Hey Moe! Where’d You Get Your Salsa?

Recently, the Women, Food, and Feminism class I’m taking explored the global food chain, the labor inequalities in the food industry, and genetically modified food. As a college student, I have perfected the art of finding tasty, inexpensive food. One of my favorite cheap food thrills is Moe’s Monday: for an attractive $5.55 I can get any burrito on the menu with chips and a drink. As visions of chips and salsa (I know it’s that time of year when it should be sugarplums, but more about those in another column) dance through my head, I can’t help but think: What’s in our food and where does it come from?

According to Deborah Koons Garcia’s documentary The Future of Food much of our produce has been genetically modified to help it withstand nature. Moe’s food supply comes from FOCUS Brands Inc., the same company that supplies Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Cinnabon. It’s safe to assume that FOCUS gets their produce from farmers who use Monsanto seeds, which are “Round-up ready” and can withstand herbicidal treatments. This results in higher crop yields to meet the demand for fresh produce. Food is also imported from countries all over the world to meet this demand. Chances are the salsa on my burrito contains ingredients not only from the United States, but Mexico, Canada, and China as well.

A migrant worker probably picked the tomatoes in my salsa, because according to Deborah Barndt’s article On the Move for Food: Three Women Behind the Tomato’s Journey, there has been a “feminization of labor and poverty” in the agricultural sector. Chances are, this worker works long hours for minimum wage on some farm a great distance away from FOCUS Brands Inc.’s Atlanta home base.

Barndt’s concept of “distancing” comes full-circle for my salsa: its ingredients—now so far removed genetically from their original DNA—were grown and harvested in someone else’s “backyard” by someone who lives thousands of miles away from home. That food was then purchased and shipped to the Moe’s restaurant down the street, where it is prepared for my Moe’s Monday consumption. My salsa is a product of ever-increasing globalization.

What if my neighborhood Moe’s suddenly began to purchase tomatoes (and other salsa ingredients) from our Saturday market in downtown, or from The Good Earth produce stand on Davis Road? Because the farmers may have used heirloom seeds (seeds that are not used in large-scale agriculture), chances are the seeds haven’t been genetically modified. The tomatoes also represent a less homogenized species of tomato, and increasing its production supports genetic diversity in food. Moe’s would have to purchase salsa ingredients in large quantities, which would increase profit for local farmers by meeting Moe’s demands. Lastly, Moe’s would attract a whole new crowd, citizens who are anti-GMO, who support local gardens, and who prefer to support local business.

Hey Moe: That’s a great idea! Get on that!
 

In Fall 2011, Megan Steinberg began her internship with Sashay and quickly proved that she could write a thing or two about food and its roller coaster relationship with women, society, organic trends, and, well, life! She is a student at Augusta State Univeristy, where she is also heavily involved with the theater department.