Food Sleuth: Gobbling Up Biodiversity

For a real celebration of the holidays and genetic diversity on the farm, find a turkey with a story worth telling.

By Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D.

Lavendar/Lilac turkeys are one of several heritage breeds bringing diversity to America’s farms, tables and sustainable farm futures. Photo by Jeannette Beranger, courtesy of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

Not to rain on your holiday parades, but Salmonella isn’t the only looming threat to our collective feasting and party tables. A more insidious risk to national food security and safety comes from the loss of biological and genetic diversity in our food supply.

Don’t get me wrong. According to the National Farm Medicine Center, Salmonella infections are the second leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States. And unfortunately, the routine use of antibiotics in industrial livestock and poultry production contributes to more virulent and prevalent antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In a totally different approach, however, preserving and encouraging biodiversity— the variety of life in a farmscape—safeguards us from both disease and famine.

Take the Irish potato famine, for example. It resulted from a fungus and an agricultural system heavily dependent on a single crop with limited variety. Similarly, the planting of one variety of corn—in vast monoculture spreads—is blamed for the widespread American corn leaf blight in 1970. Genetic similarity increases vulnerability; whereas diversity improves resistance to infection and protection against crop failure—essential ingredients to a sustainable future.

Now let’s talk turkey. Did you realize that most of us ate from the same genetic platter on Thanksgiving? The National Turkey Federation (NTF) reports Americans gobbled down more than 46 million turkeys last month.

Marjorie Bender, research and technical program director at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, says 99 percent of those birds belonged to the same commercial breed, the Broad-Breasted White.

Meat with a story—its breed history, how it fits the land and farm of its time on earth—is meat worth celebrating with friends and careful savoring. Photo by Glenda Kapsalis, courtesy of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

These conventional birds eat mostly corn and soy from ever-increasing acres of genetically modified crops. Plus, according to the NTF, the birds typically receive routine sub-therapeutic antibiotics “to ensure the health and well-being of the flock and to grow more efficiently.”

NTF describes turkey companies as “vertically integrated,” which means they control or contract all phases of production and processing, “from breeding through delivery to retail.” By maintaining tight control over research, hatching, growing, feeding, processing, packaging, transportation and marketing, NTF says “the industry is able to produce wholesome, safe, high-quality products at the lowest possible cost to the consumer.”

Sorry, but I’m not buying into that line of reasoning. The industrial model doesn’t consider the greater ecological and public health costs incurred from narrowing our dependence down to one breed of turkey, increasing global monoculture acreages of GMO crops, or the routine use of antibiotics.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, antimicrobial resistance is undermining our ability to treat serious human infections, leading to increased frequency and severity of illness including increased death. Over 70% of all antibiotics are used in sub-therapeutic doses in U.S. livestock production.

Steve Roach, public health program director for Food Animal Concerns Trust, says “sampling of retail meat for resistant bacteria by the FDA finds that bacteria from turkey are more resistant than bacteria from beef, chickens, or swine.”

One nation, under contract with one bird (hog or cow) spells trouble. Here’s what you can do:

• Seek out individual producers of heritage breeds who work to restore endangered species, and raise their animals humanely and sustainably without antibiotics. Heritage breeds are naturally resistant to infection, physically suited to their niche environments, and help preserve our cultural history. As a bonus, you’ll find heritage breeds deliver superior taste.

• Shop smart. Your cash register receipt doesn’t reflect the true cost of food. Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) and the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org), can hook you up with farmers, stores and restaurants selling truly safe and wholesome food at a fair price. Or just try a web search for “local food directory [your city].”

• Stay informed. Learn more about biodiversity, the risks of industrial agribusiness, and ways to keep your family truly safe:

Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian, advocate for sustainable food systems, and former Food and Society Policy Fellow. She’s based in Columbia, MO. This is her fourth article published on www.rodaleinstitute.org

©Food Sleuth 2008.