Librarian_

I constantly tell friends that when they shop for groceries, they're voting for food policy with what they buy. What would be your suggestion to raise awareness about the revolving door between USDA/FDA policymakers and BigAg? What would be your suggestion to eliminate this blatant conflict of interest?

Lazarus, as a single mom of 3, I completely understand the tension between what's in your grocery budget and feeding your kids the best food you can. I can assure you that you will save a boatload of money by growing your own veg, organically. If you don't have a yard, you can container garden on a patio or balcony or in a sunny window with a broad spectrum light. I have a smallish yard (big for a city at 1/3 acre, but not big for the rural area I live in) and I grow 20 different veg varieties, grapes, berries, and I'm currently shopping for heirloom apple trees. We forage mushrooms and wild leeks (ramps) from the forest around us, and get our meat from a couple of local farmers, or I trade pickles, preserves, and veggies with a hunter friend. For what we don't grow, we buy at a local organic farm stand. Each year, I spend about $100 in organic seeds (from companies that don't deal with BigAg, like High Mowing Seeds) and a bag of seed starting mix, and I re-use plastic pots from year to year. I've grown my own food in my yard, and on a balcony (so many hanging baskets it was a wall of veggies!). It can be done... you just have to think creatively, and make real food a priority.