As it’s been recently reported, the result of massive demand for the protein-rich crop quinoa has an effect. Children living in the crop’s Andean farming region are starving because their parents can no longer afford the market price for their traditional staple food. Instead of eating the crop, they’ve turned to crap and are living on a nutrient-poor junk food diet. Before you sniff your nose and say, ‘but I eat junk food three times a day and it doesn’t do me any harm,’ please note the malnutrition and child mortality rate in Peru and Bolivia. When children are starving, it seems everyone has found someone to blame.
A disgusted Mimi Bekhechi, of the Guardian, said, “animal agriculture that is the real villain because meat consumption is an inefficient use of grain.” Oh yes Mimi, please take this moment to further your own agenda.
In a drug reference addled rant, Virginia Heffernan of Yahoo! News whinged about the foodies. But I can’t take her seriously, either. The NY Times says the same thing, only they call them, “health-conscious consumers.”
My, pointy fingers certainly are sharp!
There’s more to the story than just hunger. Increased farming profits means that armed disputes have broken out over previous unclaimed land. It's a worthless persuit to point fingers at people who enjoy the dish. Nobody who ordered a quinoa-laced meal did so thinking, 'oooh, I hope I'll opress children with every savory bite.' Market conditions were simply created.
Whether you believe Whole Foods is the enemy or not, there’s a truth to remember: when a scarce resource is exploited people will get hurt. Whether it is diamonds and minerals in Africa, oil in the Middle East, tea in Asia, or gold in the Americas. Pick any banana republic and you will hear a song of sorrow. It has been the pervading belief that economic-might means right. By having superior means, any industry can invade, looking to turn handsome profits, and abuse those without means. And the rest is a sad commentary on our shared world history.
So where does this leave the starving children in Bolivia? In limbo. Quinoa is a fad, but coffee and tea both started out as fads, too. Difficult as this maybe to imagine, in a hundred years our descendants may live off it. Or, it could be beloved by a smattering of die-hard fans, like marmite! Though I doubt marmite ever killed anyone… Some marmite eaters may kill for it, but that would be entirely different.
We’re trying though. (We as in the big, honkin’ royal WE.) We are trying to be better, more politically correct, tolerant, less carbon foot-print-y, and entering a new millennium. We haven’t got it perfect yet. We’re still getting it wrong and learning from our mistakes, but one thing we’re working towards is ‘making healthier food choices.’ Remember that one from your New Years’ Resolutions? Thought so.
Making healthier food choices can mean choosing foods that don’t come with a human price tag attached. Everyone is responsible for how they shop. Me? I shop quinoa-free because I don’t touch most health food with a ten foot pole. The fact that a ridiculously overpriced $6.00 box of quinoa salad is going towards an oppressive economic machine should make people uncomfortable. All kidding aside, history has proven this set of circumstances never ends well for the indigenous peoples affected. Quinoa has a funny name, but is it any different than any other scarce commodity exploited by multi-national corporations?
Stop pushing the blame on foodies, gluten-free dieters, and consumers – do something. People make the ethical choice to shop cruelty-free all the time by buying local, by buying vegan, by buying free-trade. Whatever your moral compass is, put quinoa on the map.
Feel free to debate me and tell me I’m wrong in the comments.
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