. Under his leadership, the center has had several important legal victories, most recently the Supreme Court decided in their favor against Monsanto (yea! Thank you CFS!). However, we’re involved in a major battle to change the industrial food system whose corporate forces are pushing for cloned meats and dairy in our food system, genetically modified organisms, inhumane treatment of animals (10 BILLION animals are killed every year in our industrial meat factories) and increased use of pesticides.

However, there are many personal changes we can make along with supporting the legislative and advocacy efforts of groups like Center for Food Safety and Hazon to develop a more equitable, environmentally sound, sustainable food system.  Those things are important but leave out a missing element which  explains why we’re gotten into the mess we’re in now. Overwhelmingly, we are disconnected to our environment and  food sources.  This spiritual disconnection has enabled for the dominant agri-business system of food production in the US.

He also remarked that we shouldn’t consider ourselves “consumers” but “creators.”   By choosing an interactive way of engaging in our society as creators, we will not just passively c0nsume but be active participants in our society.  In the Jewish tradition, God asks us to be his partners in his creation of the world and to be its ongoing keepers in its ever evolving creation.  Perhaps Kimbrell’s idea of consumers vs. creators is a way to re-energize our relationship with God (or however you connect spiritually) and all that has been created for us.  By reframing our connection with the world, we can take on more responsibility and accountability for our actions and duties.  If we become morally and spiritually in-tune with our food systems, we will realize that the terrible treatment of farm workers and meat processors, the inhumane treatment of farm animals, the tons of toxic pesticides applied to the foods we eat and the use of genetically modified organisms is not putting us in the highest spiritual or religious place but the lowest.  We’re at a serious juncture, and we all have the opportunity to become creators so that we can connect with each other, our food sources and our spiritual/religious traditions.

takepart to learn more about the Center for Food Safety.