Episode 3: The Danger of Labels (with Carrie Balkcom)
So, what do labels actually mean? Probably not what you think...
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Show Notes
We see labels everywhere, to the point of immunity. Not that we're immune to their effects, but definitely to their presence. We see a label, like "USDA ORGANIC" or "CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF", and we assume it means they are healthy for us. We feel like we've connected the mental dots. But we haven't.
Labels haven't been around forever. Only since meat could be shipped nationwide year-round, which was 1867, did consumers begin to lose touch with their food supply. Leapfrogging to today, and we have no idea where 99% of our food came from. We go further to assume some things are inherently "pure", like wine, and couldn't possibly be contaminated with anything. A man named Rudy Kurniawan exploited this trust, and pumped over $550 million dollars of fake wine onto the marketplace before he was arrested in 2012. Oh, and one study found that 90% of french wines contained traces of insecticides.
Labels don't have to be misleading though. Some labels don't just tell you what ISN'T in the meat, they also are affirming of good agricultural practices. I got to interview CARRIE BALKCOM, Executive Director of the American Grassfed Association. If you think I'm nuts, listen to her. She's been doing this for nearly 20 years. And she knows her stuff.