I assume you consider importing food a negative factor.
While I myself invariably choose locally grown produce when available in
equal terms (i.e. kind & quality) as those coming from father away, and
in fact buy what I buy regularly (I prefer not to refrigerate produce
and try to buy unrefrigerated items - and that in itself either means
frequent local sourcing or getting it shipped directly to me by someone
at the source); I think this is an issue best left to the individul
purchaser, who should have access to pertinent information regarding his
purchase, just as those offering it have to right to inform the buying
public regarding the characteristics of their offering (and I don't
believe a national standard for organic will do a lot toward doing away
with significant quality differences, which themselves may be in part
subjective).
In relation to Mexican Ag products in particular, there are basically
three types of products: Tropical items (which may be much more more
"local" than similar Hawaiian items), Off Season and Ethnic type
produce, which are generally not available in the U.S. in appreciable
quantities during the time they are exported from Mexico. Many of these
items may be grown closer to market than comparable Florida grown items,
particularly in relation to the Western U.S. Also, a good number of
those western states were once part of Mexico (and may once again be, in
the future). Also, before the U.S. was the U.S. and Mexico was Mexico,
both were called something else and will undoubtedly be called something
else in the perhaps distant or perhaps not so distant future.
My point is this: Does it really matter? If your concern is the
exploitation of cheap labor, many of those doing that in Latin America
are FROM the U.S. and Mexico perhaps represents the country that has
best resisted U.S. domination, which to me is positive. These issues
aren't even addressed in OFPA or in organic ag as a whole - although
there are notable exceptions, and many of those involved do NOT stress
use of the word "organic". (The EAP website http://eap.mcgill.ca/ looks
good - and I'll bet Canada imports a lot - probably most, in some
seasons - of the produce consumed there).
This post doesn't reflect a lack of sympathy on my part with what I take
to be your stance - I just see things from a somewhat different angle.
DH
from down at the border
PetersFarm wrote:
>
> Dear friends -
>
> Can anyone confirm or deny a report I heard that in 1997 the U.S. imported
> more food than we exported?
>
> I asked Senator Leahy's office, the best they could do on short notice was fax
> me a table from the USDA for 1995, I couldn't make heads or tails out of it.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Betty Gras
> petersfarm@aol.com
>
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