by Jack Moffitt

If you found yourself in the position of caring for one less fortunate, less educated, less intelligent, or otherwise in need of assistance,

I’m sure you would agree that it would be wrong to feed that person substances that would wreck their health. I mean, even if they loved twinkies with chocolate shake chasers and pizza for breakfast, after serving that meal to them year after year – would you not feel major guilt knowing the bad effects of that bad food?

With that thought in mind, consider four programs, and tell me which one makes sense:

#1 – The Brownsville Farmers Market and associated entities like Su Clinica Familiar, UT – School of Public Health, and others, distribute thousands of dollars of food to the less fortunate. The food is local grown produce and local processed healthy foods using honey, whole wheat, fruit, etc.

#2 – Vendors ply 500 teachers and students from 37 Valley Schools to taste-test an assortment of foods including fried foods, sausage, pizza, tortellini, macaroni and cheese, etc. The vendors hope to be the feeders of the children in these 37 districts. The words “vegetable” and “fruit” do not appear in October 16th Brownsville Herald article describing the event.

#3 – The brochure describing the foods available at HEB to WIC shoppers dedicate one-third of the product listing space to breakfast cereals, including “Frosted Mini Wheats” and “Frosted mini Spooners”. You probably know, WIC is a government nutrition program directed at young mothers with infants, having as it’s motto “Smart Choices – Healthy Families”

#4 – If you are a Texas Lone Star Card customer, you can spend your monthly allotment on fully leaded Cokes and donuts, but you are forbidden from buying a vitamin or a hot food, such as one of those rotisserie chickens.

If you picked #1 (and i knew you would) you are right!

What kind of sense does it make to feed our children food, at their place of education, that is known to be a poor choice? Wouldn’t every child fed such a diet feel that it was an exemplary way to eat? After all, it’s what they serve at school.

What kind of sense does it make to encourage infants to eat sugary candy cereals floating in high fat milks? The message to the mothers is that this is an approved nutrition program. The tastes of the infant are being forever biased towards fat and sugars. At best, the child will have to overcome poor habits.

What kind of sense does it make to give food assistance to the needy, that assists them into obesity, diabetes, and poor health?

If you answered “no sense at all”, you are right again. Food science backs you up. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy, density and energy costs, a 2004 article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutriution discusses this paradox of cheap-food-being-the-worst-food and the food most consumed by the under-privileged, poor and under-educated. If you add the costs to society in providing health care to this same group, what seems illogical, now appears insane.

It’s time to start at square one when it comes to health care. Square one being what you put into the mouth. Perhaps if we give this problem our attention, and quit enabling assisted suicide with bad food, we can eliminate the need for some of the healthcare that has hogged the headlines ad nauseum. How about giving food, real food, to people in need – not money? We have technology at every food outlet to give nutrition, not dollars. The scanner knows what the item is, as well as the cost. Why have WIC seperate from the LoneStar Card? Why make the WIC mothers use handwritten forms and go on a scavenger hunt for WIC items? Why subsidize Kellogs and Post in distributing their high sugar – poor nutrition products?

The old adage “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later” comes to mind.

By the way, you can get past editions of The Brownsville Farmers Market Report (along with prose, poetry, musings, etc.) at Nunnayerbizness courtesy of local musician and good guy Stan Raines. Stan’s recent review of the Market’s favorite musicians, is well worth a visit.

Market Report

Weather was perfect for outdoor shopping last week, and this week promises the same.

I was able to walk around the Market this week, and I’ll pass my notes along.

If you are interested in compiling this info and assisting with this weekly report, please give me a holler! Someone who could make note of the vendors and products and email them to me, would be great! I’ll be glad to take it from there. The market’s success has hindered my effectiveness in this regard. Vendors, if you want to announce what you are bringing, add contact information, etc., just send an email to me.

I think we can expect more of the same from last week, so here is the run down:

The Graybill Family- local honey, honey pollen, eggs

Bayview Veggies – sprouts, okra, peppers, arugula, butternut squash, chives, chinese chive

Debbie Cox – herbs, plants, potted and ready to plant

Yahweh Farms – eggplant, dragon fruit, peppers, eggs, melon squash, avocado, pecans

Rivers End Nursery – star fruit, dragon fruit, guavas, avocados, moring, plant wash, nematodes, eggs

Ruth Wagner – vegetables, handcrafts

Les Hogdson – fresh caught gulf shrimp

Marco Bartolomeo – Kettle Korn

Alice Abbott – breads, crackers

Mathers Farms – carrots

Gracia Family – sweet corn, Armenian Cucumber, radishes, gallito, pepitos, peppers, nopalitas, popinitos, squash blossoms

Alaniz Produce – vegetables, including cucumbers

Leticia Cantu – Fruit Cups & fresh juice

Ron Dickerson - Avocados, barrel gourds, donkey ear plants, spider plants

James Sojak – vegetables

Palm Gardens – tomato plants, some herbs, assorted plants, cacti and succulents from the famous gardens of Mr. & Mrs. Morris Clint!

Your humble correspondent
Jack Moffitt

–
The Brownsville Farmers’ Market

Saturdays from 8am – Noon
Linear Park
Harrison St. between E. 6th and E. 7th