It’s six forty five am. Do you know where your food is?
There’s a chance it might have come from farms on the Eastern Shore and passed through the Maryland Food Center Authority in Jessup on its way to stores, restaurants, and your refrigerator. This six minute video from MPT’s Farm and Harvest gives you a behind the scenes look at how that all works.
How Fresh Produce Gets From Farm to Grocery Store Overnight
PBS, Maryland Public Television
If you aren’t familiar with the show Maryland Farm and Harvest then here's a snippet of how they describe themselves:
Hosted by Joanne Clendining, Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers around the state to see and experience what it's like to run a 21st century farm – from technological advances and conservation challenges to age-old complications such as weather hardships. MF&H also captures the number one reason why planters and growers dedicate themselves to it all: their simple love of farming.
They’ve been on the air since 2013 and have garnered numerous awards. True confession: I’ve pretty much only watched it when I stumbled upon it by accident. That being said, I always find it interesting.
So why the spotlight today?
First off: Howard County has a big part in this particular story. That’s where the Maryland Food Center Authority is located - - in Jessup - - and it plays a central role in this video segment.
Secondly, I’ve had food safety on my mind quite a bit lately. Federal funding cuts that have compromised vital inspections along with other food safety practices have resulted in a continuing string of contaminated food products. Those products are making it to consumers and sickening them.
In an article on this summer’s alarming number of recalls, Joseph Giganti of WFRV (Green Bay Wisconsin) closes with the following:
The endless recalls come after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy made sweeping layoffs at his department last year as part of his new health initiative, Make America Healthy Again.
Some of the staffers let go were lab scientists who tested food samples for contamination, and communication specialists who alerted the nation to urgent recalls.
When I wrote about this earlier in the year I focused on how multiple events instill a sense of fear in the public. My concern was that this fear would spill over into purchase of food from local growers. The best piece of advice I received from a reader was about buying local and knowing your farmers.
As I watched this video today it made me realize how much I don’t know about how our food gets to us and how knowing could make me a better consumer and a better advocate for food safety. So, I’m starting here.
I don’t often ask you to watch an entire six minutes (!!!) of something but I think you’ll enjoy it.
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