My Essay-3

05-07-2008 16:09

Preparing Safe Food for the Table


By Chung In-sung

In the Chinese classics, one scholar said to his students, ``We human beings have three likings through our whole life. One is enjoying food; the second is making good friends; and the third is reading books.''

Ten years ago, I happened to travel to Malaysia by myself to meet my pen friend living in Penang. He was a real believer in Buddhism and a vegetarian as well.

He showed me a every well-known corner of the country. On the way back to the hotel, after visiting the ``Butterfly Museum,'' we saw some wild roosters and hens near a garden.

I asked him who takes care of the hens and chickens. He said, ``They don't belong to anybody.'' They were living in nature, without stress. I was surprised at this.

Nowadays we can't enjoy such fresh, safe food as we used to do. We can't help but worry about whether we are preparing safe food for the table and our family.

We must think about ways to ensure safe food ― organic farming; civic groups and mass media monitoring of the raising of livestock; government guidelines and financial support for safe food through organic farming.

First, it is very important for us to have an interest in organic grain, vegetables and meat. Recently all elementary and middle schools began serving their students lunch every day.

Parents and teachers worry about whether the food they are serving is safe and not contaminated. Some parents attend food-testing events for their children's health and periodically check out the food.

Others ask schools to use locally grown organic grain and vegetables. Food is a vital source for life and it keeps our bodies healthy.

Moreover, nations can't live the happy and healthy lives necessary to keep a society happy. Parents ask the local government and the board of education to increase food spending incessantly.

Second, we have to get civic groups and the mass media to monitor the raising of livestock. A civic group seeking to protect consumers' rights announced surprising news that beef produced here included twice as many antibiotics as that of Japan.

The overuse of antibiotics can have side-effects on the body's resistance to certain diseases. It is a serious problem that we need to solve immediately. We must have the right to enjoy safe beef and pork.

Thanks to a monitoring system, if farmers try to raise cows and pigs so that they can freely move and run, being fed natural hay and grain in a large space, we'll be able to enjoy good safe beef and pork in the near future. But such livestock farming needs a great amount of money.

Third, we have to encourage the government to support farmers producing organic grain, vegetables and livestock. Sometimes we hear shocking news on contaminated food, such as food with chemicals, antibiotics, or even beef and pork infected with cholera.

We hear some vegetables such as beans and potatoes produced in America are genetically modified organisms. We have to take further steps to protect ourselves from potential risks from these crops.

Especially the government must set stricter safety guidelines and increase financial support for organic farming to produce fresh and safe food.

In conclusion, nations must try to make available good and safe food to keep our families healthy. To achieve this goal, civic groups and the mass media should visit livestock farms periodically and check them scientifically.

Farmers should do their best to raise healthy cows and pigs in wide pens, being fed with grain and grass cultivated by organic methods. The government must use a carrot and stick approach to ensure food safety.

The writer is a trainee at the Intensive English Teachers Training Program at the Korea National University of Education in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. His email address is flesung@yahoo.co.kr