An Uncomfortable Truth

In the news at the moment is the Great British Meat Scandal, as I choose to call it. In a month or two I suspect it will have been overtaken by something else but at the moment, it has us all thinking about the food we eat, how it is made and where it comes from. The 'uncomfortable truth' for many is that for the most part, none of us really know where our food comes from, particularly processed meat. One thing that is clear is that very little of it originates here in the UK, most of it coming from Eastern Europe. I try to avoid processed meat as much as I can and I'm a naturally fussy eater anyway, inspecting most things before deciding to put them in me. If I have eaten horse meat, then I suspect like many I wouldn't have known or tasted any difference. I have no doubt that the procedures for checking what goes into our food will be tightened, but even then, how can we be sure of what we're being given to eat? I do believe that cost has a lot to do with it, though I don't believe the consumer is to blame for the cheapness and lowering of quality in the food we eat. The supermarkets are in ferocious competition with each other to sell us ever cheaper food. The economy has shrunk household budgets to such an extent that many have no choice but the buy the 'value' brands. Lower quality ingredients should be expected, but to substitute the main ingredient, i.e. beef for something entirely different is simply wrong.
This whole sorry saga will have a significant impact on the way we shop for food. Already, there is a decline in the sale of ready meals with many shoppers opting for alternative meats such as chicken and pork. A shake up of the whole industry is needed and I think that is what we will see over the coming weeks. This will inevitably come at a cost as greater emphasis is given by food producers and retailers to the processes involved in getting meat from the farms to our plates. If this means an increase in the cost of meat, then so be it. Perhaps that has been needed for some time. Perhaps it is cost that has driven quality and standards so low that even basic ingredients can no longer be guaranteed, or the origins of these ingredients truly known.
This has to be a wake up call for the whole industry. Consumers should expect a minimum standard of quality and assurance. I want to know what I am eating and where it is from. Don't you?