Summer is here and the seasonal fruits of the land are starting to appear at grocery stores and farmers' markets. This is the perfect time to think more critically about the justice of the food we eat. That may seem strange, but there are significant social justice aspects to the growing, harvesting, transportation, distribution, and consumption of food.
Patrick Carter, a recent graduate of Creighton University, has completed a research project about that. According to a recent interview posted at http://ncronline.org, to be more just in our eating, he says we need to change ourselves first: “Buy local food, eat out less, eat less meat and don’t over eat. We, as Christians, have a responsibility to care for God’s creations — humans, animals, earth and water — and the way we currently grow and eat food is not reflective of this call… We can have a sustainable existence by first changing ourselves by buying locally grown and ethically harvested food that has a minimized impact on the environment… [I]f the food [we eat] would more closely reflect our Christian values to love the poor and care for God’s creation, then the eaters could be in solidarity with the growers, the land, the farmers, the livestock, the harvesters and the hungry of the world, in addition to the others in the room.”
This summer, consider doing more of your grocery shopping at your local farmers' market and selecting organically grown produce. In addition to finding healthy, fresh foods at a competitive price, you will also be promoting justice.
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