The fastest, cheapest, best food. Is it attainable?

written by

posted on

November 3, 2017

So much damage has been done to our food system by the expectation for the perfect trifecta – the fastest, cheapest, best food. However, we all know that you can’t have all three. Maybe two, but not three. Low-cost, quick-to-prepare, tender, flavorful food has been achieved (think McDonald’s, which feeds 1% of the world population daily). But, at what cost? What do you really lose when you disregard quality?

First, we lose our health. GMOs and chemicals and additives of all sorts have created a plethora of health issues. In the long run, this “cheap” food, void of usable nutrients, will end up being quite expensive in terms of healthcare costs and quality of life. Second, we lose food preparation knowledge passed down for generations. Many have tossed aside his or her grandmother’s tried and true pot roast for takeout or easy microwave dinners. Third, we lose our environment. Much of our farmland’s soil is in a desperate state, dead and void of nutrition. Fourth, we lose community. Many aspects of preparing quality food for your family require the help of a village. I wish that we still had the local butcher, baker, and candlestick maker. I could go on and on and on.

The mission of Miller’s Biodiversity Farm is to produce high-quality, nutrient-dense food that enhances the health and well-being of our customers. We are not the cheapest, but we strive to produce the best quality food possible and to be easily accessible to our customers. We are also an open book. Nothing is hidden. We love to share knowledge and are happy to answer any questions you may have about our farm fresh food.

I like to take my Miller’s Bio food and make fast, excellent breakfasts for my family. This morning, we had smoothies. I blended together drinkable yogurt, grape juice, frozen fruit, a couple bananas, red clover honey, beef gelatin powder, and trace minerals. I also added some elderberry syrup for an extra boost.

Opinion

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Let’s take a look at what rennet is and why it’s used in cheesemaking, compare the different types of animal and vegetable rennets, check out the labeling requirements for rennet, and consider the potential health consequences. Keeping all this in mind, Miller’s Bio Farm aims to produce the most nutrient-dense, natural, A2/A2 cheese we can and gives you all the info you need to make the choice that’s best for your body!

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

It used to be true that, if your egg yolks were darker in color, then the better the egg's nutrition. Conscious consumers of the past would look for that deep orange yolk and stray away from lighter yellow yolks. It's sad, but this simply isn't the case anymore. Here's why you can't trust cheap store-bought eggs with orange yolks and need to know your farmer instead.

The fastest, cheapest, best food. Is it attainable?

More from the blog

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

Do

Learn

Uphold

Connect

Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566